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This Should Be Written in the Present Tense
From Denmark's master of minimalism, a unique and mesmerising new novel
This should be written in the present tense. But it isn't.
Dorte should be at uni in Copenhagen. But she's not.
She should probably put some curtains up in her new place.
And maybe stop sleeping with her neighbour's boyfriend.
Perhaps things don't always work out the way they should.
This should be written in the present tense. But it isn't.
Dorte should be at uni in Copenhagen. But she's not.
She should probably put some curtains up in her new place.
And maybe stop sleeping with her neighbour's boyfriend.
Perhaps things don't always work out the way they should.
186 pages, Hardcover
First published April 1, 2011
About the author
Helle Helle
35 books267 followersHelle Helle (born 1965) published her first book in 1993. Since then, her work has garnered overwhelming critical and popular acclaim.
Recently awarded the Golden Laurel literary prize, Helle Helle is the recipient of countless literary accolades, among them the Danish Critics’ Prize, the Danish Academy’s Beatrice Prize, the P.O. Enquist Award and the prestigious Lifetime Award of the Danish Arts Council.
Her novels and short stories have been translated into 18 languages.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Bob / novel / 2021
They / novel / 2018
If You Want / novel / 2014
This Should Be Written in the Present Tense / novel / 2011
Down to the Dogs / novel / 2008
Rødby-Puttgarden / novel / 2005
The Idea of an Uncomplicated Life with a Man / novel / 2002
Cars and Animals / short stories / 2000
House and Home / novel / 1999
Remains / short stories / 1996
Example of Life / novel / 1993
Recently awarded the Golden Laurel literary prize, Helle Helle is the recipient of countless literary accolades, among them the Danish Critics’ Prize, the Danish Academy’s Beatrice Prize, the P.O. Enquist Award and the prestigious Lifetime Award of the Danish Arts Council.
Her novels and short stories have been translated into 18 languages.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Bob / novel / 2021
They / novel / 2018
If You Want / novel / 2014
This Should Be Written in the Present Tense / novel / 2011
Down to the Dogs / novel / 2008
Rødby-Puttgarden / novel / 2005
The Idea of an Uncomplicated Life with a Man / novel / 2002
Cars and Animals / short stories / 2000
House and Home / novel / 1999
Remains / short stories / 1996
Example of Life / novel / 1993
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 228 reviews
January 19, 2014
A Christmas present from my mum, who loves Helle Helle. She was complaining that I didn't read enough Danish books, and Helle Helle lives in the same town as my parents, so... Christmas present.
But I will not read any more of Helle Helle's books. Nothing happens and I don't like her writing style. She writes like I did when I was 7. To show you this, here is a short resume of the book by me, in her writing style:
"I couldn't sleep, I could hear the train, it was half past four. I made breakfast, but then I didn't eat it, I went to the station. There was a train, I got on it and then I jumped down just before the doors closed. I went home, I had left the front door open, I wanted to clean the house, but then I ate my breakfast and fell asleep in the living room.
Once I dated Per, he was very nice and so were his parents. Then I kissed his cousin, so I moved in with him in his flat. I wore a yellow dress one day, but I spilled coffee down the front, so I washed it before he came home from school. I cleaned the flat. Then I kissed my neighbour because my boyfriend left me. Then I moved into a new house, where I slept with the guy from the train station office. He had a girlfriend, she was nice, they were moving closer to Copenhagen. Then I dated a guy who wrote poetry, this should be written in the present tense, I didn't write."
That is everything that happens in the book, and everything is written so very badly. It is not like she likes a guy, but does he like her? Yes, he does, woohoo, boyfriend! It's just: Per was there, he went to the shed to find something, I kissed his cousin. I moved in with his cousin. Eight months later he left me and my neighbour came over one evening and he kissed me.
Then I did this, then I did this, then I did this. One day I did this. I wanted to do this, but then I didn't. I went for a walk instead.
There are no adjectives in this book. Nothing is interesting, annoying, delightful, exciting, beautiful, sad, depressing. It's nothing. It's just a checklist. I want to know why she did it and how it made her feel. Did she like what happened, did it make her feel ashamed?
I read a book, it was boring, I didn't like it, the author should have used more full stops, there were too many commas. But I fought my way through it because my mother likes the book and it was a Christmas present and the book was not very long. But do you see what I am saying, this writing style is annoying, it gets on my nerves, it is so monotonous, it's not exactly Dickens, is it?
But I will not read any more of Helle Helle's books. Nothing happens and I don't like her writing style. She writes like I did when I was 7. To show you this, here is a short resume of the book by me, in her writing style:
"I couldn't sleep, I could hear the train, it was half past four. I made breakfast, but then I didn't eat it, I went to the station. There was a train, I got on it and then I jumped down just before the doors closed. I went home, I had left the front door open, I wanted to clean the house, but then I ate my breakfast and fell asleep in the living room.
Once I dated Per, he was very nice and so were his parents. Then I kissed his cousin, so I moved in with him in his flat. I wore a yellow dress one day, but I spilled coffee down the front, so I washed it before he came home from school. I cleaned the flat. Then I kissed my neighbour because my boyfriend left me. Then I moved into a new house, where I slept with the guy from the train station office. He had a girlfriend, she was nice, they were moving closer to Copenhagen. Then I dated a guy who wrote poetry, this should be written in the present tense, I didn't write."
That is everything that happens in the book, and everything is written so very badly. It is not like she likes a guy, but does he like her? Yes, he does, woohoo, boyfriend! It's just: Per was there, he went to the shed to find something, I kissed his cousin. I moved in with his cousin. Eight months later he left me and my neighbour came over one evening and he kissed me.
Then I did this, then I did this, then I did this. One day I did this. I wanted to do this, but then I didn't. I went for a walk instead.
There are no adjectives in this book. Nothing is interesting, annoying, delightful, exciting, beautiful, sad, depressing. It's nothing. It's just a checklist. I want to know why she did it and how it made her feel. Did she like what happened, did it make her feel ashamed?
I read a book, it was boring, I didn't like it, the author should have used more full stops, there were too many commas. But I fought my way through it because my mother likes the book and it was a Christmas present and the book was not very long. But do you see what I am saying, this writing style is annoying, it gets on my nerves, it is so monotonous, it's not exactly Dickens, is it?
October 24, 2022
Helle Helle Danimarka edebiyatından şimdiye kadar okuduğum en iyi yazar belki, Tove Ditlevsen’i bir kenara koyarsak tabii. Helle’nin çok sade, minimal bir üslubu var, “edebiyat” yapmıyor yani. Günlük hayatın sıradan detaylarını atlamıyor ki bu bazılarına basit gelebilir. Oysa birçok önemli şeyi de atlayarak hissettiriyor, hayal gücünüze, muhakemenize bırakıyor. Okuyanı içine çeken, empati kurduran, yer yer üzen, yer yer güldüren ve asla sahte kaçmayan, ikna edici ruh halleri, ilişkiler demeti ortaya koyuyor. Yani aslında iyi “edebiyat” yapıyor. Danca’dan daha önce de çok iyi çevirilerini okuduğum ve maalesef 2020’de kaybettiğimiz Sadi Tekelioğlu’nun çevirisi de yine çok iyi.
