480:, February 14, 2000. ("The historical fact is that in 1931 a Danish painter named Einar Wegener became the first man ever to be transformed surgically into a woman, changing her name to Lili Elbe and eventually leaking her story to the press. In 'The Danish Girl' David Ebershoff uses the bare facts of Wegener-Elbe's story to summon a rich imagined universe in which the main event is less the sexual transformation itself than the way that transformation affected other people.")
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Lili then starts having many nosebleeds and stomachaches. Gerda makes Lili visit a doctor named Dr. Hexler. Gerda's true intentions, however are actually to see if there is a tumor developing in Lili's pelvis; Gerda believes that if a tumor were indeed there, it might be the cause of the nosebleeds,
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One day, Gerda's friend Anna
Fonsmark cancels her scheduled painting session with Gerda. Gerda, needing to have the painting finished as soon as possible, requests Lili to model in Anna's place. The session is interrupted when Anna suddenly enters their home, and Anna is the first to give Lili her
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Some time later, Lili and Gerda are invited to the annual
Artists' Ball, and Gerda convinces Lili to wear a dress again. During the ball, Lili meets a man named Henrik Sandahl, and the two start a short-lived relationship, which Gerda discourages, fearing that if Lili does not tell Henrik of her
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The author has stated that the novel does not try to tell a true story. Ebershoff not only imagined most of what he wrote about Elbe's inner life, but also fabricated all of the other characters in the book, most important among them
Wegener's blue-blooded American-born wife,
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Lili Elbe (then presenting as male and using her birth name) is happily married to her wife, Gerda
Wegener. Lili was raised with her best friend Hans. Gerda was raised in California with her twin brother Carlisle. Gerda eventually moved to Denmark and first met Lili at the
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Gerda starts to paint Lili more often, and these paintings spark popularity for Gerda. However, Lili becomes even more confused about who she truly is. Later on, Gerda meets Doctor Alfred Bolk. Bolk is interested in helping Lili undergo a
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The first operation removes Lili's testicles, but during the operation, Bolk reveals that Lili was supposed to have undeveloped ovaries in her body the whole time, which he discloses to Gerda and restores in a succeeding operation.
402:. The film received minor criticism for its illegitimate portrayal of historical events, but Redmayne and Vikander's performances received acclaim and nominations for all of the major acting awards. Vikander won the
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stomachaches, and psychological problems. Hexler performs an X-ray on Lili and sees that there is no tumor; however, he tells Gerda that he discourages Lili from expressing her femininity.
332:, "Mr. Ebershoff is telling us that love does involve a small dark space. The intelligence and tactfulness of his exploration of it make his novel a noteworthy event."
220:. Gerda moves back to Denmark and marries Lili. The couple become painters; Lili specializes in painting landscapes and Gerda specializes in painting portraits.
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The surgery, however, is a failure, as Lili develops an infection shortly after she gets the operation. Whether Lili lives or dies is unclear.
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Lili and Gerda then return to
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