CPH POST 13 Dec 2018 - 10 Jan 2019

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NEWS Sitting on top of our Pyramid was bad enough!

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Shutters-up Island World media take notice as state eyes prison at sea

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BOSS IN TRANSLATION Immigrants missing free classes Absenteeism a sign more are working, says mayor

HISTORY Back when Santa took from the rich and gave to the poor

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Baloney the lonely Your Xmas and New Year calendar just got busy!

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BSENTEEISM rates at Danish language classes have probably fallen since the municipalities started charging for them, but not among immigrants eligible for free lessons – the refugees and those here via family reunification.

According to a report from the Economic and Interior Ministry, nationwide absenteeism among the group rose from 24.8 to 36.4 percent between 2014 and 2017 – an increase seen in 93 out of the 98 municipalities.

Saturday solution HOWEVER, Carsten Rasmussen, the mayor of Lejre Municipality, told DR that it simply reflected how more immigrants are finding employment, making it “more difficult to find

the energy and motivation”.

Lejre has introduced Saturday classes to encourage more to come, as those regularly absent risk losing their integration benefits.

Set to explode ACCORDING to Danmarks Statistik, there are now 493,468 people in Denmark who are non-western immigrants or their descendants – 8.5 percent of the population.

And by 2060, this number is forecast to shoot up to 867,258, by which time they will account for 13.1 percent of the population.

Pros and cons DANSK Industi views the prediction positively given the need to counter an average age that is steadily increasing as people live longer and have fewer children.

Several MPs viewed it as a warning to curb immigration.

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Rolex or your life!

Mohammed on iPad

TWO MASKED robbers armed with a hammer-like object and pistol threatened personnel in the luxury watch and fountain pen department at the Illum department store in Copenhagen on December 6. They escaped with a haul of Rolex watches and cycled down Pilestræde. A man was later arrested and he has since pleaded guilty to robbery of a particularly dangerous character.

A DANISH agreement with Iran regarding the return of rejected asylum-seekers stalled after the immigration minister, Inger Støjberg, posted a photo on social media last year that revealed she kept an image of one of the contentious 2005 Mohammad Cartoons on her iPad desktop. Støjberg’s November 2017 visit to Tehran was postponed – indefinitely.

Sunniest year ever

Bitten by a Mosasaurus

DMI HAS confirmed that 2018 has been Denmark’s sunniest year since records began 99 years ago.

It surpassed the 1,878-hour record set in 1947 in early December, so it still has plenty of time to set a much higher benchmark. DMI believes 1,920 hours is within reach, which would equate to over five hours a day. May, June and July alone contributed 992 hours.

AN AMATEUR archaeologist has discovered the fossil of a 66 million-year-old sea urchin near the white cliffs of Stevns Klint on the island of Møn, one of the Danish sites listed on the UNESCO World Heritage list.

Intriguingly, it has bite marks, and experts speculate it could be from the jaws of the Mosasaurus – a marine apex predator of that time.

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NEWS

THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK

14 December 2018 - 10 January 2019

Price to pay for plotting with PET?

ONLINE THIS WEEK Perilous conditions THE WORLD’S oldest lighthouse ship, Fyrskib No X, came close to tipping over in Copenhagen Harbour due to the low water levels caused by stormy weather in late November. The ship was left resting on its keel, but emergency response units managed to keep it upright until the water levels returned to normal. The ship was built in 1877.

DRONER.DK

Drone company has its windows smashed in after helping intelligence agency to catch terror suspect BEN HAMILTON

T

HE WINDOWS of a drone company in Copenhagen, dronebutikken.dk, which helped the PET intelligence agency gather evidence against a Dane who has been charged with acquiring and sending equipment to Islamic State, had its windows smashed on December 4.

The attack on their premises at Fredensgade by the Lakes followed the television appearance of its young owners, Toke Suhr and Frederik Skøt, revealing how PET approached them in 2016, reasoning that a suspect of theirs would approach them. He duly did and they informed PET.

Polar bear’s rare birth LYNN THE polar bear gave birth to two cubs at Copenhagen Zoo on December 1 – the first time the species has reproduced for two decades. Unfortunately, one died soon after being born.

The zoo’s scientific director, Bengt Holst, has emphasised that it’s important the polar bears get peace and quiet.

Metro company coughs up METROSELSKAB, the company in charge of the capital’s Metro system, has been fined 1 million kroner for breaching the arbejdsmiljøloven working environment act 17 times.

Metroselskab had been due to appear in court to contest the fines, but then decided to pay them. One of the breaches involved a worker having two of his fingers amputated after they were crushed by concrete.

They hadn't reckoned on the phantom menace lurking outside

Four arrests so far THE 30-YEAR-OLD has spent the last 14 months in custody. It is suspected he is part of a network that is helping IS, and in September three more individuals involved in acquiring drone equipment for IS were arrested

and charged.

The police are seeking another man, a 33-year-old DanishTurkish resident of Turkey, who has previous terror-related convictions, and an international warrant has been put out for his arrest.

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KB HALLEN in Frederiksberg has reopened some seven years and three months after it was destroyed in a huge fire. It transpired the hall had not properly renewed its insurance, and the rebuilding of the iconic building was reliant on the generosity of funds such as the AP Møller Foundation. Its first concert is scheduled for January 24.

OPENHAGEN is the sixth most expensive capital city in the world to visit, according to a survey carried out

by Cuba Holidays for their Capital Economy Index. Of the 103 cities included, only Chisinau (Moldova), Athens, Oslo, Paris and Manama (Bahrain) were more expensive.

Assessing six categories – hotels, attractions, transport, beer, coffee and restaurants – it found that the cheapest destinations were Jakarta, Skopje (Macedonia), Colombo, Bishek (Kyrgyzstan), Bogota, Pristina (Kosovo), Tbilisi (Georgia), Ha-

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KB Hallen reopens

THE EUROPEAN School, a public international venture that opened in 2014 at a temporary base in Sydhavn, has moved into a new home in the Carlsberg district. At present, the school is split into two language sections – Danish and English – with plans to introduce a Frenchspeaking section next year. Once fully subscribed, it will have a thousand pupils aged six to 16.

noi, Havana and Manila.

Among the findings for Copenhagen, the survey found that an average hotel stay costs 503 kroner, a coffee 36 kroner and a beer 12 kroner, generating an overall average cost of 1,550 kroner per day.

Sixth for taxis too IN RELATED news, Copenhagen is also among the most expensive cities in the world to take a taxi, according to the latest Taxi Price Index report compiled by the consultancy group SilverDoor Apartments.

Customers pay 63 kroner for the first mile (1.6 km) of their journey in Copenhagen, ranking the Danish capital as the sixthmost expensive, behind Bern (90), Oslo (88), London (71),

THE LIGHTS on the Rådhuspladsen Christmas tree were officially illuminated on December 2 by Father Christmas, who climbed to the top of the 20-metre, four-tonne tree to spark up a welding torch. This year’s tree, which is from Gribskov, is decorated with 800 LED lights and 100 Christmas hearts from aid organisation Børnenes Kontor.

Charged with murder PIXABAY

STEPHEN GADD

Relocated to Carlsberg

Xmas tree lights on

Sixth dearest capital city in world Copenhagen expensive for coffee, beer, hotels and taxis

ONLINE THIS WEEK

COPENHAGEN Police have arrested and charged two men with the murder of Nedim Yasar, the former gang member and radio host, in Nordvest on November 19. However, it is believed more people might be involved, and the police have appealed to anyone who might have seen the getaway vehicle – a dark blue VW Passat with flashy alloy wheels.

A bridge to Lars?

Reassuringly expensive

Tokyo (65) and Helsinki (64).

The most affordable place was Cairo (2.87), followed by Mexico City, New Delhi, Bucharest and Manila.

CITY HALL momentum is growing to name a city bridge after the singer Kim Larsen. A delayed bicycle and pedestrian bridge located next to Langebro, which Larsen wrote a song about, is the favourite. However, rules stipulate that a year must have passed since somebody’s death before a place can be named after them.

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14 December 2018 - 10 January 2019

ONLINE THIS WEEK A DANISH Foreign Ministry delegation has visited Tanzania as part of a review of the east African country’s human rights situation following reports that a leading politician wants to hunt LGBT people down as if they were wild animals. Denmark reacted by freezing 65 million kroner in aid. However, the Tanzanian foreign minister, Augustine Mahiga, is confident it will arrive eventually.

Trade was ceasefire hailed DANSK Industri has hailed the US-Chinese ceasefire over tariffs as “good news for Danish companies” as there were fears the trade war would “deteriorate further”. The three-month ceasefire is particularly good news for Danish firms that produce their goods in China and mainly sell them in the US.

Queen and PM in Reykjavik QUEEN Margrethe II and PM Lars Løkke Rasmussen were in Reykjavik on December 1 to mark the 100th anniversary of the introduction of the DanishIcelandic federal law. “Iceland is celebrating its independence but also showing that its roots are alive,” the queen told Icelandic President Gudni Thorlacius Jóhannesson. “I feel that's why you wanted me here in person.”

Danish couple under fire from Egyptian government for illegally scaling ancient monument and posing in sexual position CHRISTIAN WENANDE

D

ANISH photographer Andreas Hvid has caused a stir in Egypt by posting a video and photos of him and a female companion scaling the Great Pyramid of Giza and posing nude in a sexual position.

Egyptians and Danes have condemned the act as a disrespectful desecration of a monument that is over 4,500 years old and the only one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World still standing today.