October 5, 2014
Well, this was boring. This review (https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...) pretty much sums it up.
But not only is this boring, it actually manages to be confusing too. The main character has the same name as her aunt (for a moment there, I thought we were reading about the aunt in her youth versus her 40's), and keeps jumping back and forth in time between seemingly equally boring periods of time in her life, only demarcated by her increasing inertia and exchange of boyfriends. She goes through a couple of different men throughout the period presented in the book. All their meetings seem to go something like this:
"Hi."
"Hi."
"So...?"
"Ok."
What this little example dialogue also illustrates is how you rarely know who is saying what, something I think everyone appreciates in a good book.
Amazingly, this book somehow managed to grow a little on me, so by the end, I wasn't all that annoyed. I was, however, confused, not quite knowing who was who among all the bland Danish men's names mentioned here and there, not quite remembering what happened when or why, and not really caring either.
In case you're wondering if this is a book you have to read the answer is probably NO.
But not only is this boring, it actually manages to be confusing too. The main character has the same name as her aunt (for a moment there, I thought we were reading about the aunt in her youth versus her 40's), and keeps jumping back and forth in time between seemingly equally boring periods of time in her life, only demarcated by her increasing inertia and exchange of boyfriends. She goes through a couple of different men throughout the period presented in the book. All their meetings seem to go something like this:
"Hi."
"Hi."
"So...?"
"Ok."
What this little example dialogue also illustrates is how you rarely know who is saying what, something I think everyone appreciates in a good book.
Amazingly, this book somehow managed to grow a little on me, so by the end, I wasn't all that annoyed. I was, however, confused, not quite knowing who was who among all the bland Danish men's names mentioned here and there, not quite remembering what happened when or why, and not really caring either.
In case you're wondering if this is a book you have to read the answer is probably NO.
February 10, 2020
The first English translation of Danish bestseller Helle Helle’s works, this is the melancholy story of a young woman drifting through life. Dorte Hansen, a university student, has recently moved to Copenhagen’s outskirts. Except she doesn’t attend classes. She doesn’t do anything, really. Insomnia lengthens her days into an eternity yet she can’t summon the energy to decorate her unfurnished flat by the railway station; she never even puts up curtains.
A restless wanderer, she fills her days with shopping trips, makeshift meals and reflections on her past – not to mention a romance with the ticket office clerk. Whether living with her namesake, Aunt Dorte (whose story is a clever parallel), working as an au pair, or dating Per, she only repeats compulsive habits of shopping, lying and sleeping around.
The novel is Dorte’s random scribblings from a year spent by the station. Her flat first-person narration is composed of short phrases linked by commas. The stream-of-consciousness style and punctuation can be maddening, but serve as additional signs of Dorte’s apathy.
It would be easy to dismiss this as a novel where nothing happens. Yet anyone can relate to Dorte’s purposelessness: “I didn’t know what to do with myself, or how to go on.” Ultimately, though, it’s a hopeful story: a reminder that it’s never too late to change. At the novel’s close, Dorte is pursuing her songwriting hobby, and finally has a healthy relationship. As a friend encourages her, “It’s all in your hands.”
A restless wanderer, she fills her days with shopping trips, makeshift meals and reflections on her past – not to mention a romance with the ticket office clerk. Whether living with her namesake, Aunt Dorte (whose story is a clever parallel), working as an au pair, or dating Per, she only repeats compulsive habits of shopping, lying and sleeping around.
The novel is Dorte’s random scribblings from a year spent by the station. Her flat first-person narration is composed of short phrases linked by commas. The stream-of-consciousness style and punctuation can be maddening, but serve as additional signs of Dorte’s apathy.
It would be easy to dismiss this as a novel where nothing happens. Yet anyone can relate to Dorte’s purposelessness: “I didn’t know what to do with myself, or how to go on.” Ultimately, though, it’s a hopeful story: a reminder that it’s never too late to change. At the novel’s close, Dorte is pursuing her songwriting hobby, and finally has a healthy relationship. As a friend encourages her, “It’s all in your hands.”
June 24, 2018
Yağmurlu bir günde, elinizde kahvenizle çabucak okuyup bitirebileceğiniz tipik bir İskandinavya romanı bu; yalın bir dil, sade bir anlatım ve sıradan hayatların hikayesi.. Kuzey’in edebi diline alışkın olmayanlar için sıkıcı bir kitap olabilir ama Kopenhag’a yeni gidip gelmiş biri olarak kitabı çok sevimli ve sahici bulduğumu söylemeliyim.
Cidden de İskandinavyalıların hayatları “Sevgilimle seviştim. Dışarıda yağmur yağıyordu. Sonra markete gittim, alışveriş yaptım ve kahve içtik” modunda. Bunu kabullenirseniz kuzeylilerin sade edebiyatını da sevmeye başlıyorsunuz bir şekilde.
Ve evet, bu kitap çok rahat bir şekilde “şimdiki zaman kipinde” yazılabilirmiş sevgili Helle Helle.
Cidden de İskandinavyalıların hayatları “Sevgilimle seviştim. Dışarıda yağmur yağıyordu. Sonra markete gittim, alışveriş yaptım ve kahve içtik” modunda. Bunu kabullenirseniz kuzeylilerin sade edebiyatını da sevmeye başlıyorsunuz bir şekilde.
Ve evet, bu kitap çok rahat bir şekilde “şimdiki zaman kipinde” yazılabilirmiş sevgili Helle Helle.
December 5, 2016
Pinhan'ın bu serisi bende hayal kırıklığı üstüne hayal kırıklığı yaratıyor. Kasım Yağmuru ile son bir şans tanıyacağım. O da beklediğim gibi çıkmazsa "bilinmedik kuzey yazarlarına ve edebiyatına" bir mola vereceğim.
April 4, 2017
Çok tatlı bir roman "bu, şimdiki zaman kipinde yazılmalıydı". coğrafya kültür ve sanatı nasıl etkiliyor çok uzun uzun araştırılabilecek bir konu aslında. danimarkalı yazar helle helle (evet, adı bu) genç yetişkin bir insanın aslında nasıl da hâlâ büyüdüğünü, saçmaladığını, saçmaladığını bildiği halde saçmalamaya devam ettiğini, okula gitmesi gerekirken gitmediğini, uyku düzenini oturtması gerekinken bütün gündüz uyuduğunu öyle usul usul, öyle yorumsuz, öyle sahici anlarla anlatmış ki bize... coğrafyadan bahsetmem şu yüzden: kendi 18-21 yaş aralığımı buldum romanda, eminim ki hunharca uyuma, okula gitmeme, kendine verdiği sözleri tutamama konusunda yalnız değilimdir ama -çok iddialı bir cümle edeceğim şimdi- bu dönemi, hem hiçbir şeyin olmadığı hem de her şeyin değiştiği bu dönemi helle helle kadar sakin ve minimal bir biçimde anlatabilecek yazar yok bu memlekette. çünkü usul usul ve sakin bir anlatı da pek yok bizde. coğrafya ve sanat ilişkisi kurmam bu yüzden.
