He published his first collection of poetry when he was 21 and he had three more published before he wrote his first novel "Blæsende gry" ("Stormy Dawn") in 1934. He read every single one of the chapters to the painter Sámal Joensen-Mikines, as he was worried that his Danish was not good enough. That was followed up with "Noatún" (1938). Noatún has a strong political message – solidarity is the key to a good society. His next book "The Black Cauldron" (1949) deals with the aftermath of decadent living combined with religious hysteria. In "The Lost Musicians" (1950) Heinesen leaves the social realism of his earlier works behind, instead giving himself over to straightforward storytelling. "Mother Pleiades" (1952) is an ode to his imagination. Its subtitle is ""a Story From the Beginning of Time"".