Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Johannes Knudsen: The Cultural Context Of His Youth, Aage V. Knudsen

The Bridge

The editor of The Bridge asked me to describe the early life of Johannes Henrik Vilstrup Knudsen: his childhood in Tyler, Minnesota, his youth in Denmark, and his interaction with Danes and Danish Americans. My brother's life spanned from 1902 to 1982, but it was the cultural context of his youth that molded his character. Many years ago, Johannes presented me with a copy of Danish Rebel, his book about Grundtvig. He inscribed it with these words, "Lest we forget." This expressed his love and the obligation he felt for the rich heritage he received. That heritage became his lodestar.