roman konusunda artık eskimiş, yok olmaya yüz tutmuş, her şeyi bilen tanrı anlatıcıyı kullanmaya devam eden yazarlar keşke bu romanı okusalar da hiçbir şekilde açık vermeyen bir "ben" anlatıcıyla da edebiyat nasıl yapılıyormuş çözseler...
neyse, kuzey avrupa'yı, edebiyatını, dizilerini sevenlere tavsiye olunur.
agos'a yazdığım yazıyı ekledim http://tembelveyazar.blogspot.com.tr/...
roman konusunda artık eskimiş, yok olmaya yüz tutmuş, her şeyi bilen tanrı anlatıcıyı kullanmaya devam eden yazarlar keşke bu romanı okusalar da hiçbir şekilde açık vermeyen bir "ben" anlatıcıyla da edebiyat nasıl yapılıyormuş çözseler...
neyse, kuzey avrupa'yı, edebiyatını, dizilerini sevenlere tavsiye olunur.
agos'a yazdığım yazıyı ekledim http://tembelveyazar.blogspot.com.tr/...
July 28, 2016
First off, let me say that this was the first book in decades I bought solely because I loved the title and especially the cover.
Secondly, the British translation of the original Danish text has - to my mind as a North American reader and writer of the language – tons and tons of comma splices.
Like this: "She said we could stay as long as we liked, all we had to do was shut the door behind us."
I realize that what North Americans consider to be comma splices are not so strictly viewed as grammatical errors in the rest of the English-speaking world, including the UK. I don't understand why such funny people over there don't speak English good. In any event, grammar geeks, be forewarned.
Thirdly, this novel about a 19-year-old Danish girl has not got a lot of story. Almost nothing happens. There's a little bit about her romantic life and family and that's about it. It is not a plot-driven novel, not by a long shot.
Lastly, we don't find out that the main character's name is the same as her aunt's, Dorte, until far, far into the book. Aunt Dorte is a minor character, introduced and named in the first few pages; why the main character's name is withheld until approximately halfway through is anyone's guess.
Now that all of that's out of the way, let me say that I loved this strange little book. (Main character) Dorte is at loose ends, and doesn't seem to have a clue what to do with her life. It seems like she might be a university student, but she doesn't ever go to classes. She has a couple boyfriends one after the other but those relationships don't last, and her self-awareness about all of that is virtually nil.
What she's got going for her are her eyes, her words; every little pseudo-experience she has is rendered in gorgeous prose, laden with meaning. This is a novel of many many small moments. One of my favorites is when she's watching her boyfriend's parents playfully tease and chase each other around the backyard; it almost moved me to tears, and made me wonder if I'd ever encountered such a scene of uncomplicated, joyous spousal affection in any other modern fiction.
So, yeah: while this 19-year-old Danish writer-wannabee named Dorte is ditzily unclear about much of the big picture of her life, I was captivated by how deeply she captures the small ones.
Secondly, the British translation of the original Danish text has - to my mind as a North American reader and writer of the language – tons and tons of comma splices.
Like this: "She said we could stay as long as we liked, all we had to do was shut the door behind us."
I realize that what North Americans consider to be comma splices are not so strictly viewed as grammatical errors in the rest of the English-speaking world, including the UK. I don't understand why such funny people over there don't speak English good. In any event, grammar geeks, be forewarned.
Thirdly, this novel about a 19-year-old Danish girl has not got a lot of story. Almost nothing happens. There's a little bit about her romantic life and family and that's about it. It is not a plot-driven novel, not by a long shot.
Lastly, we don't find out that the main character's name is the same as her aunt's, Dorte, until far, far into the book. Aunt Dorte is a minor character, introduced and named in the first few pages; why the main character's name is withheld until approximately halfway through is anyone's guess.
Now that all of that's out of the way, let me say that I loved this strange little book. (Main character) Dorte is at loose ends, and doesn't seem to have a clue what to do with her life. It seems like she might be a university student, but she doesn't ever go to classes. She has a couple boyfriends one after the other but those relationships don't last, and her self-awareness about all of that is virtually nil.
What she's got going for her are her eyes, her words; every little pseudo-experience she has is rendered in gorgeous prose, laden with meaning. This is a novel of many many small moments. One of my favorites is when she's watching her boyfriend's parents playfully tease and chase each other around the backyard; it almost moved me to tears, and made me wonder if I'd ever encountered such a scene of uncomplicated, joyous spousal affection in any other modern fiction.
So, yeah: while this 19-year-old Danish writer-wannabee named Dorte is ditzily unclear about much of the big picture of her life, I was captivated by how deeply she captures the small ones.
April 11, 2015
"'I'm not sure I agree with you on that,' I said, 'Sometimes things happen.'
'Yes,' she said. 'But that's only in reality. And here we're talking about fiction.'"
The stark minimalist prose that is, I assume, Helle Helle's trademark is, I imagine, quite divisive. I enjoyed it. It's a story where very little happens, love affairs start and end, journeys are taken, trains are missed, incidental snippets of a life that add up to something more. Or do things just happen without meaning? It's a book that asks you to read into its events as significant and simultaneously scoffs at the idea trying to find meaning. I guess it's a book about growing up and that awkward shift into the present.
'Yes,' she said. 'But that's only in reality. And here we're talking about fiction.'"
The stark minimalist prose that is, I assume, Helle Helle's trademark is, I imagine, quite divisive. I enjoyed it. It's a story where very little happens, love affairs start and end, journeys are taken, trains are missed, incidental snippets of a life that add up to something more. Or do things just happen without meaning? It's a book that asks you to read into its events as significant and simultaneously scoffs at the idea trying to find meaning. I guess it's a book about growing up and that awkward shift into the present.
August 3, 2011
Ça fait beaucoup de pages pour ne rien dire.
October 18, 2016
I want to give it 3 and 5 stars all at once
Read in Feb. 2015 and reread #1 in Oct. 2016
Read in Feb. 2015 and reread #1 in Oct. 2016
September 7, 2014
I saw this book on Netgalley and two things drew me in about it. First was the synopsis which, in its bareness, was one of the most interesting ones I had read. And then there was the draw of reading something Scandinavian. I had never heard of Helle Helle and I think it's a shame that the only Scandinavian literature that really makes it to the rest of Europe is its thrillers and crime novels. This Should Be Written In Present Tense is an example of the kind of magnificent books we're missing out on.
Now, Minimalism is a hard thing to get right. In art I hardly ever understand it because I want to look at more than just a blue square or a dot on a blank page. However, within literature I have started to gain an appreciation for it, especially after reading Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot. In a world that is increasingly over-using adjectives, it is almost calming to find an author who is sparse with her words, doesn't over-dramatize the colour of someone's eyes and in which I as the reader can make up my own mind about the characters rather than be forced into someone's head. Helle leaves the reader completely free as her narratives moves from present to memory and back quite happily all on its own. If it wouldn't be too cliche I'd say that this novel flows on its own and it's up to the reader to decide whether he wants to jump in or not. It is incredibly rewarding to jump in though. Martin Aitken does a great job at translating. A lot of spirit can be lost in translation but he has managed to, I think, capture both Helle's style and the stripped back quality of the narrative.
