Adda Ravnkilde

Adele Marie "Adda" Ravnkilde (30 July 1862 – 30 November 1883) was a Danish writer who experienced a bitter conflict between her desire to accomplish creative work and the attraction of erotic love.

When she was just 21, she committed suicide, leaving three manuscripts which were edited and/or shortened by her friend and advisor George Brandes or by the author Erik Skram.

On publication in 1884, all three proved to be highly successful, making Ravnkilde one of Denmark's main precursors of modern women's literature.

But she also read widely herself, taking an interest in philosophy, history and literature, and absorbing the works of the leading Danish authors of the day such as Henrik Ibsen and Herman Bang and studying Charles Darwin's On the Origin of Species.

Under the leadership of Georg Brandes, whom she had consulted on her writings, they were edited and considerably shortened with the help of Martinus Galschiøt and Erik Skram.