Ørum, Poul

The Danish author Poul Ørum was born to working class parents in Nykøbing Mors, northern Jutland. Shortly afterwards, the family moved to Skive where he attended school. In 1936, he got a job on a schooner as an ordinary seaman where he received regular beatings by the captain. These experiences, which he has described in his autobiographical work, scarred Ørum for life. He left after six months, and until the mid-1940s he worked in various farm jobs.