Along The Margins

In this semi-autobiographical novel of the early twentieth century, Erik leaves his home and a bleak life in Denmark permanently. He also abandoned his failure as an artist, when he immigrated to America. He became a hard-working farmhand on a rural homestead in South Dakota. There he falls in love with the family daughter and an artistically inspiring landscape. All of his dreams seem impossible. He came to America “to find himself.” Will he succeed?

About the Author

Hans H. Andersen wrote this novel based on his vivid experiences on South Dakota homesteads, after immigrating through Ellis Island at age 18, knowing only Danish. Yet he went on to earn a degree in English and French at Iowa State Teacher’s College (University of Northern Iowa). He earned a Doctorate in Philosophy from the English Department at the University of Chicago. He taught English literature and composition, and became head of the Department of English, Foreign Languages, and Speech at Oklahoma State University. He felt driven to write this novel “for its own sake.”