Germanernes lærling

work by Gjellerup

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June 17, 2026

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Germanernes lærling (The Teutons' Apprentice) is an 1882 work by Danish author Karl Adolph Gjellerup. This book marked Gjellerup's farewell to theology and his embrace of atheism, influenced by Darwinism and radical ideas. However, it also signaled a shift in his philosophical journey, moving from atheism through German idealism and Romanticism towards a spiritual quest that eventually led him to Buddhism and other Eastern religions.1

The term "apprenticeship novel" refers to a biographical novel focusing on a character's youth and their journey into adulthood and societal integration. Germanernes lærling fits this description as it chronicles Gjellerup's own intellectual and spiritual development.21

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Karl Adolph Gjellerup
…in his farewell to theology, Germanernes lærling (1882; “The Teutons’ Apprentice”). The latter, however, indicated the path that was to take him, via German idealist philosophy and Romanticism, back to a conscious search for religion, which finally found its satisfaction in his preoccupation with Buddhism and other Oriental religions. This…
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…in his farewell to theology, Germanernes lærling (1882; “The Teutons’ Apprentice”). The latter, however, indicated the path that was to take him, via German idealist philosophy and Romanticism, back to a conscious search for religion, which finally found its satisfaction in his preoccupation with Buddhism and other Oriental religions. This…
Read More