The plot is really quite simple and it is in that, that most of its beauty lies. Dorte is a normal university student with a life that is, although normal, fascinating in the fact that it is so normal. Whether it is parents who are almost strangers to a life that isn't quite yours but somehow is, a lot of moments in this novel are very recognizable. What a lot of authors and readers seem to forget is that in stories we look for something that is relatable. It doesn't matter whether your character lives in the 15th century, as long as he or she acts like a human being. Sadly, a lot of authors run wild on the details and forget to create characters that act like genuine people. Helle would have faced the opposite problem, in which her character is so normal that you wonder what exactly you're reading this for. However, in Dorte and her life she created a story that is at once very natural for the reader to empathize with and on the other hand just personal enough to Dorte that there is distance between the characters and the reader.
A different review said that many of Helle's sentences are works of art all in their own and that is definitely true. There are, in many places of the book, sentences that completely change the whole chapter that went before it. There are sentences that change your whole outlook on a character or a place. I think this is quite special, but it is also something that comes with Minimalism. If you only write down the words that are important, your book is bound to be filled with a lot of important words. However, there is also the precarious balance of a novel being too spacious, leaving too much up to the reader which means he will most likely, eventually, get lost in your novel. I've compared this book to Scandinavian architecture in a different post and I did so for a reason. Their style of building is at once stern and precise but on the other hand also uses a lot of natural material and put an emphasis on light and room. This novel works in the same way. In This Should Be Written in Present Tense Helle creates a strong backbone of a story that doesn't budge but moves steadily forward, but around it she brings in space and light which allows the reader to explore her writing.
I was doubting between 4 and 5 for a while, but I had a hard time putting this novel down and I will definitely be picking it up again and those are, for me, pretty strong signs that this is a strong novel. Helle Helle is a revelation to me and I would definitely recommend this book to people who enjoy reading realistic and minimalistic books. If you have never tried either, this one might be a good place to start!
Now, Minimalism is a hard thing to get right. In art I hardly ever understand it because I want to look at more than just a blue square or a dot on a blank page. However, within literature I have started to gain an appreciation for it, especially after reading Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot. In a world that is increasingly over-using adjectives, it is almost calming to find an author who is sparse with her words, doesn't over-dramatize the colour of someone's eyes and in which I as the reader can make up my own mind about the characters rather than be forced into someone's head. Helle leaves the reader completely free as her narratives moves from present to memory and back quite happily all on its own. If it wouldn't be too cliche I'd say that this novel flows on its own and it's up to the reader to decide whether he wants to jump in or not. It is incredibly rewarding to jump in though. Martin Aitken does a great job at translating. A lot of spirit can be lost in translation but he has managed to, I think, capture both Helle's style and the stripped back quality of the narrative.
The plot is really quite simple and it is in that, that most of its beauty lies. Dorte is a normal university student with a life that is, although normal, fascinating in the fact that it is so normal. Whether it is parents who are almost strangers to a life that isn't quite yours but somehow is, a lot of moments in this novel are very recognizable. What a lot of authors and readers seem to forget is that in stories we look for something that is relatable. It doesn't matter whether your character lives in the 15th century, as long as he or she acts like a human being. Sadly, a lot of authors run wild on the details and forget to create characters that act like genuine people. Helle would have faced the opposite problem, in which her character is so normal that you wonder what exactly you're reading this for. However, in Dorte and her life she created a story that is at once very natural for the reader to empathize with and on the other hand just personal enough to Dorte that there is distance between the characters and the reader.
A different review said that many of Helle's sentences are works of art all in their own and that is definitely true. There are, in many places of the book, sentences that completely change the whole chapter that went before it. There are sentences that change your whole outlook on a character or a place. I think this is quite special, but it is also something that comes with Minimalism. If you only write down the words that are important, your book is bound to be filled with a lot of important words. However, there is also the precarious balance of a novel being too spacious, leaving too much up to the reader which means he will most likely, eventually, get lost in your novel. I've compared this book to Scandinavian architecture in a different post and I did so for a reason. Their style of building is at once stern and precise but on the other hand also uses a lot of natural material and put an emphasis on light and room. This novel works in the same way. In This Should Be Written in Present Tense Helle creates a strong backbone of a story that doesn't budge but moves steadily forward, but around it she brings in space and light which allows the reader to explore her writing.
I was doubting between 4 and 5 for a while, but I had a hard time putting this novel down and I will definitely be picking it up again and those are, for me, pretty strong signs that this is a strong novel. Helle Helle is a revelation to me and I would definitely recommend this book to people who enjoy reading realistic and minimalistic books. If you have never tried either, this one might be a good place to start!
February 10, 2017
Oprindeligt havde jeg "kun" givet denne bog 4 stjerner, men det er gået op for mig, at det simpelthen ikke er tilstrækkeligt. For "Dette burde skrives i nutid" er (endnu) en mesterlig roman fra Helle Helles hånd. Der er sætninger, der sætter sig fast, og som er umulige at glemme, fx den fuldstændigt absurde
Forældrene gik og fløjtede nede i baghaven. De havde ikke rigtig styr på ukrudtet, de var begge to dansklærereI stedet for at sætte et punktum mellem to helsætninger, sætter Helle Helle et komma. De bratte overgange, det Helle Helleske komma medfører, krævede tilvænning (jeg begyndte på bogen for første gang i marts 2012, men måtte give op på halvvejen, netop pga. irritation over tegnsætningen. Der skulle gå godt og vel 3 år (februar 2015), før jeg gav den en chance igen, og hvor er jeg glad for, jeg endte med at læse den til ende), men det er altså morsomt, når det at være dansklærer sideordnes med ikke at have styr på ukrudtet. Dertil er det tydeligt at mærke Helle Helles kærlighed til sproget: Hver sætning er perfektioneret og gennemarbejdet til det yderste (en af mine yndlings er: "Er du gået for at gå eller gik du?"), og der er ikke én side, der er overflødig. Jeg genlæser bogen i ny og næ, fordi jeg ikke kan lade være: Jeg drages af Dortes planløse tilværelse, og jeg drages af Helle Helles ordkunst.
September 26, 2011
Jeg må nok bare konkludere, at jeg aldrig bliver venner med dansk socialrealisme. Jeg synes simpelthen det er SÅ kedeligt. Jeg kan godt se, at Helle Helle kan skrive og jeg bliver skam også behørigt deprimeret af at læse om Dorte Jensen og hendes umådeligt triste liv. Men jeg vil have noget igen, hvis jeg skal gå og blive deprimeret på andres vegne!
Når en bog ikke er intellektuelt eller litterært udfordrende, så skal den i det mindste være spændende. Denne bog er ingen af delene.