Under scrutiny JUST CLIMBING the pyramid is considered an illegal offence, and the Egyptian authorities are investigating the incident. It’s also illegal to be naked in public in Egypt.

“Based on what was circulated and published yesterday evening in a short video film depicting two foreigners climbing the pyramid at night, along with a picture of them violating public morality, the minister of antiquities, Khaled al-Anani, has decided to find out the truth and immediately refer the incident to the deputy attorney-general for guidance to investigate the

Gloomy in Greenland

matter,” the Egyptian government announced.

Swiftly removed THE 23-YEAR-OLD Hvid, who is known for his urban roof-top photography, has since removed the video from YouTube, but a photo, which he has named ‘Pyramid Fuck’, of the two naked Danes can still be viewed on his personal website.

The Dane said he won’t be going back to Egypt in the near future for fear that he will be arrested over the photo session, which he isn’t very proud of.

sponse from many Egyptians too,” Hvid told Ekstra Bladet tabloid.

‘Pyramid Fuck’ was the dumbest idea I could have come up with. Privileged western youth at its worst. It just needed a joint and a bottle of vodka.”

Dumbest idea “I AM SORRY that so many people got so angry. But it’s worth noting that I’ve got a positive re-

Escalation unlikely TOMAS Anker Christensen, the Danish ambassador to Egypt, has been monitoring the situation closely and, while he doesn’t expect it to escalate, he considers the incident to be very serious.

Recently, the Egyptian actress Rania Youssef was cited for wearing a see-through dress to a Cairo film festival. She will stand trial in January and risks up to five years in prison if found guilty of inciting debauchery

Lego aids refugee kids

‘Rewilding’ Scotland STEVE JURVETSON/FLICKR

A 54-YEAR-OLD Danish man who married his ladyboy fiancee in Thailand on December 1 apparently had no idea his sweetheart of four years and now bride is a man, reports haivisa.com.

The Dane never thought to ask the 49-year-old, who has lived in Denmark for the last three decades and originally comes from the Thai town of Trang.

Great Pyramid of Giza or Cheops? We can agree on great bellend

LEGO

No idea she was a ‘he’

ONLINE THIS WEEK Russian missile a breach DENMARK and the rest of NATO agree with the US that Russia is in serious breach of the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF Treaty). Russia’s development of a new land-based 9M729 missile system – which has a range estimated to be upwards of 5,500 km – contravenes the INF Treaty’s ban on weapons with a range of 500-5,500 km.

Radar extension

PXHERE

Warning to Parisian Danes THE FOREIGN Ministry has warned Danes based in or staying in Paris to remain indoors due to the ongoing protests against the French government’s new fuel policy. “Follow the instructions of the local authorities and keep up to date with the situation via local media,” the ministry wrote on Facebook.

FLICKR-JORGE LÁSCAR

Tanzania under scrutiny

Don’t sit on top of my pyramid!

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Superman's home is ruined

What's Latin for loves well?

Donald where's my legs?

A REPORT published in the magazine Nature paints an extremely gloomy picture regarding global climate change and its immediate effects. The report reveals that the ice in Greenland is melting at a rate much faster than anything seen over the last couple of centuries and maybe even the last millennium, reports DR. The pace has really picked up over the last two decades, as the melting rate has been more or less stable since the beginning of industrialisation.

Today, the ice is melting 50 percent faster than it did before the industrial age and 33 percent faster than during the 20th century. (SG)

DANISH toy giant Lego is getting into the Christmas spirit a little earlier this year. The Lego Foundation has revealed it will donate 650 million kroner to a project that focuses on play and learning involving vulnerable refugee children who have been forced to flee areas of conflict in Syria and Myanmar. “This partnership marks the first step of the Lego Foundation’s commitment to work within the humanitarian field to support the holistic development of children involving learning through play,” said Thomas Kirk Kristiansen, the chair of the Lego Foundation. (CW)

DANISH billionaire Anders Povlsen has spoken at length about his project to “rewild” the landscape of Scotland, detailing plans that could end up returning lynx, bears and wolves – not seen in the country since the fifth, 11th and 17th centuries respectively. Last month, the 46-year-old owner of retail giants such as Bestseller became Scotland's biggest private landowner with over 220,000 acres in his possession. Povlsen, who now owns 12 estates, said this is the beginning of a “200-year vision” to reclaim Scotland’s “most vulnerable, precious and mysteriously beautiful landscapes”. (BH)

READ THE REST OF THESE STORIES AT CPHPOST.DK

DENMARK’S radar unit, which had been active at the Al Asad Air Base in Iraq and the Al Dhafra Air Base in the UAE since 2016, had been due to return home early next year, but now the government has confirmed the 30-odd personnel and equipment will stay put until January 2020.

Help for Ethiopia THE GOVERNMENT has agreed to set aside 1 billion kroner in aid to help promote democracy, fight poverty and create sustainable growth in Ethiopia over the next five years. Denmark will collaborate with partners from the Kenyan civil society as well as UN organisations to support the east African country’s democratic reform ushered in by Ethiopian PM Abiy Ahmed.

Supporting Ukraine THE FOREIGN minister, Anders Samuelsen, expressed concern following the Kerch Strait incident on November 25 in which Russian vessels fired upon and subsequently took control of three Ukrainian vessels that were trying to move a pilot boat and two smaller armoured ships from Odessa to Mariupol. Samuelsen underlined that Denmark is in full support of Ukraine.

PM inks migration deal DENMARK has signed the new UN agreement on migration, ‘Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration’, which mainly concerns tackling the numbers coming from Africa to the EU. PM Lars Løkke Rasmussen went to Marrakesh to personally ink the deal. However, it is not legally-binding and does not trump Danish law.

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COVER

THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK

14 December 2018 - 10 January 2019

Wizards behind the words: the unsung heroes of Danish literature

From Russia and Japan to the US and Italy they congregate in Copenhagen every year. They may not be Danes, but they speak the language fluently CHRISTIAN WENANDE

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HEY ARE the unsung heroes of Danish literature: that rare breed that embraces an oft solitary existence within the realm of linguistics. Their bodies may be foreign, but their hearts and minds are forever linked to Denmark. They are the translators.

Since the late 1990s, the annual Bogforum book fair has provided a stage for them to meet one another, uncover new trends, discuss with authors, and scout for new prospective titles for their home markets.

MICHAL VAN ZELM

Language: Dutch Based in: Amsterdam Years translating from Danish: 12 Number of Danish books translated: 3 How did you get involved?

I started learning Danish while studying philosophy in Amsterdam to be able to read

Shadow heroes ANNE-MARIE Rasmussen, a senior advisor at the Danish Arts Foundation and one of the key organisers of the annual gathering, regards the translators as ambassadors of Danish literature.

“The American author Paul Auster has called them ‘the shadow heroes’, which I find is a very beautiful and accurate term,” Rasmussen told CPH POST. “Their work is very important. All the translators I’ve met are extremely dedicated to their work. They are passionate about Danish literature and culture, and I am amazed at the depth of their knowledge of both Denmark and the language.”

Kierkegaard’s books in the original language. So in the beginning I kept quite a narrow focus, but as I progressed, notably after a year of studies in Copenhagen, my interest in the Danish language and its literature broadened. I ended up taking a master’s degree in Scandinavian languages and cultures.

What are the main challenges?

Roughly speaking one encounters two types of problems: linguistic and cultural. While Dutch and Danish cultures have a lot in common, there is also a lot of heritage that is really unique to Danish culture (and vice versa). What corresponds to ‘æbleskiver’ in Dutch, for exin between these two cultures has always been part of my life, and probably it is not by chance that I ended up working as a literary translator – as a bridge-builder between these two countries.

EVA VALVO

Language: Italian Based in: Palermo Years translating from Danish: 6 Number of Danish books translated: 10 How did you get involved?

I LIKE to say that Danish is my mother tongue … I was born in Denmark and grew up in Italy with a Danish mother and an Italian father. The experience of being

What are the main challenges?

The challenges are many and diverse. For example, translating swear words can be problematic, because foul language may be perceived differently from country to country, and it is not always easy to reproduce the same or a similar effect in the target language. Then, it is always difficult to translate the so-called 'realia': terms and phrases describing real things or actual facts that are specifically related to a culture. A translated text needs to be comprehensible

Danish works come in all varieties of size, colour ... and language

Increased interest RASMUSSEN couldn’t say for sure whether Danish literature in increasingly striking a chord abroad, but ‘The ‘Nordic Noir’

wave, started by the Swedish crime author Stieg Larsson in combination with the success of Danish television and series, namely ‘Borgen’ and

'Forbrydelsen' (‘The Killing’), has certainly spurred interest in Danish titles as of late.

CPH POST spoke with a handful of the translators.

ample? Even if Dutch cuisine has something rather similar, it’s probably not used in quite the same setting, and thus it will not call forth the same associations.

Is Danish literature becoming more popular?

While Danish literature seems to be appreciated by some Dutch readers, it doesn’t (yet) have the same broad appeal as Danish cinema for example, which almost functions as a brand. I’m afraid few Dutch people will be able to give an example of modern Danish literature. Even if they might have read some, the names don’t seem to stick. But hopefully this will change.

stunningly evocative and overwhelming in its imagery, while leaving so much for the reader to think about. I’m impressed by the way she combines a strong poetic force and a humane voice, seemingly without straining for effect or becoming sentimental.

What do you appreciate the most about Danish?

