Højholt had his debut in 1948 when he published "De nøgne" (The Naked Ones), a series of poems which appeared in the magazine Heretica.
His first collection was Hesten og solen, featuring religiously inspired poems.
[1] A major work came with Poetens hoved (The Head of the Poet) which appeared in 1963.
[1] Højholt was awarded "Den store pris" from the Danish Academy in 1982 and the Holberg Medal in 1997.
[2] A recognized writer, he was included in the Danish Culture Canon in 2006 for the poem, "Personen på toppen".