Dog var der to fraser, som jeg stoppede op ved og glædede mig over.
"Flyverjakken var helt gennemsigtig af tårer, da hun nåede hjem." (s. 61)
"Kære Riborg, havde hun været lige ved at sige, døden er noget skidt, men du er simpelthen nødt til at stramme op nu." (s. 113)
Hvis nogen vil have bogen, skal de bare sige til.
Når en bog ikke er intellektuelt eller litterært udfordrende, så skal den i det mindste være spændende. Denne bog er ingen af delene.
Dog var der to fraser, som jeg stoppede op ved og glædede mig over.
"Flyverjakken var helt gennemsigtig af tårer, da hun nåede hjem." (s. 61)
"Kære Riborg, havde hun været lige ved at sige, døden er noget skidt, men du er simpelthen nødt til at stramme op nu." (s. 113)
Hvis nogen vil have bogen, skal de bare sige til.
September 13, 2017
Moje první setkání s dánskou spisovatelkou Helle Helle. Jsem velmi spokojen. Jde o příběh mladé ženy - sledujeme její běžný den, místy absurdně popsaný v podstatě nepodstatnými informacemi. (Ty jsou postupně neodmyslitelné a ke konci vám ani nepřijde, že je to napsané jinak než obvykle.) Vcelku je to ale milé čtení, dost jsem se s hlavní hrdinkou sžil a teď mě trochu mrzí, že nevím, co bude dělat dál.
December 12, 2015
Twenty year-old Dorte has just moved to Glumsø, renting a small cottage very close to a steadily busy railway line. It is basic and cramped, but the rent is low and the location is ideally situated for an easy commute in and out of Copenhagen, where she is enrolled in college courses. She spends her days boarding buses and trains but largely avoiding the campus, preferring instead to roam the streets, shopping, drinking coffee, eating and sitting around. At home, she cooks the simplest possible meals and struggles with an increasingly gripping insomnia.
She is alone, partly by choice, partly because she has become lost in life. Her parents lurk occasionally on the periphery, but she pushes them away, and she is close only to her aunt, also named Dorte, a generous heart who runs a successful sandwich shop but who, at forty-five, being divorced, unable to have children and endlessly unlucky in love, might as well act as a glimpse of the narrator's own future.
The young Dorte has history, too, which she unfurls in mainly short, staggered chapters that rock the narrative back and forth in time. History that includes Per, a young man with whom she enjoys her first real romance, and whose parents welcome her into their world. With Per she settles down, lets herself be loved, and builds on vague aspirations of becoming a writer by penning party songs to meet a surprisingly ever-increasing demand. Even an aborted pregnancy does little to interrupt the surface idyll. That she wants more only becomes apparent when she is introduced to Per's cousin, Lars, a teacher-in-training who has just returned from a stint in America and is living in a nearby town. Surrendering safety and familial love, she is soon living in secret with Lars, until this, too, runs its course.
In Glumsø, there is a sense of being caught between worlds. Trains pass through, coming from somewhere and always on their way to somewhere else. The station-master, who lives with his stern girlfriend in an apartment opposite Dorte's, is a quick flirt and they soon fall into an affair as a way of filling vacant moments. And there is a young man from a reading group, a would-be poet, that seems to offer some hope for a future beyond these pages.
In a career now spanning nine books over nearly a quarter of a century, the multi-award winning Helle Helle has long since established herself as probably Denmark's most critically acclaimed novelist and short story writer, and one of the most stylistically original and compulsively readable authors in all of Nordic literature. Quite astonishing then that even though her work has been translated into more than a dozen languages, she is only just now reaching English-speaking audiences.
'This Should be Written in the Present Tense' is an impressive novel because of how it revels in life's minutiae as a way of avoiding emotional engagement. Ultimately, this is a first-person account that attempts – with rare subtlety and ultimately, providing the reader has the patience to fully invest in the text, great success – to make sense of the chaos and the daunting dread that can accompany arrival into adulthood, of feeling inconsequential and ill-fitting for the wider world. Helle's declarative sentences are a kind of cold steel, lacking all sentimentality, lacking even emotion, yet it is from this very lack that the psychological make-up and state of the narrator is revealed, or at least laid bare. This is one of those slightly-plotted novels that packs its real story between the lines and, in believing that power of suggestion goes a long way, trusts a great deal to the intelligence of the reader. Such faith deserves to be rewarded with a wide audience.
She is alone, partly by choice, partly because she has become lost in life. Her parents lurk occasionally on the periphery, but she pushes them away, and she is close only to her aunt, also named Dorte, a generous heart who runs a successful sandwich shop but who, at forty-five, being divorced, unable to have children and endlessly unlucky in love, might as well act as a glimpse of the narrator's own future.
The young Dorte has history, too, which she unfurls in mainly short, staggered chapters that rock the narrative back and forth in time. History that includes Per, a young man with whom she enjoys her first real romance, and whose parents welcome her into their world. With Per she settles down, lets herself be loved, and builds on vague aspirations of becoming a writer by penning party songs to meet a surprisingly ever-increasing demand. Even an aborted pregnancy does little to interrupt the surface idyll. That she wants more only becomes apparent when she is introduced to Per's cousin, Lars, a teacher-in-training who has just returned from a stint in America and is living in a nearby town. Surrendering safety and familial love, she is soon living in secret with Lars, until this, too, runs its course.
In Glumsø, there is a sense of being caught between worlds. Trains pass through, coming from somewhere and always on their way to somewhere else. The station-master, who lives with his stern girlfriend in an apartment opposite Dorte's, is a quick flirt and they soon fall into an affair as a way of filling vacant moments. And there is a young man from a reading group, a would-be poet, that seems to offer some hope for a future beyond these pages.
In a career now spanning nine books over nearly a quarter of a century, the multi-award winning Helle Helle has long since established herself as probably Denmark's most critically acclaimed novelist and short story writer, and one of the most stylistically original and compulsively readable authors in all of Nordic literature. Quite astonishing then that even though her work has been translated into more than a dozen languages, she is only just now reaching English-speaking audiences.
'This Should be Written in the Present Tense' is an impressive novel because of how it revels in life's minutiae as a way of avoiding emotional engagement. Ultimately, this is a first-person account that attempts – with rare subtlety and ultimately, providing the reader has the patience to fully invest in the text, great success – to make sense of the chaos and the daunting dread that can accompany arrival into adulthood, of feeling inconsequential and ill-fitting for the wider world. Helle's declarative sentences are a kind of cold steel, lacking all sentimentality, lacking even emotion, yet it is from this very lack that the psychological make-up and state of the narrator is revealed, or at least laid bare. This is one of those slightly-plotted novels that packs its real story between the lines and, in believing that power of suggestion goes a long way, trusts a great deal to the intelligence of the reader. Such faith deserves to be rewarded with a wide audience.