Who doesn’t love bolle-å? And all the fuss about where to put a comma is quite fascinating.

I wouldn’t be surprised if relationships have ended over it. The great (and maybe underestimated) Danish linguist Aage Hansen wrote a lovely book on the subject some 60 years ago, which I would recommend taking recourse to in case of marital problems!

to the readers in the target language, without smoothing out all the cultural differences. Otherwise, why would one bother reading a foreign book?

What do you appreciate the most about Danish?

I like the way you can say a whole lot of things with a single word, just by adding a prefix or a suffix or by setting two words together – you cannot do that in Italian. Words like these can make a translator’s life hard, but it surely feels good when you find a satisfactory solution: a bit like solving a puzzle or a riddle.

Is Danish literature becoming more popular?

As seen from Italy, Danish literature has a special position among

What is your favourite piece of Danish literature?

I’m currently reading Josefine Klougart’s ‘New Forest’, which is really quite amazing. It’s the Nordic literatures. On the one hand, it enjoys its share of interest in ‘all things Nordic’ (including the crime novel craze).

On the other hand it probably feels closer to us: thus less exotic, and maybe less interesting. Via my experience as a freelance literary scout mainly working with children’s books, I have seen a rise in the number of translated titles in Italy over the past couple of years. In my opinion, Danish children’s literature has not been translated and appreciated enough in Italy, but I’ve experienced that once you pave the way, publishers come and ask for more.

What is your favourite piece of Danish literature?

This is a difficult question …

What are you working on right now?

I’m working on the translation of Lili Elbe’s memoirs from the 1930s. It’s the story of one of the first transsexual people to undergo genital reassignment surgery. The story has recently been popularised through a novel and a subsequent movie, ‘The Danish Girl’. does it sound too banal to say HC Andersen’s works? I love his joy of storytelling, his irony and his ability to shape a world or an atmosphere, which is recognisably his own and yet becomes part of our own imagination.

What are you working on right now?

I am working on a few scouting projects in the field of children’s books. I am preparing reader’s reports and sample translations of Danish books that I’d like to submit to Italian publishers.

After the New Year, I will start on a crime novel by Katrine Engberg, ‘Krokodillevogteren’ (‘The Courser’), which is the first of a series. I will translate it together with my friend and colleague Claudia Valeria Letizia.

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14 December 2018 - 10 January 2019

HELENA BŘEZINOVÁ

Language: Czech Based in: Prague Years translating from Danish: 15 Number of Danish books translated: 18 How did you get involved?

My mother wanted me to play the piano when I was a child, but I was rejected by the music

school because I couldn’t sing at the acceptable level – so I took German instead. I hated it, but in university I took it again and picked Danish as another major.

I decided on Danish as it had a connection to German and my Danish professors turned out to be far more inspiring than the German ones, so I wrote my dissertation and thesis on Danish literature. Now, I teach Danish literature at the university in Prague.

What are the main challenges?

The greatest challenge isn’t the language itself, but all the implied hints that a Dane can decode without trouble – but unfortunately remain ‘lost in How did you get involved?

First I fell in love with a Danish girl over Coronas and tequila, and then I fell in love with the Danish language over Tuborg and aquavit.

PAUL RUSSELL GARRETT

Language: English (from Canada) Based in: London Years translating from Danish: 7 Number of Danish books translated: 10

BLANCA ORTIZ

Language: Spanish Based in: Madrid Years translating from Danish: 23 Number of Danish books translated: about 50

OLEG ROZHDESTVENSKIY

Language: Russian Based in: Moscow Years translating from Danish: 35 Number of Danish books translated: about 25

What are the main challenges?

I think I've got a fairly good overall knowledge of Danish, despite only living in Denmark during a year abroad at the University of Copenhagen, but sometimes I come across everyday phrases that really stump me: for example, ‘at love guld og grønne skove’.

How did you get involved?

It was in the middle of a heatwave in Greece in the late 1980s. I sat next to some Swedes on the floor on a stuffed Interrail train. That was my debut with the Nordic language.

A month later I was in a Danish class in Madrid, as Danish was the only Nordic language on offer in the Spanish capital back then.

What are the main challenges?

For me, the most difficult aspect isn’t the words in the book, but the cultural differences. The hardest thing is probably transferring How did you get involved?

When I started at the philological faculty at the State University of Moscow in 1976, there were no Nordic language classes and I only managed to enter the new Danish class in the second semester. From the beginning, it was my intention to study Nordic literature, and the education made it possible for me to work with literature from almost all Nordic countries, but Danish literature is probably the priority – the first love, so to speak.

What are the main challenges?

When translating a work of literature, the biggest challenge is to

translation’. For instance, the names Putte and Luffe evoke some specific connotations with Danes that a Czech would have no clue about. Danish society is extremely ritualised and the ‘devil is in the detail’ in translation.

What do you appreciate the most about Danish?

It’s not so much the language but the use of it. I really enjoy that Danes, as opposed to us Czechs, avoid being too bombastic in their use of language.

The vocabulary is rich enough, but Danes avoid the big words.

Is Danish literature What do you appreciate the most about Danish?

There are so many things I love about Danish: the way it sounds, the way entire sentences can sound like one word, and the way long compound words can simply be created out of thin air and sound perfectly natural in Danish.

Is Danish literature becoming more popular?

Nordic Noir has been a huge boon for Danish literature. The increased visibility and popularity of Danish TV, films and books a reality, which in many cases is completely different, and the distant cultural references so they have the same effect on the reader as those not familiar with them.

And swear words! In Spanish, they are ‘slightly’ more aggressive and varied than the Danish ones.

What do you appreciate the most about Danish?

It’s so economical: that Danes are able, with two or three words, to say things that a Spaniard would require two or three sentences to convey. And I also envy their ‘get under the skin’ of an author to master the skill of following their thinking while correctly using the artistic materials of one’s own language. It really is an art. There are certain differences between Danish and Russian, and at times it can be a challenge equalising them.

What do you appreciate the most about Danish?

Danish is a very specific, precise and laconic language that sounds very unusual – and I like that.

I enjoy hearing Danish spoken by the Danes and I appreciate the people and the culture. It’s also interesting that such a small

becoming more popular?

Scandinavian literature in general is popular and I have to disappoint the Danes a bit here and say that Norwegian and Swedish literature is more popular among the Czechs. To begin with, the Peter Høgh effect generated interest in Danish literature, then Jussi Adler-Olsen came and we now have the Jussi effect. The light genre usually opens the door for other genres.

What is your favourite piece of Danish literature?

Just one? Ouch! Well then its ‘Lykke-Per’ by Henrik Pontoppidan. Since I first read the novel 25 years ago, I’ve read the book has really opened up a space for a wider range of Danish authors to be translated into English. I think the growth of smaller publishing houses in the US and the UK with a focus on translated fiction has also helped. Fitzcarraldo Editions is a great example.

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several times and my students look at me incredulously every time we go through it because they can see how infatuated I am. Per Sidenius is one of the most fascinating heroes I’ve encountered in world literature. I understood him perfectly at 20 and I understand him even more with every year that passes.

What are you working on right now?

I’ve just written a book on HC Andersen’s adventures and inside are my translations of some of his lesser-known pieces like ‘The Will-o'-the-Wisps Are in Town‘.

Soon I’ll start translating Helle Helle’s ‘de’.

What are you working

on right now?

I've just submitted my translation of ‘Vivian’ by Christina Hesselholdt, which is to be published

by Fitzcarraldo Editions in early 2019. Her second novel to be published in English, ‘Companions’ (‘Selskabet’), was published by Fitzcarraldo in 2017. And last month the playwright Anna Bro was in London to see a staged reading of ‘Varmestuen’ (‘The Warmhouse’).

It's the second play I've translated

by Anna Bro, and we're hoping for a full production and UK tour in 2020/21 for this fabulous play.

magical ability to create new words by merging old words.

that, and we are now beginning to reap some early rewards.

Is Danish literature becoming more popular?

In 2008, Spain saw a spike in publishing Danish books – classics as well as modern. Spanish publishers realised that there is more to Danish literature than HC Andersen, Karen Blixen and crime novels. The next challenge will be to get the outstanding Danish children’s books on the Spanish market. We translators and others have worked long and hard at

What is your favourite piece of Danish literature?

It would be impossible to pick just one book, but I can say that the book I’ve most enjoyed translating is ‘The Brummstein’ by Peter Adolphsen.

language can unite people from completely different countries – such as in the case with the Danish Art Foundation and the Danish translator gatherings.

when most books were published for purely political and ideological reasons, regardless of quality, is long gone.

What is your favourite piece of Danish literature?

‘Kongens Fald’ (‘The Fall of the King’) by Johannes V Jensen – I was hooked from the first page.

Is Danish literature becoming more popular?

When you look at our growing translator team with representatives from across the planet, one has to say that Danish literature is quite popular globally. Of course, it’s not among the big literature nations, and in some places (including Russia) it is viewed by many publishers as a kind of ‘risk area’. But fortunately, the time

What are you working on right now? ’Myter og sagn fra Grønland’ (’Greenland Myths and Legends’)

by Arctic explorer Knud Rasmussen.

What is your favourite piece of Danish literature and what are you working on right now?

Tom Kristensen’s ‘Hærværk’ (‘Havoc’) is one of the best Danish novels that hasn’t lost its relevance – actually it is more topical than ever. Language-wise, it is a masterpiece and it is also what I am working on now, although I’m also working on smaller pieces, such as essays and articles and short stories.

