Poul Erik Tjner studied philosophy and Nordic philology, was a literary and art critic first at national Danish newspaper Kristligt Dagblad.
Tjner studied philosophy (1981) and Nordic philology (1987) at the University of Copenhagen, getting his master's degree in 1987 and a licentiate degree in 1991 with a dissertation on Sren Kierkegaard. He has been a literary and art critic first at national Danish newspaper Kristligt Dagblad from 1984 to 1987, Dagbladet Information from 1987 to 1989 and Weekendavisen from 1989 to 2000, where he served both as a cultural editor and from 1997 to 2000 was also as a member of the Editors-in-Chief. 