April 10, 2018
Je to až príliš jednoduché a prosté až je to zvláštne originálne. Helle Helle píše stručne a jasne. Jej rozprávanie je oklieštené až na dreň, pretože bez zbytočných slov je jej príbeh najúčinnejší. Rozumiem, že niekomu to môže pripomínať stredoškolský sloh, ale nie je to nakoniec tak, že práve ten mikrosvet, ktorý často prehliadame, je dôležitejší ako veľké gestá a výnimočné činy?
"Když jsem si rukama zakryla uši, šumělo to jako celá pláž. Na tom ale nebylo nic chorobného. Jen pod prsní kostí mě něco tlačilo, připomínalo to stesk po domově. Možná to byly jen žaludeční šťávy."
Útla kniha je smutným príbehom o súčasnej mladej generácii, ktorá žije bez zmyslu a cieľa, zato ju trápi nespavosť, beznádej a samota.
"Když jsem si rukama zakryla uši, šumělo to jako celá pláž. Na tom ale nebylo nic chorobného. Jen pod prsní kostí mě něco tlačilo, připomínalo to stesk po domově. Možná to byly jen žaludeční šťávy."
Útla kniha je smutným príbehom o súčasnej mladej generácii, ktorá žije bez zmyslu a cieľa, zato ju trápi nespavosť, beznádej a samota.
September 28, 2018
Hmm. So reminded me of other writers of the mundane Sally Rooney and Karl Ove Knausgaard- both of whom I LOVE- but Helle's story never fully grabbed my attention. I read on passively despite confusion about Dorte (clarification earlier than 70 pages in would have been welcome) and a lukewarm feel for the book because I did like the brief chapters and the meandering writing describing Dorte's young oddball life. She has some emotional issues, pretends to be in college, riding the train each day, lying to her aunt when she visits, and is all the while an unmoored writer not writing.
November 14, 2022
görünürde sakin bir roman. genç bir kadın yetişkinliğe adım atıyor. biz dorte'nin birkaç ilişki denemesine şahit oluyoruz. her şey öyle kendiliğinden, telaşsız, günlük hayatın olağan halleri içinde gerçekleşiyor ki roman su gibi akıyor. kitap sanki duygusal bildirimlerden tamamıyla uzak gibi duruyor bir yandan, neredeyse dorte'nin hislerini anlayamayacağız. ama bazı anahtar yerlere yerleştirilmiş iç döküşler, büyük ölçüde empati yaparak okuduğumuz bu kitabı daha anlaşılır kıldı bence. bu arada kitapta adıyla soyadıyla iki dorte var. bu fikri epey sevdim.
beklentilere göre değişebilecek çok ince bir çizgi var bu roman özelinde; gördüğüm kadarıyla seven ya çok seviyor ya da cümlelerini, anlatımını sıradan ve basit bularak sevmiyor. ben kendimden küçük de olsa duygular devşirebildiğim için sevdim belki, bilmiyorum.
son olarak türkçe basımındaki yazım hataları beni biraz yordu. umarım yeni baskılarda ciddi bir son okuma ile düzeltilir.
beklentilere göre değişebilecek çok ince bir çizgi var bu roman özelinde; gördüğüm kadarıyla seven ya çok seviyor ya da cümlelerini, anlatımını sıradan ve basit bularak sevmiyor. ben kendimden küçük de olsa duygular devşirebildiğim için sevdim belki, bilmiyorum.
son olarak türkçe basımındaki yazım hataları beni biraz yordu. umarım yeni baskılarda ciddi bir son okuma ile düzeltilir.
May 2, 2023
Special
September 25, 2017
Po dočtení jsem měla rozporuplné pocity. Nic hlubšího ve mně kniha nezanechala, na konci jsem se sama sebe ptala ,,a to je jako všechno?". Co se ale dánské spisovatelce nedá upřít je fakt, že je to zas něco úplně jiného. Žádné květnaté popisy, jen strohý popis děje a činností, které ve finále ani nejsou tak podstatné. Jako by nás autorka záměrně nechávala, abychom si příběh domysleli sami. Zároveň umí pomocí těch strohých vět skvělé popsat atmosféru a pocity, při čtení jsem se kolikrát cítila stejně prázdně, jako sama hlavní hrdinka. Tak nějak to podle mě bylo myšleno. Žádné složité popisování pocitů, protože deprese či samota se ve finále dá možná nejlíp popsat právě tak.
Takže ve shrnutí ano, kniha to byla fajn, ale nic hlubšího jsem si z ní neodnesla a mám dojem, že nebude patřit mezi ty "vyvolené", o kterých přemýšlím ještě x týdnů po dočtení.
Takže ve shrnutí ano, kniha to byla fajn, ale nic hlubšího jsem si z ní neodnesla a mám dojem, že nebude patřit mezi ty "vyvolené", o kterých přemýšlím ještě x týdnů po dočtení.
April 8, 2018
Útla kniha od dánskej spisovateľky píšucej pod pseudonymom Helle Helle. Má svojský štýl, musela som si naň prvé stránky zvykať, do textu dáva podľa mňa príliš zbytočné informácie z každodenného života hlavnej hrdinky, 20 ročnej Dorte. Príbeh nie je strhujúci, je to skôr také pomalé plynutie bežného života. Nakoniec som sa s hlavnou hrdinkou zžila, spomínala som na vlastných 20 rokov, ako som sa vtedy necítila byť ani dieťaťom, ani dospelou a v podstate som nevedela kam patrím a čo chcem v živote robiť. Autorka toto obdobie života dokázala pekne v knihe vystihnúť, príbeh som nakoniec zhltla na jedno posedenie.
November 18, 2014
If you are the kind of reader who enjoyed Stoner and Knausgaard, then you'll like this. If those weren't your cup of tea, I'd give this a wide berth.
This is a very minimalist novel, where we follow a normal college girl who lives in a few different places during her time at college. It has no plot really, but instead we follow her every day life.
It's artistically written and fascinated me. The best way I can describe it is that Helle Helle is to books what Tracey Emin is to art.
This is a very minimalist novel, where we follow a normal college girl who lives in a few different places during her time at college. It has no plot really, but instead we follow her every day life.
It's artistically written and fascinated me. The best way I can describe it is that Helle Helle is to books what Tracey Emin is to art.
September 24, 2017
Som min far sagde: "enten elsker man Helle Helle, eller også kan man ikke fordrage hende".
March 12, 2024
Dorte är en sådan som redan i butiken sätter på sig de inköpta skorna, slänger de gamla och sen får gå barfota med skorna i handen när skavsåret blir för smärtsamt.
Hon är svårt styrd av sina begär och väljer – eller kan inte motstå – det som ger kortsiktig tillfredställelse. Hon struntar i skolan, hon shoppar onödigt, äter onyttigt, sover på dagen, är otrogen. När en människa inte har något att sätta emot den impulsiva lusten framstår hon som apatisk. Ett visset löv i vinden.
Som brukligt i Helle Helles verk strömmar texten i Detta borde skrivas i presens ur en ung kvinnas medvetande. Intriger och faktiska händelser får stå tillbaka för den inre monologens starka formuleringar som fångar de små konkreta ögonblicken. Med sin enastående minimalistiska prosa skapar hon ett sug som inte släpper mig förrän boken är slut. Här finns inga förklaringar varför någon gör eller säger si eller så. Det är upp till varje läsare att tolka hur det egentligen står till med Dorte och hennes skavsår.