6

NEWS

THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK

ONLINE THIS WEEK A RARE sei whale died in Mariager Fjord on December 7, ten days after it became stranded, despite the best efforts of many volunteers who tried to help it reach deeper waters again.

Ten metres in length, it was initially found very close to a pier, with experts predicting that it was most likely ill and dying anyway.

More kids in poverty THE NUMBER of children living in poverty rose by 12,000 to 64,500 in 2017, according to an analysis of Danmarks Statistik data carried out by Arbejderbevægelsens Erhvervsråd. Its head, Lars Andersen, blames a ceiling introduced by the government on the ‘kontanthjælp’ basic unemployment benefit in 2016.

‘Ghetto List’ 29-strong THE GOVERNMENT'S annual ‘Ghetto List’ was released on December 1, revealing that 29 housing areas fulfilled the new more expansive criteria that came into effect earlier this year.

The contentious list includes 15 areas that are deemed to be particularly hardcore – while an additional 43 were deemed to be vulnerable, but outside the scope of being designated as a ghetto.

Australia, Devil’s Island, Alcatraz … Lindholm Denmark the latest country to dabble in prisons on islands and overseas

F

OR MANY years the idea has mostly remained in the realm of science fiction: sling all of society’s undesirables onto an island and let them sort it out. It was more or less the plot of ‘No Escape’, a really bad Ray Liotta film in 1994.

So it was no surprise to see Britain’s right-wing brigade – most notably the Telegraph, Sun and Daily Mail – jump on the story that Denmark’s 2019 budget agreement includes plans for a deserted island to house convicted foreigners and rejected asylum-seekers.

“BANISHED! Denmark to send foreign criminals to live on a deserted island,” screamed the Sun’s headline – one of many to conveniently leave off the part about the rejected asylum-seekers.

Replacing the cattle THE 17-ACRE island of Lindholm is situated in Stege Bay around 2.5 km off the coast of south Zealand near the island of Møn. It is currently being used by the DTU Veterinary Institute as a quarantined area to test against viruses that affect cattle and pigs.

The island was among the measures needed to gain the support of Dansk Folkeparti for the budget, which includes a further tightening of immigration policy – most particularly switching the focus from integration to repatriation.

According to Kristian Jensen, the finance minister, the island will not serve as a prison, as its new residents will be able to visit the mainland during the day. It will replace a system that required the group to regularly report to the Kærshovedgård centre near Herning in mid Jutland.

ONLINE THIS WEEK ERIK CHRISTENSEN

Visitor makes us blubber

14 December 2018 - 10 January 2019

It's like the start of a movie: like 'Shutter Island' or 'No Escape'

Denmark is in negotiations with Lithuania regarding the construction of a prison outside its capital Vilnius, which could house all of Denmark’s deported foreign criminals, but not necessarily meet normal Danish prison standards.

The 2019 Budget Agreement states: “As soon as possible, and by the end of 2019 at the latest, an agreement must be reached with a partner country concerning the establishment of Danish prison space abroad, so expelled criminals can serve their sentences there instead of burdening the Danish prison system and society.”

The persisting negotiations are locked in on what exactly Denmark must give up in return for dispatching the foreign criminals to the Baltic country. Lithuania has reportedly expressed “considerable interest” in the plan.

DF has long campaigned for Denmark to purchase or lease a prison in eastern Europe, and parliamentary delegations visited prisons in Lithuania and Romania last year.

plan, reports TV2. And he royally put his foot in it.

Under a photo of a plate bulging with traditional cuts of pork, Pedersen tweeted: “Incredible Christmas lunch fare – a safe bet to say it's a long way from what they'll be getting on Lindholm.”

A number of his colleagues found the post distasteful, with PM Lars Løkke Rasmussen himself wading into the fray, tweeting: “In my view, people can eat what they like. That's not important.

What is important is whether people want to respect the fundamental values in Denmark: freedom, liberalism, equality, and civil law over religious law.”

Lithuanian interest IT HAS also been revealed that

Twit tweets tripe OPINION is divided on the island proposals, with Venstre's business spokesperson, Torsten Schack Pedersen, among those to comment on the Lindholm

Elderly and animals IN RELATED news, more details of the 2019 budget have been released affecting the elderly and animal welfare – two other areas prioritised by DF in its negotiations with the government parties.

Some 400 million kroner has been set aside to tackle loneliness among the elderly, 210 million to their nourishment, and 45 million to the recruitment and safety of careworkers.

While 38 million kroner has been earmarked for setting up a taskforce to take action in cases of cruelty to animals. (CPH Post)

More free time

Victims of violence

Firm handshake promise

Book him a flight home!

DANES enjoy three hours more free time per week than they did ten years ago, according to a Rockwool Foundation survey. The increase is the result of spending less time on chores, as working hours have not changed, and parents tend to spend the surplus with their children. On average mothers spend 2.5 hours a day with them – 30 minutes more than fathers.

SOME 17 percent of immigrant women have endured domestic violence, and 37 percent know someone who has, according to a study carried out by gender equality advocacy organisation Danner. Of the victims, 54 percent were in a relationship with an ethnic Dane. An estimated 38,000 women are subjected to domestic violence in Denmark every year.

PROSPECTIVE Danish citizen Billy O'Shea, 61, has written to the Ministry of Immigration to tell them he won’t be shaking hands with a municipal representative at his citizenship ceremony, as handshakes should be “voluntary and an expression of mutual respect … and that respect cannot be enforced by law.” The ministry replied that failure to do so will cost the Irishman the citizenship.

DANISH PM Lars Løkke Rasmussen recently met the Moroccan foreign minister, Nasser Bourita, to discuss the case of Said Mansour, the 'bookseller from Brønshoj', a MoroccanDane currently in prison in Denmark after being convicted of inciting acts of terrorism.

Rasmussen, who wants him deported, said the talks were “constructive”.

Hail the holiday hike?

THE TAXI firm Taxi 4x27 will increase its initial charge on December 24 and 31 to 135 kroner – a hike of 97 kroner. Other firms will also be raising their prices. Thomas Wiigh Larsen, the head of the cab drivers’ association, told DR it was only fair, as other professions – such as emergency response workers and careworkers – are also paid considerably more.

Mandatory divorce course FROM APRIL 1, divorcing parents will be required to take a 30-minute course, ‘Samarbejde Efter Skilsmisse’ ('Co-operation After Divorce’), to officially seal the split. It is designed to make parents view the divorce from the perspective of their kids whilst giving them the tools to calmly talk to one another.

The course is believed to have a positive effect in six out of seven cases.

Camilla craves candy WOMEN aged 18-49 with a high level of education living in Copenhagen Municipality are the group of Danes who eat the largest amount of confectionery, according to a Megafon poll for TV2. Amongst women in general, 30 percent eat confectionery at least four days a week, compared to 22 percent of men.

Pricey for petrol ACCORDING to the Global Fuel Price Index, Denmark is among the most expensive countries to fill up your car with petrol. Spending 50 British pounds (420kr) enables Danes to travel 343.72 miles, ranking them in the bottom five, only ahead of Italy, the Netherlands, Norway and Hong Kong. Iran topped the index with 2,356.9 miles, while the US scored 773.36.

Radios recalled TWO PINELL radio models, released in 2013 and 2015, have been recalled after causing over a hundred fires in Norway. The ‘Pinell GO’ and ‘Pinell GO +’ were sold in Denmark by Elgiganten and Power. The problem would appear to be an exploding Chinese battery. Consumers are advised to check with the store they purchased the radio from.

Low life expectancy THE MEDIAN life expectancy in Denmark is 80.9 – the lowest amongst the western European OECD countries. In Spain and Switzerland, in contrast, the average was over 83. Experts blamed heavy smoking, particularly among women, and a high alcohol consumption for the difference.

NEWS

14 December 2018 - 10 January 2019

ONLINE THIS WEEK A HERD of bison at Almindingen on Bornholm are suffering after becoming infected with the potentially fatal lungworm parasite, according to University of Copenhagen researchers, who found high concentrations in their dung, reports TV2. However, the Naturstyrelsen nature agency disagrees, asserting that the infected animals are mostly thriving.

North Sea reserved THE GOVERNMENT has reserved large swaths of the North Sea for the state development of offshore wind energy. The price of wind energy has dropped to the point where the government expects to be able to establish offshore wind turbine parks without funding support. That will also require a significant upgrade of the national electricity grid, which could cost billions of kroner.

Fashionable but flawed DITTE Welner, an enzyme researcher at the Technical University of Denmark, is part of a team led by the University of Berkeley that is working to produce an indigo dye (made with genetically-modified bacteria) not harmful to the environment.

The dye favoured by the denim industry uses harmful chemicals and acids as well as lots of water.

THE ENERGISTYRELSEN energy agency reports that coal consumption fell by 25.5 percent from 2016 to 2017, while the utilisation of sustainable sources rose by 11.4 percent. Coal consumption has decreased by 81.4 percent since 1994 and oil consumption by 89.5 percent, while CO2 emissions have fallen by 38.3 percent since 1990.

T

HE GOVERNMENT’S recently-announced ‘Plastic without waste’ strategy, which is a part of a bill that will seek parliamentary approval, comprises 27 initiatives geared towards reducing plastic waste in nature and incinerators and improving recycling.

The environment and food manager, Jakob EllemannJensen, believes that Denmark shouldn’t stop the use of plastic, but rather embrace it in a more intelligent manner.

