herta88: Sven Hassel was the pen name of the Danish-born Børge Willy Redsted Pedersen (19 Apr
herta88: Sven Hassel was the pen name of the Danish-born Børge Willy Redsted Pedersen (19 April 1917 – 21 September 2012) who wrote novels set during World War II. In Denmark he used the pen name Sven Hazel. Although he is arguably one of the most sold Danish authors, at most second to Hans Christian Andersen, Danish public libraries, as of 2012, did not stock his books. Hassel claimed that at the age of 14 he joined the merchant navy as a cabin boy and worked on ships until his military service in 1936. However, while his two-years-younger brother Tommy Redsted Pedersen was entered in the army levy roll for Copenhagen in 1937 when he turned 18 and his four-years-younger brother Uffe Redsted Pedersen was entered in the same roll in 1939 when he turned 18, Pedersen was not entered in the roll from 1934 through 1940. Rather, in 1935 he entered the social welfare system of Copenhagen as Arbejdsmand (laborer) Børge Willy Redsted Petersen. Hassel was released in 1949 and was planning to join the French Foreign Legion when he met his future wife. On 14 April 1964 Pedersen sold Stægers Alle 9, the same year he moved to Barcelona, Spain, where he lived until his death. On 29 September 1965 he changed his name to Sven Willy Hasse Arbing and on 28 December 1965 he had his son’s name changed to Michael Hasse Arbing while on 26 April 1966 his wife changed hers to Dorthe Laura Hazel Guldbæk Arbing née Jensen. In 2002 Pedersen started using the internet domain "svenhassel.net" and an email address with the Spanish ISP Telefónica for the promotion and sale of his books. From 2004 to 2012 his website promoted his books as mostly auto-biographical based on his participation in the war on the German side with parts based on stories from his comrades and parts free fantasy. On 21 September 2012 Hassel died, aged 95, in Barcelona. Hassel was survived by his son who as of 2014 holds the exclusive rights to his father’s works and administers Hassel’s official website from an address in Barcelona. -- source link
#sven hassel#nazi germany#third reich#germany#deutschland