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Photo: Marie Hald

Karoline Stjernfelt: "Power dynamics are never black and white"

The award-winning graphic novelist behind the ‘Tomorrow Will Be Better’ trilogy – about English-born Danish Queen Caroline Mathilde, King Christian VII, and German physician Struensee – reflects on returning to paper and pencil, the allure of power, and the wise words of a great Danish poet.

Photo: Mikkel Carl

Helle Helle: "Translators make the literary world go round"

Helle Helle, one of Denmark’s most acclaimed authors, talks about the hidden layers of language, experimentation and the translators’ ear.

Photo: Daniel Hjorth

Jonas Eika: "To write is to build a world and tear it down again"

Award-winning author of AFTER THE SUN and OPEN HEAVENS, Jonas Eika, explores writing as resistance, the erotic as power, and experiences of time beyond the linear.

Photo: Faber (publisher) / private.

Solvej Balle: “If anyone deserves to win the Booker Prize for her translation, it’s Barbara.”

From over 150 novels submitted, the International Booker Prize committee selected just 6 for the 2025 shortlist, ON THE CALCULATION OF VOLUME by Danish author Solvej Balle and translator Barbara J. Haveland among them. Here, the two talk about the nomination, the work and each other. 

Photo: Simon Knudsen

Maren Uthaug: In Denmark there’s room for unpopular literature and criticism of it

Danish author Maren Uthaug has written about incest, necrophilia and a future in which all men are kept in so-called breeding centres. She’s grateful for the Danish culture that is open to her boundary-pushing topics as well as the criticism the provoke.

Photo: Politikens forlag

Morten Pape: “Writing isn’t hard, it’s just difficult”

Author Morten Pape was particularly moved by an encounter with a group of young Serbians when he visited Belgrade to promote the translation of his second novel GOD'S BEST CHILDREN. Read what made the award-winning Danish author so grateful for literature and the power of language.

Photo: Sara Galbiati

Sofie Riis Endahl: “I’m deeply interested in man vs. ‘machine’”

Born in 2000, Sofie Riis Endahl already has seven novels about youth to her name and en eighth – this time for adults – on the way. She studies machine learning and data science at the University of Copenhagen, and her insights about technological advances come through in her writing.

Photo: Sara Galbiati

Naja Marie Aidt: "I could see in their eyes that the book really meant something to them"

What makes an established author proud when it comes to her own work? What does she remember best from her long life as an author? And what kind of opportunities are available to Danish authors? Naja Marie Aidt shares her thoughts.

Photo: Simon Klein-Knudsen

Sabine Lemire: "An illustrator’s interpretation puts a whole new spin on your words"

What moves a children’s book author? And how does she perceive Danish children's ability to tap into their imaginations? Read along as Sabine Lemire shares her thoughts.

Photo: Sara Galbiati

Theis Ørntoft: "Knowledge is like the bedrock from which the rest of the story can grow"

Where does an award-winning Danish author go for inspiration? EARTHLY author Theis Ørntoft reveals this, along with how his novel characters are often linked to his own family members.

Photo: Sara Galbiati

Olga Ravn: "Abracadabra is both word and object"

Folklore and witchcraft are just some of the subjects the internationally acclaimed author, Olga Ravn, has explored in her work. Here she gives a glimpse into her creative process in crafting the novel, THE WAX CHILD.

Photo: Simon Klein Knudsen

Thomas Korsgaard: “That’s not why I write”

Golden Laurels winner Thomas Korsgaard writes fiction, but often draws inspiration from life. Here, he shares a valuable lesson learned from an encounter with a reader who mistakenly believed his books were autobiographical.

Photo: Sarah Hartvigsen Juncker

Solvej Balle: "I felt that somehow the book was connected to the real world"

The author and 2022 winner of the Nordic Council Literature Prize discusses the interplay between real life and fiction, and how these two realms have a tendency to meet in very tangible ways. 

 

 

 

SEE THE DANISH LIT LOUNGE NEWSLETTERS

An email magazine about Danish authors, books and ways of life. See the published issues below.

#34: Read these newcomers before they become famousn literature”

#33: “Denmark has quietly become a powerhouse of Europea

#32: New trend in Danish literature: Why quirky fiction is on the rise

#31: From beauty pageants to decline: The body takes centre stage in five new Danish books

#30: 6 Danish children's & YA titles with breakout potential

#29: Friendship at the heart of new Danish literature

#28: Love at first read? Why 3 international editors fell for Balle, Helle and Uthaug

#27: 5 books hogging all the Insta-attention this year

#26: International focus on Danish children's literature

#25: 5 Danish books that were the talk of Frankfurt

#24: Top 5 Danish reads from international editors

#23: New voices, big stories: Handpicked for this year’s major Danish literature festival

#22: 5 translators pick their top Danish reads

#21: Read through time: Danish novels that put the present into perspective

#20: To long for elsewhere, or home: 5 books on movement

#19: The digital shape of life in Denmark

#18: Turn to these Danish books for hope

#17: 5 'hyggelige' traditions all Danish(-minded) people know

#16: 5 Danish books making waves internationally

#15: Danish writing school takes an innovative approach to teaching writers

#14: [Did you read this?] From the home of Kierkegaard: 5 contemporary Danish thinkers

#13: How Danes do time off, according to literature

#12: Five Danish books reimagining society today

#11: How to family, according to Danish literature

#10: Exploring the challenges of Danish youth through the lens of literature

#9: Shedding light on colonial history: Danes journey into the past

#8: 5 literary takes on LGBT+ life

#7: Danish literature for sobering times 

#6: The small publishers championing big literature

#5: Danish authors at work on work

#4: Danish authors debunk the myth of a classless society 

#3: The literary genre on everyone’s lips?

#2: 5 need-to-know books on climate issues from Danish authors

#1: Danish Lit Lounge: Danish books, Danish authors and Danish ways