“Today, we burn far too much plastic and we must become better at recycling it,” he said.

“We don’t have unlimited resources at our disposal, and there is no reason to explore new resources when we can use the ones we already possess.”

End up inside turtles AMONG the 27 initiatives are the establishment of a national plastic centre, better sorting of plastic waste, and banning the thin plastic bags customers get at kiosks, pizzerias and greengrocers.

“We need to move away from

Puberty ever earlier

ONLINE THIS WEEK Using less water ACCORDING to the latest edition of Danskvand, the Danes have set a new record for the amount of water they consume every 24 hours: the lowest figure since records began. The average household used 103 litres a day last year – considerably lower than the 200 litres used just 20 years ago.

Antarctica discovery

"Can we incinerate this? Sure, we've got until 2050"

the 'use and throw away’ culture that we have probably embraced a little too much in terms of plastic bags,” Ellemann-Jensen told TV2.

“These thin plastic bags that are common in pizzerias are not very recyclable – we need to stop using them. It’s inefficient and negligent. We must become much better at reusing the thicker plastic bags when shopping.”

Henrik Beha Pedersen, the founder of interest organisation Plastic Change, added: “These bags are the ones found in turtles and whales in the ocean. We simply use too much plastic and we don’t consider the impact because the bags are free.”

Maritime rubbish focus IN RELATED news, the government has set aside 20 million kroner in the 2019 budget to support a new fund under the auspices of the World Bank to tackle the problem of plastic waste in the maritime environment, reports Ingeniøren.

The development minister, Ulla Tørnæs, recently launched the Ocean Plastic Forum – a collaboration between 18 Danish partners to find solutions to protect the world's oceans.

Its focus will be especially on developing countries where increasing prosperity has often led to increasing amounts of plastic being produced.

Bio-fuel first

Obesity gene research GAULSSTIN/FLICKR

Coal consumption falls

CHRISTIAN WENANDE

DS NORDEN

THE DISCOVERY by a team of international researchers led by the University of Copenhagen of a 31 km diameter crater beneath the Hiawatha icecap in Greenland, which was created by an iron meteor of around 12 billion tonnes around 12,000 years ago, has been nominated for Science magazine's 'breakthrough of the year' award.

It will face competition from 11 other pieces of research.

The days of taking home takeaways in free plastic bags are numbered, as the public are urged to rethink their usage

GENESIS89

Discovery shortlisted

PIXABAY

Bornholm bison hit

Drastic measures to fight plastic menace

7

USING radar measurements taken by aircraft, DTU Space has helped the British Antarctic Survey to discover a massive area under the ice that is the size of Funen and melting faster than expected. The melting could be the result of radioactive cliffs and warm water streaming up from the underground.

Vegan cheese wins award A TEAM of DTU students have won an award for an innovative vegan cheese that reduces food waste and has a minimal climate footprint. ‘Cheese it Yourself’, which consists of plant-based ingredients mixed into water used to soak chick peas, was recognised at the Ecotrophelia competition in Paris.

A spoonful of football PLAYING football is an excellent way of avoiding prostate cancer, according to research led by the University of Copenhagen. The study assessed 214 men with prostate cancer over a one-year period. Every year, of the 4,500 men in Denmark diagnosed with the cancer, about 3 percent die.

Recycled in peace Awkward family photo time

Time to u-turn on sulphur?

He's got the genes alright

AN AARHUS University study reveals that girls on average have their first menstrual period three months earlier than their mothers. Boys, meanwhile, entered puberty six to 12 months earlier than they did 15 years ago. Data from 14,759 children was used.

Girls were asked about breast development, pubic hair, their first menstruation, acne and armpit hair, while the boys were asked about whether their voice had broken, their first ejaculation, pubic hair, acne and armpit hair.

Experts tend to concur that early puberty increases the risk of having diseases as an adult. (SG)

DANISH shipping company DS Norden carried out the first commercial test voyage of a ship using CO2-neutral bio-fuel in September. The Nord Highlander sailed from Rotterdam to Talllin. The move could be critical in tackling climate change in the future and the firm hopes to be able to offer customers bio-fuel options in the coming month or so. It is currently more expensive to use bio-fuel than a traditional fuel, but new restrictions from 2020 will mean shipping companies can no longer use the cheapest kinds of sulphur-based oil, making bio-fuel a viable source. (CW)

A DANISH study concludes that children with the 'obesity gene' are able to lose weight just as easily as those born without it, reports Videnskab.dk. Researchers took a group of 754 obese or seriously obese children with an average age of 11.6 years, who all had at least two of the 15 gene variants thought to increase the risk of obesity. The study showed that lifestyle changes – such as dietary patterns, level of physical activity, social activities, amount of sleep and intake of snacks – made it possible for the children to lose weight in the same way as those without the genes. (SG)

READ THE REST OF THESE STORIES AT CPHPOST.DK

BY REPLACING fuel with BioLPG, a new form of propane, the municipal crematorium in Aarhus expects to reduce its carbon dioxide emissions by 200 tonnes a year. While Denmark is aiming to be fossil fuel-free by 2050, Aarhus want to cut them by 2030.

Support for elephants THE GOVERNMENT together with Dansk Folkeparti have set aside money in the 2019 budget to allow the last four elephants used by Danish circuses to retire gracefully. Although performing elephants are still permitted, DF feels that the time is ripe for them to call it a day.

8

CULTURE

THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK

ONLINE THIS WEEK Coming in the Aarhus night BOY GEORGE and Culture Club postponed their December 7 concert at Forum, moving it to the Spektrum Arena in Vejle on April 13. Also performing in Jutland next year are Patti Smith (Aarhus Musikhusparken, June 21), Volbeat (Ceres Park, June 29) and Phil Collins (CP, June 8). Other confirmed 2019 dates include Lisa Stansfield (DR Koncerthuset, Nov 23), John Cleese (DRK, Aug 27-28) and Tears for Fears (Roskilde).

Rapper central US RAPPER Lil Pump was arrested on December 4 following a search of his car. In related news, DR is tipping Michael Williams, who moved to Østerbro aged three from Brixton in South London, as a future rap superstar. While Ella Daisy Anthony-Collins, who has a large role in the TV2 drama ‘Håbet’, also has British roots.

Her father Russell co-founded the drama school SceneKunst.

Films nobody’s seen

Worst for Netflix, but who cares?

ONLINE THIS WEEK All set for Sundance

Popularity of shows like 'Making a Murderer' and ‘Manhunt: Unabomber’ suggests 79 kroner is still value for money

TWO DANISH films – 'Dronningen' and biodoc 'Cold Case Hammarskjöld' – have been confirmed for January’s Sundance Film Festival. The former stars Trine Dyrholm as a matriarch who has an affair with her 17-year-old step-son, while the latter looks at the life of the Swedish UN secretarygeneral who died in a plane crash in 1961 aged just 56.

BEN HAMILTON

N

ETFLIX offers terrible value to Danish subscribers once the price and number of titles are factored in, according to a comparitech.com study of 78 countries.

A third more on average CLEARLY there’s a strategy to offer customers in countries with high salaries a high subscription cost, so it was no surprise to note the countries with the worst deals are all European.

Denmark ranked worst, followed by Switzerland, Norway, Sweden and Ireland.

Danes have 800 titles to choose from − the 11th fewest.

Still, to many Danes, 79 kroner a month won’t seem like a lot, even though it is 36.6 percent more than average.

Canadian subscribers, meanwhile, got the best deal, finishing first in a top ten completed by Colombia, India, Mexico, Brazil, Japan, the US, Australia, the UK and Pakistan.

Making a lawyer OUTSIDE the realm of Netflix’s library, the US lawyer Jerry Buting isn’t particularly well known, but thanks to the streaming service’s mega-hit 'Making A Murderer', he is becoming a household name.

On December 1, he appeared at Bremen Teater to make a presentation and answer questions from the audience, alongside US lawyer David Rudolf, who found fame on a similar series, ‘The Staircase’.

Unabomber’s nemesis BUT WHY settle for the lawyers who help convict the criminals,

when you can meet the individuals who catch them?

The renowned FBI profiler James R Fitzgerald visited SDU in Odense on December 12 to talk about his experiences catching killers such as Ted Kaczynski, the man the world knew for 17 years as the Unabomber.

For many years, Fitzgerald’s work has played second fiddle to John E Douglas, the inspiration for the Netflix series 'Mindhunter', but a recent miniseries showcased the way he trapped Kaczynski by looking at the linguistic choices he made in his publicly aired writings.

The Nutcracker

Alice’s Adventures in W

Fogg's Off!

DANISH actor Claes Bang, who aged 50 had a major breakthrough in Swedish film 'The Square' last year, has landed a monster role. He will play Dracula in a new Netflix miniseries penned by Steven Moffat and Mark Gattis, the creators and writers of 'Sherlock'.

Did James R Fitzgerald get a grilling at SDU?

CABARET

Finally a British premiere

LONDON TOAST THEATRE

BALLET

SIGNE VILSTRUP

BALLET

Bang on Dracula

TIVOLI

FOLLOWING four years of prep work, the DFI will soon start digitalising 415 Danish silent movies, of which at least 100 have never been seen by anyone still alive. The ‘stumfilmarv’ archive amounts to 350 hours of footage. The restored movies will be available to watch online so the public can access them for free.

14 December 2018 - 10 January 2019

Come on Lars!