Hon har flyttat in i ett hus granne med tågstationen. Kanske är det nattågens ljudliga framfart som är hennes passivitet skyldig. Hon kanske är trött helt enkelt och därför inte förmår göra långsiktiga val. Eller så har hon (ärvda) psykiska besvär. Eller så är hon bara nitton år och vilsen i sin nyblivna vuxenhet, tyngd av att ha hela livet framför sig. Vid ett tillfälle gråter hon för att hon är för ung.
Jag känner starkt och mycket när jag läser Helle Helle och verkligen inte bara varma känslor för huvudpersonen. Jag förnimmer sorgen, ensamheten och meningslösheten. Jag tänker på hur jobbigt det var att vara ung, alla nybörjarfel jag begick och jag förundras över hur många som faktiskt kan hålla balansen mellan att följa och stå emot olika lustar. Personligen verkar jag växa av att stå emot, ju fler begär jag kan motstå desto mer tillfredställelse. Kanske är det vad Dorte skall upptäcka, man måste inte lyda sina drifter.
”För det mesta kan man nöja sig med mycket mindre.”
Hon är svårt styrd av sina begär och väljer – eller kan inte motstå – det som ger kortsiktig tillfredställelse. Hon struntar i skolan, hon shoppar onödigt, äter onyttigt, sover på dagen, är otrogen. När en människa inte har något att sätta emot den impulsiva lusten framstår hon som apatisk. Ett visset löv i vinden.
Som brukligt i Helle Helles verk strömmar texten i Detta borde skrivas i presens ur en ung kvinnas medvetande. Intriger och faktiska händelser får stå tillbaka för den inre monologens starka formuleringar som fångar de små konkreta ögonblicken. Med sin enastående minimalistiska prosa skapar hon ett sug som inte släpper mig förrän boken är slut. Här finns inga förklaringar varför någon gör eller säger si eller så. Det är upp till varje läsare att tolka hur det egentligen står till med Dorte och hennes skavsår.
Hon har flyttat in i ett hus granne med tågstationen. Kanske är det nattågens ljudliga framfart som är hennes passivitet skyldig. Hon kanske är trött helt enkelt och därför inte förmår göra långsiktiga val. Eller så har hon (ärvda) psykiska besvär. Eller så är hon bara nitton år och vilsen i sin nyblivna vuxenhet, tyngd av att ha hela livet framför sig. Vid ett tillfälle gråter hon för att hon är för ung.
Jag känner starkt och mycket när jag läser Helle Helle och verkligen inte bara varma känslor för huvudpersonen. Jag förnimmer sorgen, ensamheten och meningslösheten. Jag tänker på hur jobbigt det var att vara ung, alla nybörjarfel jag begick och jag förundras över hur många som faktiskt kan hålla balansen mellan att följa och stå emot olika lustar. Personligen verkar jag växa av att stå emot, ju fler begär jag kan motstå desto mer tillfredställelse. Kanske är det vad Dorte skall upptäcka, man måste inte lyda sina drifter.
”För det mesta kan man nöja sig med mycket mindre.”
April 11, 2023
Snodig, slik som dei andre bøkene av Helle Helle eg har lest. Veldig lite som skjer, og likt som i “hus og hjem” er hovudkarakteren utruleg tafatt og ignorerer det ho må gjere. Romanen er skriven som ei novelle, kor det er veldig mykje antyding, men veldig lite handling, og lesaren får ikkje vite noko konkret, men må bruke fantasien sjølv.
Kult og rart
Kult og rart
April 26, 2015
If I could give one advice to the author of "This should be written in present tense", is to change the title of the book to "This should not have been written at all". This is a story written by Helle Helle, apparently Denmarks' master in minimalism. Well, I can agree on that one. Minimalistic it is. 186 pages of …. nothing. Really. Sheer nothing.
Main character Dorte lives in a bungalow near a train station and is supposed to be studying at the university of Copenhagen, only she isn't. She fills her days making food, but not eating it, getting on trains and getting off again before they leave and commenting on apple trees, trains and other completely uninteresting things. Nothing happens. Just a collection of uninteresting paragraphs, like the one below:
"I went to the bathroom. I had no idea what the time was. The good bakers at the central station had cream buns for Lent. I'd planned to get one on the way home and hoped I wouldn't forget ( ???). I splashed water on my face and then remembered I was wearing foundation and drabber myself dry with a paper towel.It didn't matter about that bun (??? - why write about it then???) but I'd get the next train, or the train after that".
The only thing we do learn about is the different relationships with men she has had, and which - I can't blame the men - due to lack of any action, engagement or enthusiasm from Dorothe's part just simple fade away.
It must be said though that Helle Helle does manage to make 186 pages of "nothing" complicated, by adding an older aunt to Dorte's life. An aunt who's also called…. Dorte! Say what? Itleaves the reader for the 40 first pages of the book (the point where the aunt-part is actually explained) completely clueless as to what is going on. One page Dorte is 20somethign, on the next page she is 45. Whatever. Dorte also switches back and forth in time between past and present, but since everything is written in past tense and equally meaningless, it is very easy to get lost.
The minimalist writing style annoyed me enormously. i could read one page and actually ask myself: "so what is the POINT in all this" and the dialogues just are stupid:
"should I take some money with us?"
"What for?"
"YOu could do… we might want something"
"I don't think I will"
"Don't then"
Seriously? I was about to EAT the page!
Or this one:
"Are you cold?"
"No, or just a little bit"
"Put the blanket around you if you want"
"It doesn't matter, nice floorboards you got"
WTF? What on earth's name have floorboards got to do with being cold????
And then I guess there is some bad translation too (I hope, actually, otherwise the book is even worse than I thought). Like the following paragraph;
"the shop is going to be so nice now. Your dad's going to paint it for me. It'll brighten the place up no end. And your mum".
So wait, it dad's painting going to brighten mum up? Or is mum going to paint too??
Maybe it's me. Maybe this whole minimalist thing is just not my thing. Maybe it's even an achievement, to fill 186 pages with NOTHING. But I personally prefer to read other books.
Main character Dorte lives in a bungalow near a train station and is supposed to be studying at the university of Copenhagen, only she isn't. She fills her days making food, but not eating it, getting on trains and getting off again before they leave and commenting on apple trees, trains and other completely uninteresting things. Nothing happens. Just a collection of uninteresting paragraphs, like the one below:
"I went to the bathroom. I had no idea what the time was. The good bakers at the central station had cream buns for Lent. I'd planned to get one on the way home and hoped I wouldn't forget ( ???). I splashed water on my face and then remembered I was wearing foundation and drabber myself dry with a paper towel.It didn't matter about that bun (??? - why write about it then???) but I'd get the next train, or the train after that".
The only thing we do learn about is the different relationships with men she has had, and which - I can't blame the men - due to lack of any action, engagement or enthusiasm from Dorothe's part just simple fade away.
