DLTQ.org

On Thursday, I will attend an event organized by Gyldendal, the biggest publisher in Denmark who also publishes the translated works of Norwegian author Erik Fosnes Hansen. The last days I have been reading Løvekvinden, which was published in Norway last year and will be published now on Friday, May 25th, here in Denmark.

I don’t know whether there will be any chance to ask questions to the author, and if so, what I would like to ask. I still have not finished the book - I started on it on friday - but it reminds me of books like the classic Frankenstein’s Monster: A story of how a person/being who is prosecuted because of their looks. Frankenstein because of his grotesque features, and Eva, the girl turning woman that this book is about, because of the golden fur that covers all of her body, even her face.

I read a Norwegian review of the book here, and I cannot help but agree with the reviewer. It seems that Erik Fosnes Hansen in this case chooses to dwell on - admittedly - an eternal topic, but does not really bring any current themes into it. Or maybe he does. Maybe this could be the story of how people, arabs for instance, are being branded in the media. This classic image comes to mind, the totally unflattering image of one of the people who is said to be behind the 9/11 atrocities. Maybe I will ask about this at the Gyldendal event, or maybe I will make a link to comments in the book by Karen Lisa Salamon, where she talks about how total control of our bodily hair growth is seen as necessary in order to appear clean, effective, progressive.

At least it will be interesting to see how a book that has undergone some months of criticism and discussion in my homeland Norway will - perhaps - be received differently here in Denmark. And who knows, maybe I will be allowed to take some footage from the event.