The Copenhagen Trilogy

"I had never heard of Tove Ditlevsen before I stumbled upon her memoirs, but now I know her as well as any personal friend I’ve ever had. Ditlevsen, a Danish poet and fiction writer, died by suicide in 1976. She is beloved in her home country and should be better known here. Her three-part memoir is so precise and specific that it’s almost uncomfortable to read (Nazis, unpredictable mother, awful husband, Demerol addiction); but readers who love that kind of thing (hi!) will find themselves in an intimate world that is both tragic and funny and contains the kind of prose that even in translation, you will want to read out loud to unsuspecting co-habiters. This is the kind of book that you almost definitely will not read in one sitting, but the multiple entrances in and out of Ditlevsen’s life are a complete and satisfying journey."

"Astonishing."