Estrid

Passion Dosen’t Ignite Passion

Now there’s another story that could be told on Medium.

Estrid, the Faroese beauty whom a Danish poet fell in love with and on which the film Barbara is based.

I met her once at Glandore regatta… and subsequently purchased her biography by Else Cederborg. See photos above. Do you know the snarky phrase “World-famous in Denmark”?

Someday when I’m short on inspiration, I’ll tell that story, it’s a good one.

Let me translate the blurb:

Estrid Bannister Good — also known as the inspiration for Jørgen-Frantz Jacobsens “Barbara” and from Else Lidegåårds exciting TV interview — has experienced so many interesting people in her life and moved in so many different circles that she has almost lived several lives.

From the rich upper-class of the far east to hostess at a hotel to a fisherman’s wife* in Ireland, Estrid enjoyed the hectic (!) social life in Copenhagen and other cities, prohibition in the USA and was a member of the Danish Council* in London during the war

[*Rest assured, this fisherman was actually a very rich miller

• * Read: Spy]

She was later referred to as Denmark’s cultural ambassador for Danish design. During her lifetime she met Jørgen-Frantz Jacobsen, Willian Heinesen, Arne Jacobsen, Peter Freuchen, Knud Rasmussen, Karen Blixen, Moura Budberg, William Emrys Williams, Allen Lane and HG Wells.

Everything that she did has been imbued with the vitality and joie de vivre which enraptured Jørgen-Frantz Jacobsen and became the inspiration for the fascinating Barbara.

Through their correspondance in the thirties, much of which is reproduced in this book, comes a very different picture of the poet that we have come to know as heroic and larger than life.

He is humanized by the love that became suffering for him because he did not understand that passion dosen’t neccessarily ignite passion.

Phew!

Can you see “Postcards from the Edge” peeking out from behind Estrid?

It’s written by Carrie Fisher. I enjoyed it very much. I only just realized that she’s Princess Lea from Star Wars. I always thought the name was familiar.