Denmark Books

While Denmark has been involved in its share of wars, the nation has avoided the incredible destruction that has repeatedly engulfed the countries to the south. Although Denmark was occupied by the Germans in World War II, the occupation was not as brutal as what happened in other countries. Only an insignificant percentage of the nation's Jewish population was engulfed in the Holocaust. With only minor exceptions, the country was not a battlefield or bombed, so the infrastructure was intact. Even though it is now a small country, there was a time when it was the premier maritime power, with a great navy and merchant fleet.
Like all other nations with a lengthy history, Denmark also has had its share of good rulers and bad rulers, some of which were good, but with bad consequences to their leadership. However, as is the case nearly everywhere, the bad rulers were often catastrophic.
In general an organized society can engage in three actions to obtain the materials it needs to survive. It can be a hunter-gatherer society, living off the land but always operating at the whim of what nature can provide. A second option is to settle in communities and produce agricultural and manufactured products. The third option is to engage in using force against the first two societies, primarily the second and plunder what they have produced.
Despite several centuries of very civilized behavior, there was a time when the Danes largely engaged in the third option. This was the time of the great Viking expeditions that terrorized the coasts of other countries such as England. However, once the Danish people decided to terminate their Viking social strategy, they became a nation of producers.
This book is a detailed explanation of all phases of the Danish nation, starting with the primitive villages that hunted and fished. There is an explanation as to why Denmark avoided the influence of the Roman Empire, how it once ruled all of Norway and Sweden, and the relatively simple way that it avoided the ferocity of the wars of the Reformation. In many ways it is amazing how easily the Catholic Church was replaced by the Protestant faith.
Almost as remarkable is how the social revolutions were managed. When there were blazing gun battles in the streets of other European capitols in 1848 over the role of monarchies in government, a delegation of leading Danish citizens went to the King and demanded a constitution. It was granted. While it took some time to actually write it, there was no bloodshed or serious civil disturbance.
I found this book to be one that kept my attention throughout, while the history of any nation is unique, that of Denmark is particularly different. When change was needed, the people pragmatically executed it in a spirit of reasonableness. While Danish history has the usual periods of violence, in general it is much less vile and destructive than what took place in other countries.

The large print and easy-to-read text of this early chapter book makes it a good choice to introduce the Holocaust to younger readers. In age-appropriate language, without gory details, the author communicates the sense of danger and desperation faced by these Danish Jews. The almost ten-year-old narrator, David, begins the story by telling us what life has been like since the Nazis invaded Denmark three years before, right before Passover. He has a warm, loving family: a father, who is a baker, a brave older sister, Rachel, who is a university student, and a supportive, kind mother. The author does a good job of developing the characters, and showing their bravery and the bravery of their non-Jewish friends. David smuggles a map in a box of éclairs to help Rachel with her work as a resistance courier around Copenhagen. As her mother prepares to make a honey cake to welcome in the new year, Rachel tells her that "A sweet year would be a year without Nazis". Stuchner describes the rationing, how the Germans send most of the good Danish food to Germany, and how, as their freedoms and comforts are taken away from them and Hitler's net closes in, "all Danes dreamed of the secret taste of freedom." The story ends with their neighbors smuggling them to Sweden in September 1943 to escape Hitler's orders to send all Danish Jews to concentration camps. In the Afterwords, the author describes the historical events upon which the fictional story is based, and states that the majority of Danish Jews were saved by their non-Jewish neighbors, like the Jensens of the story. Clever pen and ink, richly drawn illustrations will hold the attention of young readers in grades 3-5. The honey cake of the title symbolizes the normalcy of celebrating the Jewish holidays to which the family wishes they could return, and the author has included "Mama's honey cake recipe for a Sweet New Year," with careful instructions to have an adult help with the oven and preparations. Recommended for ages 8 -11. Reviewed by Andrea Davidson.

Information gleaned from the Introduction:

Collected primarily for Danes living abroad and for their children, who may not know Danish but wish to familiarize themselves with Danish culture. Well-established, favorite Danish poems are given in original Danish with English translation on facing pages.

