Holger Drachmann was a Danish writer and painter, active in the period of the Modern Breakthrough in Scandinavia (1870s–1890s). He was influenced by Georg Brandes and his radical ideas but later moved towards more national conservative trends. He was a prominent public figure of his time as well as a very productive and versatile author. His works range from realistic and impressionistic poems, novels and travel accounts to national romantic dramas and historical melodramas. A number of his songs have become embedded in the Danish popular tradition.

Born in Copenhagen, he was the son of physician Andreas Georg Drachmann. He entered the Academy of Fine Arts and started a career as a marine painter. Although he abandoned this path in favour of literature in 1870, he continued to paint. He is particularly remembered for his seascapes of Bornholm and Skagen, where he settled in 1904. His interest in the sea and maritime life had a direct influence on his literary works, as shown instance by his poetry collection Sange ved Havet (1875).