WHILST the Danish film industry has hailed Lars von Trier’s film 'The House That Jack Built' as a masterpiece, international critics and Mette Bock, the culture minister, are not too sure. “Imagine if he challenged himself to make a movie sparkling in hope and joie de vivre,” Bock tweeted. “Come on Lars – I know you can.” So far, the film has scored 43 on Metacritic.

World buffet champs A CATERING team representing Denmark in the Cooking World Cup in Luxembourg were crowned world champions in the buffet section. They served a menu for 150 people featuring stewed cod with spicy quinoa and beer-braised pork chops.

«««««¶

««««««

FROM THE first flick of the conductor’s baton, Tivoli Concert Hall is filled with Tchaikovsky’s most memorable melodies. A sublime score and one of the most instantly evocative works in the classical repertoire, it's practically the soundtrack to Christmas. Overall, it's a unique and feel-good experience for the whole family. While there’s plenty for Mum and Dad to enjoy, the children get to gasp at the tutus, the dancers, and the sets – a perfect first experience of live ballet.

Tivoli succeeds in increasing the attention span of the average sixyear-old to 90 minutes. (SdV)

MOST PROBABLY the best ever ballet to visit Denmark, and the biggest ever produced on Gamle Scene, this dazzling creation is a must-see. With 350 colourful and extravagant costumes, 750 pairs of shoes, 140 roles divided among 90 dancers and 30 scenes, bursts of laughter and thunderous applause filled the sumptuous theatre at the premiere. Prominent choreographer Christopher Wheeldon and Bob Crowley, a living legend in the world of scenography, push Alice’s unusual encounters to extremes of British whimsy and eccentricity. (Sibylle de Valence)

«««««« JULES Verne's novel 'Around the World in 80 Days' was an inspired choice – rarely have I witnessed Glassalen erupt with as much laughter as it did throughout the course of 'Fogg’s Off'!' The chemistry between the actors is a joy to behold, and it is clear they enjoy the show as much as the audience. In previous years I took issue at the length of the show.

This year I have zero complaints.

Everything from the jokes to the music and choreography, to the improvisation and the costumes was absolutely on point. One of the best Crazy Christmas Cabarets in recent memory! (MR)

READ THE REST OF THESE REVIEWS AT CPHPOST.DK

BARELY anyone in the UK has heard of ‘Dinner for One’, a one-off comedy starring British music hall star Freddie Frinton, which the Danes and Germans religiously watch every New Year’s Eve. But in early December it finally enjoyed a British premiere at the Scottish Comedy Film Festival's Slapstick Weekend – 55 years after it was made.

1/40 of the price THE ONLY known communication sent in Danish from the Titanic – a postcard from a husband to a wife – has sold for 26,000 kroner in auction.

The postcard poignantly starts with the words: "Dear Augusta!

This is the last thing you will hear from me from this side.”

But a similar postcard written in English recently fetched 1 million kroner. Of the 14 Danes on the ship, only two survived.

Surprise wedding SHANE MacGowan, the lead singer of the Pogues, surprised the world’s media by marrying his fiancée at Copenhagen City Hall on November 26 – with his pal Johnny Depp in attendance. Victoria Mary Clarke, his partner for 32 years, told the Irish Independent they wanted to go “someplace that we know nobody and nobody knows us”.

SPORT

14 December 2018 - 10 January 2019

9

Denmark looking good for 2020

ONLINE THIS WEEK Handballers crash out

Double joy for Lord

PERNILLE Harder missed out on winning the inaugural Ballon D’Or award for the best female footballer on the planet, finishing a slender six votes behind the Norwegian winner Ada Hegerberg. However, days later the Wolfsburg forward was named Female Footballer of the Year by the Guardian, to add to the UEFA Women's Player of the Year she won a few months ago.

AFTER the 2018 Women’s Handball European Championship in France was interrupted by the Paris riots, the Danish women's handball team crashed out of the tournament following three straight losses to Serbia, France and Russia – the latter two defeats coming in the middle group stage round. The Danes now sit bottom of their group without a chance to reach the semi-finals.

2018 HASN’T been the greatest of years for Nicklas Bendtner thanks to his autumn run-in with a taxi driver and 50-day custodial sentence, but things have ended more favourably.

First the Danish striker won the Norwegian league with Rosenborg, and then he scored two goals in the cup final to secure the Norwegian double. A fellow Dane, club captain Mike Jensen, also scored.

Chelsea of the north

FCK’s uphill battle

Badminton dispute deepens

IN THEIR final game before the three-month Superliga winter break, Brøndby made Danish league history on December 2 when they became the first side to field a starting line-up featuring no Danes. They fielded 11 players from six different countries, despite an acclaimed youth set-up that has produced the likes of Daniel Agger, Andreas Christensen and the Laudrup brothers.

FC COPENHAGEN know qualification for the final-32 of the Europa League is out of their hands this Thursday. Should they beat French outfit Bordeaux Girondins at home, they will also need Zenit St Petersburg to win away at Slavia Prague.

Zenit, who narrowly beat FCK 1-0 at home two weeks ago to qualify, have little incentive to name a strong side.

SEVERAL Danish badminton players, including world number four Viktor Axelsen, are no longer welcome to train with the national team in Brøndby due to an ongoing conflict over their image rights. Mads Øland, the chief negotiator for both the men’s and women’s national football teams in their recent conflicts, is heading negotiations on behalf of the badminton players.

DBU

Consolation for Harder

Clubs less enthused by prospect of second Europa League

D

ENMARK will need to finish in the top two of a group featuring Switzerland, the Republic of Ireland, Georgia and Gibraltar to qualify for Euro 2020 – a draw that the national team’s management were delighted with in Dublin on December 2.

The group means they will play Ireland for the fifth and sixth time in competitive football in the space of two years. Three 0-0 draws and a 5-1 away win to qualify for this year’s World Cup have been the results so far.

Should the Danes falter, they will still have a chance to qualify via the Nations League playoffs.

The tournament will run from June 12-July 12 in 2020.

Less money, better odds DANISH club football’s prospects are not so rosy, following confirmation that UEFA will launch another tournament

Celebrating the draw?

in 2021, the Europa League 2, which will simply share the prize money currently allocated to the current second-tier cup.

Denmark, which is currently ranked 13th in the UEFA coefficients, will most probably see its EL1 allocation reduced from three to one sides, as that tournament reduces in size from 12 to eight groups.

Nevertheless, the introduction of the EL2 will significantly improve the odds of a Danish side one day lifting some European silverware. The closest one has ever come was Brøndby reaching the semis of the UEFA Cup in 1991.

Happy Christmas st-albans.dk

Nørregade 43-45, 1165 København K www.the-globe.dk www.facebook.com/globeirishpub

15 Dec

16:00

Carols & Poetry

16 & 23 Dec

10:30

Sung Eucharist

Christmas Eve

12:30

Children’s Nativity

23:30

Midnight Mass

Christmas Day

10:30

Festival Sung Eucharist

30 December

10:30

Sung Eucharist

6 January

10:30

Epiphany Sung Eucharist

10 BUSINESS

THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK

ONLINE THIS WEEK SAS’S PRE-TAX profit of around 2 million Swedish krona for its 2017-18 fiscal year was its best result for years. However, it fears a possible hard Brexit, higher fuel costs, currency fluctuation and tough competition will hit 2019 hard. Meanwhile, SAS has joined Finnair in offering passengers the chance to minimise the carbon footprint of their flights via a donation to a good cause.

From Industri to Bank KARSTEN Dybvad has stepped down as CEO of Dansk Industri to become the chair of Danske Bank. DI has named Kim Graugaard as his temporary replacement. Meanwhile, ATP chief executive Christian Hyldahl has resigned following criticism of his business practices at Nordea over a decade ago. He had lost the confidence of the ATP stakeholders.

ISS sheds 100,000 jobs THE GLOBAL facility management company ISS is selling assets in 13 countries and shedding 100,000 jobs, amounting to around 12 percent of the company turnover-wise. A quarter of the profits will go to its shareholders.

The sales mean the company will lose half of its customers worldwide. It currently employs around 490,000 people and one-fifth of them are expected to lose their jobs.

Financial security concerns THE COUNTRY’S central bank, Nationalbanken, has warned that the recent money-laundering scandal involving Danske Bank could affect the country’s financial security. One solution to steady the ship could be Denmark joining the European Banking Union – an option that PM Lars Løkke Rasmussen believes is more likely due to the scandal, reports Reuters.

Big deal for Astralis KINDRED Group has signed a two-year deal with Astralis to use the eSports team’s global image rights and exclusive content. Its company Unibet will become the team’s official betting partner. In related news, Kindred has acquired an online betting and gaming licence to set up shop in Sweden, once the country’s gambling sector is deregulated in January.

EU leader at taxing the rich Denmark has the second highest tax-to-GDP ratio among the OECD countries

ONLINE THIS WEEK PIXABAY

Good year for SAS

14 December 2018 - 10 January 2019

S

OMEBODY alert Fox News and the White House! The income tax and taxes related to wealth paid by Danes account for 29.7 percent of the country’s GDP, according to Eurostat figures for 2017.

The proportion is quite easily the highest in the EU, ahead of Sweden (18.9), Belgium (16.9) and Finland (16.6).

However, the disparity can be partly explained by the Danes paying the lowest proportion of net social contributions – some 0.9 percent of GDP, compared to Sweden (3.3), while leading the way were France (18.8), Germany (16.7) and Belgium (16.1).

