Denmark
179
Algren, Johanne
Louis <proper name>
København: Phabel, 2008. – 189 p.
ISBN 978-87-7055-247-9
Puberty – Transgressing limits – Criminality
Louise – called Louis – comes
from a Danish middle-class family, against whose conventions she is
constantly rebelling. She hates her «dictator father« and her absent mother.
Instead of going to school, she smokes pot, does cocaine, and drinks. She
steals and sleeps with random guys. When she falls in love with the petty
criminal Isak, she wants to participate in a planned robbery with him – just
for the rush. The raid ends badly, Louise ends up in youth prison, and how
it continues is left open. The direct-ness of the first-person-narrative and
absence of authorial comments compel readers to take a position. They are
forced to come to grips with Louise’s behaviour, which is amoral and
egoistic, but in the end must be taken as a plea for recognition. (14+)
180
Herzog, Annette (text)
Wichmann, Kamilla (illus.)
Mor græder (Mother is crying)
[Risskov]: Klematis, 2008. - [30] p.
ISBN 978-87-641-0289-5
Family – Divorce – Grief – Consolation
Because Papa is leaving her,
Mama begins to cry. She cries and cries – so much that the meatballs in the
pan are swimming in water and she can’t read a bedtime story because her
eyes are »as red as strawberries«. Signe and her little brother – the
narrator – think that things cannot go on in this way and decide to do
something: they help out with the household, make jewellery, and Signe knits
a micro miniskirt. Coerced into putting on this hand-knitted »belt«, Mama’s
mood improves – in part because on the street good-looking men now check her
out. Thanks also in part to the illustrations, this picture book presents an
increasingly common issue humorously, but not in the least bit flippantly,
by taking children’s strategic solutions seriously. (5+)
181
K., Oscar (= Ole Dalgaard) (text)
Karrebæk, Dorte (illus.)
Børnenes bedemand (The children’s mortician)
[København]: Gyldendal, 2008. – [58] p.
ISBN 978-87-02-06498-8
Death – Compassion
Oskar K. certainly has a
penchant for the macabre in his unusual books. He has been in creative
partnership with Dorte Karrebæk for some time now. With this story, too, one
can prepare oneself for something bizarre. But as strange as the profession
of Mr. Jørgensen may seem in the context of a children’s book, the story
takes on humanity. One day, the mortician has to prepare a girl who had
frozen to death, and his friend helps him. A dog runs up, recognizes the
girl, and leads Mr. Jørgensen and his friend to three homeless boys, who
follow the mortician to his home. The farewell song, which all sing at the
end for the girl, sounds as pure as angels’ voices. Karrebæk shares
Dalgaard’s weakness, or better strength, for the macabre. Her illustrations
are invariably surprising. As caricaturing as they are, they touchingly
accompany the story, which ends with five »silent« pictures that
non-verbally show the burial. (8+)
182
Pedersen, Anne (text/illus.)
Find ostetyven, Snus! (Find the cheese thief, Snus!)
[Risskov]: Klematis, 2008. – 30 p.
ISBN 978-87-641-0302-1
Dog – Police – Criminal chase
The story starts with sirens –
duty calls policeman Kurt and his dog Snus to speed to Ole’s cheese shop,
cleaned out by a cheese thief. Ole mandates Snus to nose about and start the
search. The trail leads out of the shop onto the street, onto the sidewalk,
into the sewer, and then out again. Snus sniffs ahead and Kurt runs after
him – but what is this? Suddenly, they are back in the cheese shop, and
there, in a mouse hole, three fat and full mice are crouched over some
cheese rests and are rubbing their tummies. Snus succeeded in finding the
cheese thieves and Ole is satisfied. With few words and large-scale
comic-like illustrations, Anne Pedersen succeeds with this quick-paced,
exciting and funny story. (3+)
183
Pedersen, Irene
Asfalten brænder (The asphalt burns)
København: Høst & Søn, 2008. – 146 p.
ISBN 978-87-638-1026-5
Violence – Group pressure
That not only dictatorial
states rule over people and that inhumane uses of power can occur anywhere
on a small-scale, is persuasively demonstrated by the author in her novel. A
youth centre in Copenhagen is closed down and scheduled for demolition. Many
so-called autonomous youths demonstrate against this, their tactics becoming
increasingly aggressive. The police close off the quarter. Lan, who lives in
the closed-off area, hides Naja from the police, and falls in love with her.
She is however the girlfriend of the leader of the »autonomous youths«,
Micha, who is also staying at Lan’s with his core group. Drawn into the ways
of the »autonomous youths«, Lan partici-pates in their actions, throws
rocks, lights cars on fire, until he recognizes that he has put himself
under the rule of a dictatorial leader. (14+)
184
Winding, Thomas (text/illus.)
Mester mellem himmel og jord (Master between heaven and earth)
København: Høst & Søn, 2008. – 78 p.
ISBN 978-87-638-0993-1
Old age – Life – Death
Thomas Winding’s fifth book »for and about his little dog« is also his last, for the author passed away in summer 2008. Mester the dog has grown old – like his master, who admits that he «is not the youngest anymore« and sleeps more than before. Winding proves here once more his mastery of dry humour. In the conversations between master and dog and in the interspersed stories, different human characters are portrayed and thoughts about life and death, heaven and earth find their proper, not too ponderous weight. Still, the book moves the reader, especially as one becomes aware that Winding is actually concerned with questions of fate not only for Mester’s but also for his own sake, and answers them in a consoling manner. The book is illustrated once more with Winding’s own drawings in sparse, unerring pencil lines. (10+)