Although I’ve had to drop out of some reading commitments this month, I *am* continuing to stick with Annabel’s lovely #NordicFINDS event; and actually it’s been a useful nudge to pick up an author I’ve been intending to read for a couple of years, ever since her books arrived as a Christmas gift from Middle Child. The author is Tove Ditlevsen, the series ‘The Copenhagen Trilogy’, and the book I read was the first of the sequence, “Childhood”, translated by Tiina Nunnally.
Ditlevsen (1917-1976) was a prolific Danish poet and author from a working-class background, and the Trilogy has been described as an autobiographical one. Certain, the young girl who is the narrator and protagonist shares the name of the author; born at the end of the First World War, Tove lives in a working class neighbourhood with her mother, father and older brother Edvin. It’s clear from the start that she feels she doesn’t fit in, and her relationship with her mother in particular is difficult. The child is constantly the subject of physical punishment by her mother, and despite Tove’s determination to be a poet she has to hide her ambitions.
Childhood is dark and it’s always moaning like a little animal that’s locked in a cellar and forgotten. It comes out of your throat like your breath in the cold, and sometimes it’s too little, other times too big. It never fits exactly. It’s only when it has been cast off that you can look at it calmly and talk about it like an illness you’ve survived.
So the novella follows Tove as she negotiates school, friendship with red-headed Ruth who is younger but wilder and more knowing, seeks her mother’s love and approval, and watches her father struggle with unemployment. The relationship between Tove’s parents seems something of a mismatch; Ditlev, as Tove’s mother calls him, is a left-winger who supports workers’ causes whereas his wife is more superficial, concerned about appearances and you sense underneath the surface she’s a fun-loving girl who had her wings clipped a little.
As the story develops, Tove develops a growing closeness with Edvin, who like her can’t wait to move out of the parental home and strike out on his own. He manages to do this, but the work he’s doing is a strain and I did worry about his health going forward. Despite Tove’s continuing attempts to write, and even hints she might be able to get poems published, her future seems bleak: no chance of further education and the prospect of demeaning and soul-destroying work to bring home money for the family. I’m keen to see how her life develops in the next book.
I thought my poems covered the bare places in my childhood like the fine, new skin under a scab that hasn’t yet fallen off completely. Would my adult form be shaped by my poems? I wondered. During that time I was almost always depressed. The wind in the street blew so cold through my tall, thin body that the world regarded with disapproving looks.
The story told in “Childhood” is an absorbing one, but much of the strength comes in the telling. It’s a window, of course, into another country and another world, but added to that Ditlevsen’s writing. I find it hard to pin down quite why it’s so good; certainly she’s one of those authors who’s brilliant at conveying a lot in a few words. Her prose is crisp and beautiful, full of stunning imagery, and she paints really vivid pictures of her neighbourhood and the characters who inhabit it. Much is told obliquely or almost by omission; for example, mention of the fact Tove shares her parents’ room reveals not only the fact that she has an early awareness of the facts of life, but also makes the reader wonder about the state of the marriage. Despite this, she still has a naivety and as you read through the novella, you watch her gradually come to understand the realities of the young woman neighbour who goes out every night to earn a living, the group of girls hanging about on the corner, and that the dates of her parents’ marriage and her birth reveal much.
… as usual, I’m afraid of being found out. I feel like I’m a foreigner in this world and I can’t talk to anyone about the overwhelming problems that fill me at the thought of the future.
Tove is a a misfit; her harsh surroundings and the narrow aspirations of those she knows contrast with her intense longing for something more, expressed in her poetry. The harshness of her environment is encapsulated in the coldness and distance between the members of her family, and you sense that she is girl desperate for love and approval, which just isn’t there. The eventual development of a closeness with her brother is a spark of hope, but as I mentioned above I fear for his future.
“Childhood” was a mesmerising read, particularly because of the quality of Ditlevsen’s prose, and she certainly deserves the acclaim she’s been getting recently; I just wish I’d discovered her sooner! Fortunately I have the rest of the trilogy waiting and other work by her has been released by Penguin. So despite the fact that #NordicFINDS will end soon, I’m definitely going to continue with the sequence – whch will also have effect of dimishing the TBR! 😀
Jan 24, 2022 @ 08:31:30
I think you’ve nailed it with ‘crisp and beautiful’. I picked this up expecting to read it in an afternoon but found it much too dark for that.
Jan 24, 2022 @ 11:52:02
It *is* dark, isn’t it. When you actually break down the harshness of what she’s experiencing it’s actually quite heartbreaking, although she never wallows or seems to look for pity. Such an impressive book!
Jan 24, 2022 @ 09:23:11
It’s great to read your take on this book, Karen. Very preceptive as ever, e.g. your observation about Tove sharing her parents’ room, which hadn’t occurred to me before. There’s something very arresting about the unadorned, matter-of-fact style that Ditlevsen uses to relate her experiences. I think it adds to the impact of her revelations, making them all the more striking as a result.
Looking forward to seeing how you get on with the next two books in the trilogy – they’re all excellent and very much worth reading.
Jan 24, 2022 @ 11:51:09
Thanks Jacqui! Yes, her understated way of writing is very effective and somehow very evocative. In less capable hands the story could have been much more downbeat and hard to read, yet she reports the hardships of her life in such neutral tones. Very much looking forward to the next two books!
Jan 24, 2022 @ 09:39:55
Thank you for introducing me to a Scandinavian author that I’ve not yet read. I will add to my tbr list.
