Kirsten Thorup, a Danish author, was born in Funen, Denmark, in 1942 and now lives in Copenhagen. She is the author of three poetry collections, a volume of short stories, and three novels including Baby which has been translated into English. She has also written for films, television, and radio. Her novel, Den lange sommer, was published in Denmark in 1979.
Recognition 1974 - Otto Gelsted Prize 1996 - Tagea Brandts Rejselegat 2000 - Grand Prize of the Danish Academy
Jeg var splittet mellem irritation over denne karrierebevidste kvinde, som lader sig bruge og udnytte p氓 det groveste og facination af muligheden for at "redde" et menneske fra - i vores m氓lestok - umenneskelige vilk氓r og fattigdom. Jeg blev grebet af fort忙llingen og det lette, flydende sprog. Til tider blev jeg irriteret over denne kvinde uselvst忙ndighed og fik lyst til at ruske hende tilbage til den virkelige verden, jeg blev frustreret over hendes omgangskreds - venner, s氓vel som r氓dgivere - som alle syntes at overse essensen af problemet. Men efter sidste side, stod jeg tilbage med en f酶lelse af menneskehandel, bare omvendt...
Ana is a high flying career woman working in a high powered company in Copenhagen. Suffering from stress she takes a spontaneous holiday in Gambia where she meets - and becomes obsessed with - 15 year old Mariama. This is a deliberately uncomfortable book, forcing the reader to question (their) assumptions about Africa and Africans, European attitudes and a sense of obligation. I cannot say that I enjoyed this book, but I would say it was good, to the extent that a week after finishing it I still find myself thinking about it and it's themes of madness and obsession. A 21st Century 'Heart of Darkness', though in Thorup's novel the darkness does not lie in the heart of Africa.
Tilf忙ldets Gud (God of Coincidence) by Kirsten Thorup is a book about misunderstandings, miscommunication, failed expectations.
The book from 2011 hasn't yet been translated into English, but I think there's a good chance it might, as several of the authors other books are already published in English.
We follow our protagonist Ana, a Danish workaholic with no ties to her family, as she goes on a last-moment holiday to Gambia, to try and prevent a stress break-down. In the country she meets Mariama, a teenage girl who makes her way into her heart, and whom she feels responsible for.
Ana becomes her sponsor, ensures a visa for her to go study in the UK, moves to the UK as well, losing her own job in the process. But Mariama's move to the UK is not without its problems, especially not their mismatched expectations to each other, and for Ana especially, it is a huge emotional challenge.
I really quite liked this book, although I must say I found the ending very strange. It's a book that deals with empirical mindsets, different expectations, and what, if anything, can you really ever demand and expect from another human being, especially someone from a background that's completely foreign to yourself?