A wolf in Jutland: Dorthe Nors on the writing life in Denmark

As she returns to nature in her native Jutland, author Dorthe Nors reflects on the state of Scandinavian literature – from why crime fiction dominates publishing to why she wishes Danish men would read more

By Dorthe Nors for The Writing Life Around the World from Electric Literature, part of the Guardian Books Network

A couple of years ago, I moved away from Copenhagen. I say that because I want to tell you something about what it’s like to be a writer in Denmark. Most Danish authors live in Copenhagen. It is there that you find the literary scene – called simply “the scene” if you actually manage to become part of it. I lived in Copenhagen for seven years. On the one hand, I wanted to become part of the scene but couldn’t. On the other, I didn’t want to. No, I did not want to be part of the scene.

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In a small population where just about everyone is related, artistic milieus are decidedly claustrophobic

There’s bread in crime fiction, but we can’t all write crime fiction

'Can you pay your bills?' It means, in all its presumption, 'Are you a burden on society? A parasite? A threat to us?'

I wish that Danish men would read more, and that Danish men would read women

In Scandinavia, anyone with a free and different nature is considered a threat to the existing culture

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