Third highest in EU OVERALL, this means that Denmark, with 46.5 percent, has the third highest tax-to-GDP ratio in the EU, behind France (48.4) and Belgium (47.3), but ahead of Sweden (44.9), Finland (43.4), Austria (42.4), Italy (42.4) and Greece (41.8).

At the bottom end of the scale, Ireland (23.5), Romania (25.8), Bulgaria (29.5), Lithuania (29.8) and Latvia (31.4) had the lowest ratios.

The EU average in 2017 was 40.2 percent – up from 39.9 percent in 2016. Taxes on production and imports accounted for 13.6 percent of GDP, followed by net social contributions (13.3) and taxes on income and wealth (13.1).

Behind with invoices COPENHAGEN Municipality has been called out for its late payment of invoices. The municipality has 11,589 invoices, reports Berlingske, which have still not been paid 30 working days after their receipt – a total bill of 287 million kroner. According to the municipality’s own rules, the invoices should be paid no later than five working days after their receipt.

Biggest ever deal VESTAS has signed a 950 MW deal for a project 22 km off the Scottish coast – its biggest ever order. The agreement involves MHI Vestas supplying the Moray East Offshore Wind Farm project with 100 V164-9.5 MW turbines, as well as providing 15 years of service. The deal followed orders received from Greece and the US. Note they are carrying briefcases, not Netto bags

Second in OECD RATHER bizarrely, similar figures were released barely a week later for the OECD countries, with Denmark this time given the second highest tax-to-GDP ratio (46.0 – down from 46.9 for 2016), again behind France (46.2).

“The corresponding figures for the OECD average were an increase of 0.2 percentage points from 34 to 34.2 over the same period,” the OECD report found.

“The OECD average in 2017 was slightly above that in 2000 (34.2 percent compared with 33.8 percent). During that period the highest tax-to-GDP ratio in Denmark was 48.5 percent

in 2014, with the lowest being 44.8 percent in 2008, 2010 and 2011.”

Terminal ready by 2022

Pharma exports soaring

Pricey in Hellerup

THE NEW container terminal Copenhagen Malmö Port will be completed by the end of 2021, it has been confirmed. The new terminal will be 85,000 sqm in size and 12.5 metres deep – 2.5 metres deeper than today.

A NEW FORECAST from the Danish pharmaceutical industry association, Lif, predicts that exports of Danish pharma products will hit 100 billion kroner this year thanks to an increase of 7.5 billion kroner.

A NEW SEA-VIEW 323-apartment development at Tuborg Strandeng in Hellerup looks set to smash some house price records when it is completed in 2024. One apartment has already been reserved at a price of 42 million kroner.

Chinese deal extended

No record for Black Friday

Ramirent confirms exit

FOLLOWING an increase in Chinese tourists to the Nordic region, the Chinese payment giant UnionPay has agreed to an extension to its existing partnership with Danish digital payment firm Nets. Over 260,000 Chinese tourists visited Denmark in 2017.

BLACK Friday on November 23 failed to set a new single-day retail sales record. According to credit card service Nets, sales reached 1.94 billion kroner – nowhere near last year’s all-time record of 2.1 billion. In fact, 2015 (1.98) and 2016 (2.00) were both higher as well.

FINNISH machinery and equipment rental company Ramirent is exiting the Danish market. It is selling its Danish subsidiary, Ramirent Denmark, to its rival GSV Materieludlejning for 33 million euros, and the sale is expected to go through in January.

Mexico the most lenient BELGIUM came third on the list with a tax burden of 44.6 percent, followed by Sweden (44.0), Finland (43.3), Italy (42.4), Austria (41.8), Greece (39.4), the Netherlands (38.8) and Luxembourg (38.7).

Other notables included Germany (37.5), the UK (33.3), Japan (30.6), the US (27.1), South Korea (26.9) and Ireland (22.8).

Mexico had the most lenient tax burden with just 16.2 percent. (CPH POST)

Maersk sets CO2 target MAERSK has set a zero CO2 emissions target by 2050, promising to usher in radical solutions over the next decade to make its future fully sustainable. In related news, the shipper has attracted heavy criticism following revelations that one of its subcontractors at the port in Mombasa, Kenya is providing its dock workers with unacceptable conditions and wages.

European leaders in R&D DENMARK has the highest share of R&D employment in Europe, according to the Geography of Europe’s Brain Business Jobs Index.

Around 2.3 percent of the population are employed in R&D – twice the European average. Among the other so-called ‘brain job’ findings, just over 1 percent work in IT, and 1.25 percent work in in film/ TV/music.

Foreign investment rise FOREIGN entities invested 50 billion kroner in Danish property last year, reports Cushman & Wakefield – 54 percent of the total investment and 11 times more than in 2012. Four of the biggest five foreign investors are Nordic. In other news, pharma company Leo Pharma is investing 1.5 billion kroner in a factory in Denmark to produce fucidin, a treatment for skin infections like eczema.

BUSINESS OPINION

14 December 2018 - 10 January 2019

MARTINA FACINO ECONOMICS EXPLAINED Martina Facino works for a leading consultancy firm where she specialises in competition economics and maintains a strong interest in macroeconomics. Using her master’s in economics and finance, she intends to focus on explaining macroeconomic concepts and describing them in the current context

Why implement QE? INCREASED liquidity and decreased interest rates are exactly the reasons why a central bank implements quantitative easing.

More money in the economy lowers the interest rate (remember: interest rate is the price of money. Anything in high supply has a lower price).

A lower interest rate means it

CARLOS MONTEIRO

is cheaper for consumers, companies and the government to get access to capital, for example by obtaining a loan from the bank. This translates into more spending, which makes the economy move.

A central bank can implement QE during a recession to stimulate the economy by increasing spending.

What are the drawbacks?

THE MAIN risk of QE is that too much money enters into circulation in the economy, thus resulting in high inflation. In simple words, the currency loses its value (more supply translates into lower value. Why are tomatoes cheaper than avocados?). An additional consequence of this is that people lose confidence in the economy.

Another risk is that the ‘new money’ ends up in savings instead of being used in the economy, lowering the effectiveness of the QE program.

Be here when I need it WE AS CUSTOMERS are more impatient and demanding than ever, and ‘near me’ searches on Google are stratospheric right now. Modern retail stores need to create strategic partnerships with other businesses, using a proactive approach to fulfil their potential.

The ECB started the QE program after the 2008 financial crisis, and it plans to terminate it at the end of 2018, after purchasing bonds for 2.6 trillion euros.

While Mario Draghi, ECB’s president, is confident that the Eurozone economy can continue to grow without the QE program, others have concerns over a possible slowdown.

Books need contextual framing befitting of their uniqueness

Think outside the box BE DIFFERENT, don’t be boring – because these are unforgiving times! If you can’t find

inspiration within your industry, look outside it. Be curious, be humble, ask questions, investigate! Have experienced managers working side by side with the youngsters. Make them visit technology shows, watch speeches and talk to technology suppliers and companies alike.

The world is full of outstanding examples of companies that are successfully transforming the way they operate.

However, courage, curiosity and passionate people are required – always!

IN 3 ISSUES

IN 4 ISSUES

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Mind over Managing

Living in an Expat World

Union Views

We're Welcome – Honest!

UK-DK Trade

The Valley of Life

Startup Community

Brexit Border-Dash

One size never fits all INSTEAD of thinking about ‘scale’, the stores need to invest in having a deeper connection with their community. They need to understand who their main customers are, learn their consumption patterns, and

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IN 2 ISSUES

Danish Capital in 2016

21st Century Alchemy

Carlos (cm@biassa.com), a Brazilian resident of Odense, started his business from a blog known as denmarkbrazil.com.

It later became Biassa, a business development company, which under the motto ‘Bringing forth results, not reports’ is focused on supporting Nordic businesses that want to tap into and thrive in the Brazilian market

ECB’s QE program IN RECENT years, the European Central Bank (ECB) has implemented a quantitative easing program across the Eurozone to help countries come out of recession. The ECB purchased mainly government bonds with the objective of reducing governments’ borrowing costs, thus incentivising spending across the Eurozone.

recognise what they truly value about their shop.

More than for selling WHAT IS the purpose of having a bricks and mortar bookstore? Is it only to sell books? Once you understand who visits your shop, you can craft unique experiences and events. Surveys confirm this can be successful. British retailer Missguided started purely online, but now has now two bricks and mortar shops. Collaborate with influencers and customers, and craft unique experiences based on what customers need and desire, rather than using the

GIVE YOURSELF A CHANCE

Central bank is quite the towering influence

PIXABAY

A

MAZON entered the Brazilian market six years ago, initially only selling books.

The country’s most significant book chains sought legal help, with limited success, and Amazon flourished, eventually moving into other products.

The truth is that bookstore owners had ignored the technology revolution and now they are paying the price. In 2015, the book market shrunk by 7 percent, and then in 2016 by 9 percent.

But there is hope. I believe there is a huge opportunity for Brazil’s independent bookstores, if only they were to embrace becoming ‘modern retail stores’.

PIXABAY

Q

UANTITATIVE easing (QE) is the purchase of financial assets by a central bank. The central bank buys large amounts of financial assets, for example government bonds, from commercial banks and other financial institutions.

By doing so, the central bank injects money into the economy that was not there before. Consequently, two things happen: there is more money in circulation in the economy, and interest rates decrease. The first effect is also the cause of the second.

11

one-size-fits-all approach.

Infrastructure USE CLOUD solutions to take control of your data, security and servers, and do the same for your email services, e-commerce platforms, CRMs and ERP systems.