Poetry of Thomas Kingo, Carl Ploug, Frederic Paludan-Muller, Henrik Hertz, Johannes Ewald, Ambrosius Stub, Holger Drachmann, and others.

Fully indexed.

The book tells the little known story of how the unselfish average Danish population made an extra effort and put their own lives in danger to save Denmark's Jewish population to safety from the German occupants during WWII.

This is an important study of a topic that has been so far ignored. An outstanding example of archival research, and very well written. I was delighted to read this book.

"Introducing Denmark And The Danes: A Two Hour Briefing" by David E. Nye provides the non-specialist general reader with an informed and informative overview of Denmark including its people, its cities, its culture, and its countryside. A succinct and thoroughly 'reader friendly' text is organized into four major sections: 'Cultural Background'; 'National Character'; 'Economics and Politics'; and 'Practical Advise for Visitors'. In particular, it is these last section with practical advise on such fundamental issues as getting registered, traveling and working within Denmark, what to bring and what to buy, the climate, the holidays, and learning the language, that make this an indispensable instructional reference for tourists, business travelers, exchange students, and immigrants. Of special note are the single page descriptions on 'Danish national Newspapers' and 'Libraries and Books'. Anyone considering traveling to or within Denmark should begin their preparations with a careful reading of David E. Nye's "Introducing Denmark And The Danes".

Kirmmse's book is an attempt to place Kierkegaard in the Politcal, social and religious context of early 19th century Danish Society. There are chapters on the major characters constantly referred to in SK's book. There are chapters on Gruntvig, Martinsen, Heiberg and, of course, Mynster. The major emphasis in the his discussion of SK, himself is: why was Concluding Unscientific Postscript not his last book as he planned it to be? The second half of the book is a wonderful exploration of the "second authorship." a great read.

Well written, comprehensive and compelling reading.

It's a little overly technical in places (although this may suit some readers). It also seems to focus a little to much on Kierkegaard's early works- the chapters on his later works e.g. Practice in Christianity, Sickness... and that part of his life feel somewhat more compressed than earlier ones (perhaps it's actually a case of the earlier chapters being too long?)

If you are new to Kierkegaard I would suggest reading Penguin's edition of Kierkegaard's Paper and Journals (edited by Alistair Hannay) first, and then this biography.

I enjoyed this book tremendously when I was young, and would recommend it especially for young readers just beginning on chapter books. The simple story of a Danish family spending a summer by a lake is elevated by Berliner's warm prose, and his book maturely addresses subjects not often encountered in childrens' literature- viz., one chapter revolves around how a four-year-old learns about death when she discovers a dead mouse, and another derives a great deal of amusement from a parson's consternation when his young charge asks him how, exactly, Noah fit all of the millions of insects on the Ark. Berliner never talks down to his audience and the characters are uniformly well developed. This book is particularly well-suited for "bedtime story"-style reading, as there is no grand plot arch, just a common setting and shared characters in each story.

The latest title in the ongoing University of Mississippi Conversations With Filmmakers series complies interviews with noted director and enfant terrible Lars Von Trier. This book is a fine addition to any film library, and shows us a great deal about Von Trier. It stops with "Dancer In The Dark" and does not cover "Dogville." As of yet, the U of M press does not issue revised or updated editions of their books, so do not expect to see a second edition. Otherwise, this book does well in digging up obscure interviews (several never published before and others translated from the original language for the first time)and establishing a solid chronology to work with. The book even contains an interview with Von Trier when he was a young child actor (the lead role, of course) on a popular television show.

It makes one happy to see the University of Mississippi press publishing this volume on a truly unique filmmaker, as opposed to pretentious bourgeois "mainstream" directors like Quentin Tarantino and Stephen Soderbergh (both who hold titles in the collection-- how regretful). One learns through reading Von Trier's philosophy on filmmaking that he is indeed a great thinker.