Jan 24, 2022 @ 11:49:14
I hope you enjoy it – she was a new name to me and I was most impressed!
Jan 24, 2022 @ 12:00:26
Those are powerful words to describe childhood! It sounds as though the story hits on some universal themes, although it’s one person’s story, and those are the novels that one remembers. I noticed that Tina Nunnelly’s the translator; she’s done other Nordic work I’ve read, and I think her translations feel right (although I confess I don’t speak the Nordic languages).
Jan 24, 2022 @ 15:39:03
They are, and the more I think about this story, the darker it seems although the almost deadpan narratives makes it easier to cope with. The translation did read well to me and I’m looking forward to reading the rest of the trilogy!
Jan 24, 2022 @ 18:03:14
I read the first two books of the trilogy in a single volume a few years ago. I remember that tough environment she described and her often aloneness. I really should get hold of volume three.
Jan 25, 2022 @ 11:36:41
It *is* a tough environment, definitely. Looking forward to the next two volumes!
Jan 24, 2022 @ 19:15:30
I really enjoyed this one, but have seriously lagged with the remainder of the trilogy. Thanks for the reminder!
Jan 25, 2022 @ 11:33:20
I’ll have to get on with them too!
Jan 24, 2022 @ 20:11:39
I think I first came across this trilogy from a London Review of Books article and by the time I got round to reading it I thought it was a sociology book. Anyway, it was great. life was hard for the poor in Copenhagen eg her poor brother.
Jan 25, 2022 @ 11:33:05
It really is an eye-opener in places, but I do worry about her brother – and I believe the later ones are harder going…
Jan 25, 2022 @ 01:40:16
There has been so much love for these books, but somehow they aren’t really drawing my interest at the moment. But going by the quotes I’ve come across her writing is something special. Maybe the timing just isn’t right yet.
Jan 25, 2022 @ 11:32:09
The timing definitely has to be right, I agree. I mean, I’ve had these books for ages myself!! The first book is really good, and I’m keen to see how the story develops.
Jan 25, 2022 @ 09:26:27
This does sound brilliant, although I’m not sure I’d like the rest of the trilogy. And Nordic FINDS seems to continue to Feb 06, which is handy, as I’m part-way through an Icelandic trilogy and will need that extra time!
Jan 25, 2022 @ 11:30:47
It’s a great read, but I suspect that the later volumes will be harder going. I’m determined to read them, though, but probably not into February as I’ll be doing ReadIndies!
Jan 25, 2022 @ 16:41:00
I read the trilogy last year – your review is excellent. Makes me want to read it again!
Jan 25, 2022 @ 18:48:30
Thank you! I did love this first volume and will hopefully get to the other two sooner rather than later!
Jan 25, 2022 @ 18:07:51
I am definitely going to buy this trilogy now Penguin has reprinted it in a single volume, although the pink luxury editions you were given are very lovely.
Jan 25, 2022 @ 18:48:07
On the evidence of the first book, I really do recommend it! And each book is very short, so I imagine they would fit quite nicely into one volume!
Jan 25, 2022 @ 18:08:21
Jan 26, 2022 @ 00:36:30
Really wanted to try this after I reviewed ‘The Faces’ for Penguin – and was completely ignored by the publicist!
Jan 26, 2022 @ 11:39:39
Oh dear – always a downer when that happens…
Jan 26, 2022 @ 04:25:34
Lovely review as always! I agree that Ditlevson’s style is really hard to describe (so terse, yet so poetic) but you really nailed it. Although all three volumes were great, I think Childhood was my favorite.
I’d really like to read Faces, which I understand is a fictionalized treatment of material in the Trilogy.
I’m very envious of that lovely pink volume! I have the Penguin, which has all three books in one volume; nice but . . .
Jan 26, 2022 @ 11:39:25
Thank you! Yes, her style is hard to pin down but so good and it’s really impressive how she conveys so much in such seemingly simple prose. On a superficial level, I do love the pink set, though the one volume book is pretty too!
Jan 27, 2022 @ 16:06:26
I haven’t read this trilogy and it does sound excellent, thank you Karen another for the TBR pile!
Jan 27, 2022 @ 19:27:29
Most welcome! I highly recommend it on the strength of the first book!
Jan 30, 2022 @ 11:43:40
She does write with such clarity and honesty! I read this when it came out, but then resisted the other tow volumes when I discovered Penguin were brining out a single volume – which typically I haven’t read yet! I would also recommend The Faces if you haven’t read that.
Jan 30, 2022 @ 11:48:10
She does! I was lucky enough to be given the individual volumes, which *are* very pretty, so I’m determined to keep reading. Definitely an author I want to explore more!
Jan 31, 2022 @ 07:55:25
Beautiful review, Kaggsy! Such a beautiful, powerful book. Loved all the quotes you shared. The ones about childhood were so moving and heartbreaking. I can’t wait to read the second part of this trilogy. Thanks for sharing your thoughts 😊
Jan 31, 2022 @ 10:06:17
Thanks Vishy – such an excellent book and I’m really looking forward to the next two!
Feb 02, 2022 @ 18:28:11
I’ve not read this author but your description of her style is so enticing. She sounds stunning.
Feb 02, 2022 @ 19:34:07
So far I’m mightily impressed, and if it wasn’t ReadIndies month and Penguin is definitely not an indie, I’d be reading the rest!!!
Feb 07, 2022 @ 08:51:41
Apr 07, 2022 @ 09:39:39
Jan 13, 2023 @ 07:01:18