Karen Blixen/Isak Dinesen Home

Scandinavian Press, July 31, 1998 Vol.5 No.3 Pg 17

by Nina K Brandt

Copyright © 1998 by Scandinavian Press. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved

Karen Blixen is a well-known and much appreciated author - not only in Denmark, her country of birth, but in the whole world. Her stories are absolutely fascinating, but so was her real life - extraordinary and different.

The life Karen Blixen lived on her farm in Kenya was a testimony to her broadmindedness. She was unusually liberal in her way of perceiving the world and the human race. After divorcing Bror Blixen, Karen ran the farm herself, struggling with financial hardship that in 1934 finally forced her to sell the farm and move to Denmark.

For Karen Blixen the native people were not savages, as was the normal opinion of Western society, but people in harmony with themselves and their environment. Her most trusted friend and employee was a man named Farah Aden who originally came from Somalia. He was her right hand on the farm. He was the first person to meet her when she came to Africa and the last person to bid her farewell when she left her beloved Africa in 1934.

Today his youngest daughters, Sabra and Asha Aden, live in Canada. They were invited to the Karen Blixen exhibition arranged in connection with the AASSC Conference at the University of Ottawa between May 27 and June 7 this year. With them they had Asha's daughter Halima Jama. The Aden family were taken on a small tour of the exhibition. As they looked at the pictures, the photos and the small painting that Karen Blixen had made, and the extracts of what she had written about her life in Africa, they could not help smiling and commenting on what they saw. Family legends of a father/grandfather never forgotten were told. There were stories about the special relationship which had developed between a man and a woman of different cultures, colours and values. One of the stories the Adam told was about how Farah Aden took care of Karen Blixen's finances. When she one day announced that she wanted to buy new shoes he firmly said no! She would have to use the old ones because there was no money for extravagant items in the farm's budget. And there she was, the aristocratic lady among her beautiful furniture, pictures and large bouquets of flowers that were brought in fresh every morning and she could no nothing but consent. Karen knew that Farah was much better at finances than she was.

Their friendship really built a bridge across what was considered the norm of behaviour in the 1920s and 1930s.

Back in Ottawa, the Aden family also attended a reception at the Danish Ambassador's residence. Farah Aden's granddaughter, Halima Jama held a speech for the delighted guests about how the Farah Aden family would always treasure the openmindedness of Karen Blixen and the warm relationship which existed between her and Farah Aden. Ms Jama reiterated that Karen Blixen truly was a lady ahead of her time.

It is the Karen Blixen Museum in Rungsted, Denmark, and the Royal Danish Foreign Ministry that have prepared the Karen Blixen exhibition that consists of unique photos and illuminating text from "Out of Africa", "Seven Gothic Tales" and "Babette's Feast".

The Karen Blixen exhibition is accompanied by two films: Story-teller produced by Christian Braad Thomsen is composed of hitherto unknown shots from Karen Blixen's trip to USA, and interviews with family and friends in Denmark who share their warm and humorous anecdotes about Karen Blixen with the viewer. Lucifer's Child produced by Iris Caplan and Robert Norton is based on the writings of Karen Blixen and is an adaptation of the Broadway play by the same name. It expands upon the joys and sorrows of her life. The role of Karen Blixen is played by the American actress Julie Harris.