Location : NWS - CI/SfB : 92 DEN / UDC : 91(489C) // STE

I received this book in a Good reads First reads draw. It is a collection of short stories set in Copenhagen written by its inhabitants from the 1800's to the present day. The writings range from two less well-known stories from Denmark's most famous author Hans Christian Anderson to another from the existential philosopher Søren Kierkegaard, through to more locally known contemporary writers. The books stated intention is to "allow the reader to experience the city from the inside".

Does it do what it says?

I thought that the diffuse collection of stories were very well chosen and left me with a feel of sights, sounds, smells and flavors of Copenhagen over the last three hundred years like a photo montage providing a range of snapshots that piece together to form the hint of another larger picture. The writing is fluid, lyrical and easy to read, suggestive to me of excellent translation. I get a sense of culture that in many ways is not too far from my own English, northern european culture but with very distinctive differences.

Do I have a feel for Copenhagen?

I have never visited the city but have always been interested in experiencing it. Having read these stories I now have a feel for something, and this feeling fits for me with cities such as Amsterdam and Budapest that I do have direct experience of. There are also differences that I believe to be uniquely Copenhagen. So I have no definite frame of reference. I do not think that matters. Visiting a city for a weekend gives me a feel for something but I am only scratching the surface. It is only when I live somewhere else that I get a deeper feel for the place. This book gives me an insight in a different way to the city and I feel richer for the experience.

I like to travel and get to know different places. I have not done so much travelling in the last few years. What this book has given me is a chance to 'visit' another city. it is a part of a series of books that has studied different cities in a similar way. Vienna, Moscow, Madrid and Rome.

I thoroughly enjoyed it and highly recommend it. ( )