How to Be Danish: A Journey to the Cultural Heart of Denmark by Patrick Kingsley
Part reportage, part travelogue, this is a fascinating introduction to contemporary Danish culture for anyone who wants to know more about the happiest nation in the world. Denmark is the country of the moment. The motherland of Borgen and The Killing, it's the runaway champion of Eurovision, and home to Noma, the world's most eccentric restaurant. But though we wear their sweaters and read their thrillers, how much do we really know about the Danes themselves? Part reportage, part travelogue, How to be Danish fills in the gaps - an introduction to contemporary Danish culture that spans politics, television, food, architecture and design. Welcome to the happiest country in the world. Editorial Reviews 11/04/2013 Through a set of meandering and passionless notes that is part reportage and part travelogue, British journalist Kingsley inexplicably explores various aspects of Danish culture, hoping to reveal the wider context to the bits of Denmark that over the past few years have intrigued us in Britain. With the wide-eyed wonder of a stranger in a remotely familiar land, Kingsley roams listlessly through topics ranging from politics and economics to food, film noir, Legos, and architecture. For example, Kingsley describes Copenhagen's small size as the secret to its creativity: it's where the world's foodies currently go to eat; its television studios are the home of Danish noir, and it heats and cools its homes from a central hub, a plan that has reduced carbon emissions 70%. The Danish capital is such a bicycle-friendly city that Copenhageners cycle to live, but they don't live to cycle. Using the Danish architect Arne Jacobsen's design of the Egg chair as a starting point, Kingsley discusses the impact of Danish Modernist furniture designs on the world while revealing that most Danish Modernists simply wanted their furniture to change the way people lived at home... and were concerned about the context in which it was placed and the problems it could help solve. In the end, Kingsley's digressive and unmoored ramblings offer a too-personal reflection on why Denmark interests the British. (Feb.) - Publishers Weekly Part reportage, part travelogue...a delightful guide. - The Chicago Tribune [A] delightful guidebook. - Wall Street Journal Kingsley is an eloquent and inquiring observer. - Sunday Times (UK) A brilliant introduction to the coolest country in Europe. - Trine Kjaer Patrick Kingsley's introduction to Denmark...makes fascinating cultural connections between everything from the Nordic food revolution to Danish modern design and the Muhammad cartoon controversy. - New York Times [A] delightful guidebook. - Wall Street Journal *2013-11-10 A book so engagingly written and incisively reported that it will make readers who have never given a second thought to Denmark give at least passing thought to moving there. It would be a mistake to think that there's nothing rotten in Denmark, but this interconnected series of cultural essays by Guardian Egypt correspondent Kingsley makes a convincing case for how much the country has going for it as well as an indication of the challenges that lie ahead. The author examines the international success of The Killing, a TV series which wasn't so much a cult hit as a state religion in its homeland and subsequently became the rage of the author's native England (and didn't fare as well but earned a cult following in its American adaptation). He extends his appreciation through the country's extraordinary culinary revival--Noma is widely considered the world's finest restaurant--and social services that encompass childcare, healthcare and education, including university education and most of its living costs. Students aren't seen as a burden on the state, but as people whose skills will one day support it, writes the author. They're future participants in Danish life, and they're treated as such. Demographic challenges include the increase in retirees who benefit from that welfare state and the difficulties faced by anyone who doesn't fit the Danish norm--not only immigrants, but also Muslims and others who were born there. Kingsley makes a strong case that Muslim protest over the cartoons of Muhammad, cast as a free speech issue throughout most of the democratic West, was a response to caricature intended to provoke and humiliate an already marginalized section of society. Though the scope of the book is small and the style conversational, Kingsley renders the quality and complexity of life in Denmark with an outsider's fresh perspective and a journalist's sharp instincts. - Kirkus Reviews
Publication Details
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Binding: Hardcover
Published by: Atria Books/Marble Arch Press: , 2014
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ISBN: 9781476755489 | 1476755485
192 pages.
Book Condition: Very Good
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