Tommy Heisz is a nonfiction writer, lecturer, and podcast host based in Copenhagen, Denmark. In recent years, he has established himself as a popular author of dramatic nonfiction. Compelling narratives based on thorough research and vivid storytelling has become his trademark. His latest books have received wide acclaim in Denmark.

The most recent book DE DØMTE KVINDER (The Convicted Women) is based on criminal cases from the early 1900s - a time when Denmark was hit by a wave of cases of concealed births and infanticide. Often, the desperate mother had been abandoned by the child's father, after which society had turned its back on her.

In the book DEN SPANSKE SYGE (The Spanish Flu) from 2018, Heisz rolled out the dramatic events that took place in Denmark when a lethal influenza pandemic swept the world in 1918 and became one of the worst outbreaks in human history. Through eyewitness accounts, this captivating narrative shows the impact of the pandemic: patients battled the disease in overfilled hospitals, coffins were stacked in chapels, and fear and caution reigned in trams and theatres. The book also tells the stories of brave nurses, doctors, and volunteers who played important roles during the pandemic that claimed roughly 15,000 lives in Denmark.

BLOD UNDER HALVMÅNEN (Blood Under the Crescent Moon) from 2022 is a dramatic account of the overlooked prelude to the First World War. In history books, the narrative of modern European war history usually begins in 1914 with the assassination of the Austro-Hungarian heir to the throne, Franz Ferdinand, in Sarajevo. But in the southeastern corner of Europe, the war was underway long before that. In the Balkans, nationalist currents and a desire to drive the Ottomans out of Europe led to fierce battles, outrageous attacks on civilians, and massive refugee streams. In this book, Danish, British, Swedish, and Norwegian eyewitness accounts from 1912-13 drive the dramatic narrative. The reader travels with doctors, Red Cross nurses, correspondents, and photographers to the Balkans.

In previous books, Tommy Heisz has explored the story of the famous Swimming Girls of the 1930s, Denmark’s first real sports stars. He also wrote about English football in a cultural-historical context seen from a Scandinavian perspective.

Besides writing, Tommy Heisz also teaches. Since 2016, he has been an external lecturer at DIS, teaching nonfiction writing and podcast production to American students studying abroad in Copenhagen. DIS offers high-impact learning experiences for upper-division undergraduate students from North American colleges and universities. The intellectually challenging curriculum is broad, cutting-edge, and enriched by experiential learning components. In 2019, Heisz was invited through DIS to do a guest lecture on nonfiction writing at the University of Minnesota.

The Danish history podcast Vild Historie is hosted by Tommy Heisz alongside his colleague Simon Kratholm Ankjærgaard, who is also a well-acclaimed writer of nonfiction books. The two hosts invite historians, authors, and other guests to shed light on forgotten or overlooked historical events. Since 2019, more than 70 episodes of the podcast have been released.

Contact: tommyheisz@gmail.com