Tove Ditlevsen

Already a cult trilogy in Denmark, it takes readers to Copenhagen between the 1930s and the 1970s. Ditlevsen tells her life story – she came from a poor family background and tried to escape into the world of literature as soon as possible. The book depicts complicated female friendships, marriages without understanding and love, motherhood, unwanted pregnancies, romantic love affairs, a rift between two men, addiction to alcohol and drugs, and, most of all; it shows the author´s obsession with writing. Although contemporary critics did not take the author very seriously because of her working-class background and the simple fact that she was a woman, she eventually developed into one of the most compelling voices in modern Danish literature.

Published by Host, 2023

Tove Ditlevsen (1917–1976) is one of the most prominent Danish writers of the 20th century. She straddled the line between autobiography and fiction in her works, often choosing themes such as anxiety, pain, adult psychological problems, or happy childhood. When she took her own life, she was one of Denmark’s most widely read authors.