It must be said though that Helle Helle does manage to make 186 pages of "nothing" complicated, by adding an older aunt to Dorte's life. An aunt who's also called…. Dorte! Say what? Itleaves the reader for the 40 first pages of the book (the point where the aunt-part is actually explained) completely clueless as to what is going on. One page Dorte is 20somethign, on the next page she is 45. Whatever. Dorte also switches back and forth in time between past and present, but since everything is written in past tense and equally meaningless, it is very easy to get lost.
The minimalist writing style annoyed me enormously. i could read one page and actually ask myself: "so what is the POINT in all this" and the dialogues just are stupid:
"should I take some money with us?"
"What for?"
"YOu could do… we might want something"
"I don't think I will"
"Don't then"
Seriously? I was about to EAT the page!
Or this one:
"Are you cold?"
"No, or just a little bit"
"Put the blanket around you if you want"
"It doesn't matter, nice floorboards you got"
WTF? What on earth's name have floorboards got to do with being cold????
And then I guess there is some bad translation too (I hope, actually, otherwise the book is even worse than I thought). Like the following paragraph;
"the shop is going to be so nice now. Your dad's going to paint it for me. It'll brighten the place up no end. And your mum".
So wait, it dad's painting going to brighten mum up? Or is mum going to paint too??
Maybe it's me. Maybe this whole minimalist thing is just not my thing. Maybe it's even an achievement, to fill 186 pages with NOTHING. But I personally prefer to read other books.
April 29, 2016
Selvom 'Dette burde skrives i nutid' ikke er en forfærdelig bog, vælger jeg alligevel at tage afsked med Helle Helle's romaner med dette "mesterværk", som den jo kaldes af de fleste. Selvom 'Dette burde skrives i nutid' ikke er en forfærdelig bog, vil jeg driste mig til at sige at dansk litteratur ville falde endnu mere til jorden (ja, jeg snakker om alle de ekstremt trivielle krimier (ja, jeg kigger på dig Jussi Adler Olsen)). Problemet er, at Helle Helle kun skriver med to formål. Det første er formidlingen af hendes budskab, som altid er næsten det samme (bland hverdag + passivitet + trivialiteter i en gryde og så har du Helle Helle). Den anden, og nu kommer det vigtige, er udførslen af hendes "minimalistiske projekt", som jeg så kritiserer på det heftigste.
Det er det "minimalistiske projekt" som har gjort hende så folkekær, mest fordi mennesker godt kan lide at føle at de er kloge, når de hiver information efter information frem fra så lidt tekst som muligt. Idéen er at skrive så lidt som muligt, så kan læseren forstå resten og relatere bedre osv. Romanen bliver efter min mening reduceret til en alt for tydelig konstruktion.
Man bliver ALDRIG opslugt af bogen, man kommer ALDRIG ind i Helle Helles fortælleformat, fordi det er ikke hendes formål. Hendes formål er at hele tiden huske læseren på, at det er en roman, man læser. Og at det er læserens opgave at sidde og lege detektiv. Problemet er, at det på ingen måde er svært, eftersom hver eneste lille bid skrift "er der af en grund".
Min pointe er, at Helle Helle skriver sine romaner, som hun skriver noveller. Hendes noveller er fantastiske, ingen tvivl om det, men formatet dur på ingen måde i en roman. Det næste bliver vel, at hun skriver en tegneserie...
Det er det "minimalistiske projekt" som har gjort hende så folkekær, mest fordi mennesker godt kan lide at føle at de er kloge, når de hiver information efter information frem fra så lidt tekst som muligt. Idéen er at skrive så lidt som muligt, så kan læseren forstå resten og relatere bedre osv. Romanen bliver efter min mening reduceret til en alt for tydelig konstruktion.
Man bliver ALDRIG opslugt af bogen, man kommer ALDRIG ind i Helle Helles fortælleformat, fordi det er ikke hendes formål. Hendes formål er at hele tiden huske læseren på, at det er en roman, man læser. Og at det er læserens opgave at sidde og lege detektiv. Problemet er, at det på ingen måde er svært, eftersom hver eneste lille bid skrift "er der af en grund".
Min pointe er, at Helle Helle skriver sine romaner, som hun skriver noveller. Hendes noveller er fantastiske, ingen tvivl om det, men formatet dur på ingen måde i en roman. Det næste bliver vel, at hun skriver en tegneserie...
August 5, 2017
Det var en sand fornøjelse at læse om Dortes brandhamrende kedelige hverdag! I en tid, hvor der hele tiden skal ske noget, og hvor den ene store nyhed afløser den anden, var det med en indre fryd, jeg læste historien om Dorte: En pige, som ikke tager livet så alvorligt, og som ikke har behov for at have kontrol over alting. Dorte tager tingene, som de kommer, hun bruger ikke så meget energi på at spekulere over livets store spørgsmål eller på, hvad fremtiden vil bringe. Hun er bare til. Hun eksisterer fra dag til dag, og selvom hun hverken er rig eller særligt privilegeret på andre punkter, tog jeg mig selv i virkelig at misunde hende. Hun er i stand til at gøre det, som mange af os kun kan drømme om; hun er til i nuet. Hun spekulerer ikke på, om drømmejobbet venter, om næste eksamen bestås, om der er råd til hus og bil. Ej heller har hun de mere hverdagsagtige bekymringer om hvorvidt hun spiser sundt nok, dyrker nok motion eller læser nok bøger. For Dorte er tilværelsen legende let – Måske fordi hun gør det let og udsætter bekymringer til i morgen.
Jeg er sikker på at 'Dette burde skrives i nutid' kan analyseres i et væk, og at man kan finde alverdens symboler og metaforer i bogen, men jeg tror bestemt ikke det er hensigten. Jeg tror den skal læses præcis som den er skrevet – En fortælling om Dortes trivielle hverdag. Måske er min opfattelse farvet af den diskussion, Dorte har med sin skrivelærer i fortællingens slutning: Skrivelæreren mener, at alt i en tekst skal have en betydning, hvortil Dorte svarer:
”Det er jeg ikke sikker på, jeg er enig i, sagde jeg. – Nogle gange sker ting jo bare.”
Læs resten af anmeldelsen på: http://bookmeupscotty.blogspot.dk/
Jeg er sikker på at 'Dette burde skrives i nutid' kan analyseres i et væk, og at man kan finde alverdens symboler og metaforer i bogen, men jeg tror bestemt ikke det er hensigten. Jeg tror den skal læses præcis som den er skrevet – En fortælling om Dortes trivielle hverdag. Måske er min opfattelse farvet af den diskussion, Dorte har med sin skrivelærer i fortællingens slutning: Skrivelæreren mener, at alt i en tekst skal have en betydning, hvortil Dorte svarer:
”Det er jeg ikke sikker på, jeg er enig i, sagde jeg. – Nogle gange sker ting jo bare.”
Læs resten af anmeldelsen på: http://bookmeupscotty.blogspot.dk/
September 28, 2021
Elsker Helle Helles bøger.
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