Karen Blixen - Isak Dinesen home

Did Karen Blixen safari with Denys Finch Hatton in this car? No, but she dreamed of him as she drove this auto....

PRESS RELEASE:

Auction May 27, 2000, of Karen Blixen's personal car: on display until May 24 at the Karen Blixen Museum, Rungsted (north of Copenhagen).

A most exceptional car, thought to be lost by many, has finally surfaced from beneath 35 years of dust and hay in a barn in Denmark. Not only is the car a very rare, American make - a 1934 Ford V8 cabriolet de luxe two-seater sports car with a rumble seat - but it also belonged to the world famous author, Karen Blixen, alias Isak Dinesen, who after returning from Kenya in the 1930s drove it across Denmark to find a suitable retreat in which to finish her memoir, Out of Africa. Years of careful research have led to the discovery of this special car, and Holstebro Auction House in Denmark is proud to offer it for sale at an international auction on May 27th this year.

The car was given to Karen Blixen in 1936 by her relative, countess Wedel of Wedelsborg, one of Denmark's most affluent, noble families, and the adventurous author grew so fond of "Henry", as she nicknamed her Ford, that she kept it for 25 years. According to the customs certificate, "Henry" was registered to baroness Karen Blixen-Finecke, Rungsted, on May 7th 1936, and her own nickname within the family, "Tanne", appears in a metal monogram on the dashboard: "TBF", for Tanne Blixen-Finecke. The car still has its original paint and the doors carry the noble Wedel-colours. Its present owner emigrated from Denmark 35 years ago, and before leaving, chose to hide this treasure in a remote barn. After its recent discovery, the first public presentation of "Henry" will take place at the grand vintage car show on March 4th and 5th in the Queen Margrethe Hall in Fredericia, Denmark.

Karen Blixen (standing) (age 51) with her mother, Ingeborg Dinesen, in 1936. Karen Blixen's first book, Seven Gothic Tales, was published in 1934. Out of Africa came later, in 1938.

Although returning to the small country of Denmark after having left her farm in Kenya in 1931, Karen Blixen still chose to write all her books in English. Her first book, Seven Gothic Tales, was published in the United States in 1934 and then later that same year in Great Britain, bringing her instant fame on both sides of the Atlantic. Later came Out of Africa and Winter's Tales, the first of which was turned into an Oscar-winning film by Sidney Pollack in 1985, starring Meryl Streep and Robert Redford. No less than four of Karen Blixen's books were elected Book-of-the-Month in the United States, and she always maintained a special love for her American readers, who had been the first to fully appreciate her genius. In 1959 Karen Blixen visited the United States on a 3 month tour, and was guest of honour at the annual festival in The National Institute of Arts and Letters. Always emphasizing that she was "a storyteller", she took part in radio and tv broadcasts, where she would narrate her stories rather than read them. Among many celebrities she met Arthur Miller, Marilyn Monroe, and Carson MacCuller in the latter's home. A picture taken at this rare event remained one of Karen Blixen's dearest photos.

Karen Blixen's stories have never ceased to fascinate her world audience. In 1968, Orson Welles turned "The Immortal Story" into a film starring himself and Jeanne Moreau, and later, in 1987, only two years after Out of Africa, Gabriel Axel starred Stephane Audran in Babette's Feast, a stunning film which won an Oscar for Best Foreign Film.

Regarding the sale of "Henry" on May 27th, Holstebro Auction House will be happy to answer all inquiries about the car itself, photos of the car and also about Karen Blixen's ownership of it, and invites interested parties around the world to get in contact via e-mail, fax or phone. E-mail: mail@ho-auk.dk Fax: +45 97 41 41 32 and Phone: +45 97 40 11 11. You are also welcome to visit our homepage: www.ho-auk.dk.