Tutelary Tales (Modern Scandinavian Literature in Translation)

by Villy Sørensen, Sven H. Rossel (Afterword), Paula Hostrup-Jessen (Translation)

When Tutelary Tales ( Formynder-fortællinger ) was first published in Denmark in 1964, a reviewer wrote, "If Danish were a global language, I believe Tutelary Tales would rapidly gain a world-wide audience." That is likely to happen now that Paula Hostrup-Jessen has translated into English this collection of striking short stories by Villy Sørensen, whose position as a leading Scandinavian writer was confirmed when he won the 1986 Swedish Academy Prize, know as the "Little Nobel." Unified by the twin themes of the guardian and the ward, of liberation and repression, these stories can be read as "chapters in the history of European psyche," according to Sørensen. From the perspective of an imaginary (but not far from real) present, they project backward through recent, medieval, and ancient history to the origins of evil and project ahead to a future still bound by the spiritual schisms of antiquity. Throughout these twelve tales, Sørensen examines the protective, possessive, and conspiratorial forms guardianship can take, from sadistic displays of power to subtle psychological manipulations. Characters are drawn from history and prehistory — Judas, Nero, the apostle Paul, the Hapsburg Emperor Frederick III — and from the street, office, school, and shop. Showing the influence of Hans Christian Andersen, Kierkegaard, and Kafka, and often symbolic and allegorical, the Tutelary Tales are rich in allusions to the Bible, folk ballads, fairy tales, legends, and mythology.

Genres: Fiction, Short Stories

272 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1964

About the author

Villy Sørensen (13 January 1929 – 16 December 2001) was a Danish short-story writer, philosopher and literary critic of the Modernist tradition. His fiction was heavily influenced by his philosophical ideas, and he has been compared to Franz Kafka in this regard. He is the most influential and important Danish philosopher since Søren Kierkegaard.

Born in Copenhagen, Sørensen graduated from the Vestre Borgerdydskole in 1947, and then attended the University of Copenhagen and the University of Freiburg studying philosophy. Although he did not graduate, he later received an honorary degree from the University of Copenhagen.

Sørensen published his first collection of short stories, Strange Stories in 1953, which many critics have identified as being the start of Danish literary Modernism. He published additional collections of short stories in 1955 and 1964, all winning various awards in Denmark. These stories generally explored the absurd and hidden parts of the human psyche.

Sørensen began editing the journal Vindrosen (with Klaus Rifbjerg) in 1959. Afterward, he became a member of the Danish Academy in 1965, subsequently editing several other Modernist journals and periodicals. Sørensen, though he continued to produce short fiction throughout his life, was also deeply engaged in philosophy, about which he wrote many essays and several books including Seneca: The Humanist at the Court of Nero and his response to Søren Kierkegaard's Either/Or, Hverken-eller (i.e. "Neither/Nor"). He also published books and essays about Nietzsche, Kafka, Marx, Schopenhauer and Kierkegaard, and was a notable translator of over 20 books. He was awarded the Grand Prize of the Danish Academy in 1962, The Nordic Council's Literature Prize in 1974, the Hans Christian Andersen Award in 1983, the inaugural Swedish Academy Nordic Prize in 1986, along with many other awards and recognitions. He died in Copenhagen in 2001.

Reviews

[Chris Herdt · Rating 4 out of 5]

I recently recommended--on Twitter no less--that people read the opening story, "A Tale of Glass." Yes, on Twitter, I recommended people read a translation of a half-century old Danish tale now fallen out-of-print, rarely available even used because of the short print run. I must have lost hold of my senses.

Surreal parables that I think should delight any Kafka or Borges fan. Maybe your library has a copy.

[Anton Løkke Laursen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vildt absurde, intellektuelt overlegne, vrængende fortællinger om mennesket selvpåførte umyndig, forsøget på at gennemskue umyndigheden, og til sidst den svimlende indsigt, at mennesket måske ikke er så frit endda. Forsynet glimrer ved sig fravær, enhver form for klarsyn er en illusion og vi er vel også bare en bunke kunstfærdigt sammensatte kulstofforbindelser.