PHOTO BY TOM TODD
We marveled at how the language and tone of the book shifted as she aged . In Childhood , as a kid growing up in Vesterbro , Copenhagen , she notes , “ Childhood is long and narrow like a coffin , and you can ’ t get out of it on your own ,” and “ I always dream about meeting some mysterious person who will listen to me and understand me . I know from books that such people exist , but you can ’ t find any of them on my childhood street .”
In Youth , she moves to Copenhagen , publishes her first poems , and gets married : “ He kisses me on the mouth when he says goodbye , and I walk through the mild summer night and recall all of his words and movements . I am not alone anymore .” In Dependency , she falls into horrifying , tragic addiction : “ Demerol … the name sounds like birdsong .”
The memoirs touch on a lot of issues that are still current today — despite being set from the 1920s through the 1950s in Denmark : abortion , childcare , a women ’ s right to work . We found it fascinating to read her depiction of class issues in the country during these decades : how she moved up through the classes and how she often felt like an outsider . There was a resounding anger in our group at the men in her life , especially her third husband , who started , enabled , and encouraged her addiction .
We all agreed that the translators ( Tiina Nunnally and Michael Favala Goldman ) did a wonderful job for a work that is so language-focused , and we also discussed Ditlevsen ’ s 1968 novel The Faces . The novel is what we
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