It will give you a better understanding of your customers and preferences.

12 OPINION

THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK

14 December 2018 - 10 January 2019

Will Christmas be peaceful?

I

N THE UK the Brexit plans are in turmoil and now there seems to be no prospect of a decision this side of Christmas.

In France the 'yellow vests' have taken to the streets and forced the president to climb down on what were some necessary reforms for French society.

Only Germany seems to work in an orderly fashion with the election of Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer as Angela Merkel’s successor. In the US the post-midterm election balance in Congress has made the president marginally less unpredictable.

The stock market is a rollercoaster, but in Denmark we have a budget law in place with no surprises. The last round of austerity measures against immigrants is included, so the upcoming election has taken that into account and the parties are devoting themselves to other issues. The race to the bottom has come to a stop, as there is hardly any more room for action.

No island paradise THE AUSTERITY measures are leaving the country in bad standing regarding human rights, for which only a few years ago Denmark was held in high esteem. The majority of the population is in agreement with the government, as it is the image of social immigrants from Africa on the move that provokes nervous reactions. That is in spite of the fact that the wave of immigrants/refugees is at its lowest in years.

The latest idea for housing criminal asylum-seekers, who are in the queue to be deported, on an island at a cost of 1.8 million kroner per person per year is reaching a peak of intolerance.

Even Venstre hard-hitter Marcus Knuth is airing reservations

ADAM WELLS

Early Rejser

– maybe because the proposed island camp is in his constituency. So don't say that politicians have no respect for voters.

It is unlikely that the PM will call the general election this side of the year-end. It is, however, going to happen in the early spring. So we are in for a peaceful holiday season.

Health to the fore THE PM is gearing up to make health a big issue. This has been his field of expertise for a long time and he will be moving in the direction of a unified national health service in connection with the mega regional hospitals under construction.

There will probably also be a focus on local centres housing a number of GPs, further phasing out the old family doctor single surgery option.

The other big issue will be the environment. That will include necessary but unpopular measures, so it may well be put aside during the election campaign and dealt with when a new government is in place.

Dickering for position THE POLLS are in no way clear on the issue of who will form the government. The turning point will be Dansk Folkeparti. Are they red or blue? The interesting question is whether for the first time DF will take government posts and thereby assume direct responsibility.

They are losing support to the new girl in class – Pernille Vermund – who with a logically impossible manifesto seems to have a chance of getting four to eight seats, which could be enough to tip the balance.

Let us enjoy the holidays and wish each other a Happy New Year. It does not look so bad after all. (ES)

Adam is a nanny, a multi-sports fanatic and a budding ultra runner. He was faster off the mark than his fellow Brits, quitting England for Denmark moments before they voted to stay out of Europe. When he isn’t caring for kids, screaming at a screen or tearing up his feet, he writes unsettling poetry and prose.

If Dr Who has boobs, why can't Mary be a man?

P

EDESTRIAN crossings are designed to make you stop and think – two things I’m usually happy to overdo to my detriment. But not when I’m out for a run, especially when there isn’t a vehicle in sight. Yet I found myself doing just that one frosty morning two weeks ago, standing stock still in the cold, waiting for a LED man to change colour, my mind wandering. But why?

30 years, months and seconds WITH MY 30th birthday fast approaching, was I suddenly feeling the years? After 30 months living in the Copenhagen slow lane, was my very British disregard for traffic laws and other cultures’ customs now just a speck in the rearview mirror?

Well, people change and anything’s possible, but I don’t believe myself capable of the good grace it takes to slow down with age, nor the utilitarian humility it takes to relinquish the right to decide where and when to cross a deserted stretch of road. No, there was something else, something hidden, keeping me there.

My eyes were too full of sleep to see it at the time, and I could only gaze dreamily at the temporarily red man. Why aren’t there, I wondered, in a country further along the gender equality path than most – in a city monopolised by Carlsberg,

which brought the world its first gender-neutral, and somehow simultaneously most forgettable, beer – any LED women?

Fuzzy end of the lollipop PERHAPS digital lollipop lady is a field of work everyone’s happy for men to dominate. More likely, I mused, Denmark isn’t the gender-neutral utopia many consider it.

As a man on his way to do ‘a woman’s job’, I empathised with this lollipop man. But I felt even more solidarity for the LED women, struggling as they must be against Denmark’s gender biases.

I thought back to the ‘female-only’ adverts for nannies I encountered in my early days here. I thought back to the meeting with my bank manager last month when he said: “And what would you do if you had a proper job?” Then the man changed, red to green, like a reverse Santa, and I lost my train of thought.

Why not Gary Poppins?

THOSE thoughts resurfaced later that day and gave me cause to pause, when the kids asked if we could see ‘Mary Poppins Returns’ over Christmas. In an industry in which there is perennial pressure for Jane Bond, and Dr Who has boobs, isn’t it time for Gary Poppins?

Nevertheless, I decided the film might help foster a festive sense of magic for the kids – something Danes seem to lack relative to their British counterparts. The reason for this becomes clear when quizzing Danes on their belief in Father Christmas.

A bizarre number describe it as dying prematurely in the following way: Father Christmas turned up in their back garden wearing their dad´s/uncle´s/godfather´s shoes/sandals/crocks.

That this bearded stranger was their mysteriously missing relative was, on reflection, the least traumatising conclusion they could have reached. But this popular problem opens the door for some gender-bending the Danes might enjoy: Mother Christmas. Aside from being more convincing as a list-toting benefactor who knows what each child has been up to that year, someone’s mum, aunt or godmother is likely to have so many shoes that even the sharpest-eyed child won’t shatter the illusion It is only as I write this, a fortnight on, that I recognise what it was that made me wait for the green man that morning. It was the need for a reflective moment to draw upon when I sit down to pen a festive opinion piece inspired by another thoroughly uninteresting run through the harsh, neutral, Danish darkness.

OPINION

14 December 2018 - 10 January 2019

VIVIENNE MCKEE

Crazier than Christmas Vivienne McKee, Denmark’s best-known English entertainer, is this country’s most beloved foreign import. Over the last 36 years, hundreds of thousands of Copenhageners have enjoyed her annual Crazy Christmas Cabaret show at Tivoli, marvelling at her unique, wry Anglo wit and charm.

Straight Up

13

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A Dane Abroad KIRSTEN LOUISE PEDERSEN IN 2 ISSUES

Mackindergarten ADRIAN MACKINDER

Straight, No Chaser STEPHEN GADD

An Actor’s Life

IN 3 ISSUES

IAN BURNS

Living Faith REVD SMITHA PRASADAM From puckering up to having enough: Butin has dislodged Rump as the villain of this piece

T

HIS IS the third year in a row that Donald Trump (aka Ronald Rump) has appeared in my Crazy Christmas Show in Tivoli.

Joker in the pack THE FIRST time I wrote him into my show was before his election in 2016, at which point I never expected him to become president.

The jokes I wrote then were based entirely on the absurd statements he made during his campaign, from building ‘The Wall’ to his sexist comments about grabbing a woman’s youknow-what.

It was all so outrageous that it almost negated the need to make it funnier than it was in reality.

Ronald Rump aced it THE SECOND time (2017) I entitled the show ‘Planet Rump – the Farce Awakens’.

One year of Trump’s presidency had yielded a rich supply of targets for satire and every comedian was dipping into it.

It is hard to compete with TV comedians like Trevor Noah, Stephen Colbert or Alec Bald-

win’s parody, but in that regard I think that David Bateson in my show has created an even better impersonation of the orangefaced president.

The lines I wrote satirised Trump as a mad narcissistic billionaire in the galaxy governing ‘The Orange Planet’, and on stage David portrayed him hilariously as a sulky child.

King of dilemmas THIS YEAR, with the midterm elections looming, I was confronted with an even greater challenge: the satirical writer’s dilemma. What could I write in August about Trump that would still be relevant at Christmas?

The 45th president changes his government, his policies and his mind faster than wildfire or climate change (which he of course doesn’t believe exists).

American comedians complain that they have to be careful about mocking Trump. They can face angry heckles or even death threats in that gun-toting society.

In Europe, fortunately, we are free to joke about his excesses.

Even so, this year I have not made him ‘the bad guy’ for our

audiences to boo at. This year that role is allotted to Putin (aka Boot-in), while Ronald Rump is portrayed as an ignorant coward in thrall to his Russian friend.

Enclave of knavery THE BOTTOM line is that Trump has changed forever the image of a US president.

When American parents tell their children that “anyone can be president”, they’re not lying.

Anyone being any idiot. And not just a benign idiot, but a war-mongering one.

Trump loves wars. Trade wars. Twitter wars. You name a person, place or thing and he has attacked it via a tweet. Wars against journalists (fake news) and wars against comedians.

He is so thin-skinned that he cannot ignore jokes. But this last war is one that Trump will lose badly – or bigly. And, as opposed to the other wars, this one will be great fun to watch.

So the question is: what about next year’s Crazy Christmas Show? Should I write Ronald Rump into the show one more time? Answers please to londontoast.dk.

IN 4 ISSUES

The Road Less Taken JESSICA ALEXANDER

Mishra’s Mishmash MRUTYUANJAI MISHRA

14 COMMUNITY

THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK

ABOUT TOWN

14 December 2018 - 10 January 2019

PHOTOS BY HASSE FERROLD

UAE ambassador Fatema Khamis Almazrouei was joined by a great many ambassadors at her country’s national day celebration at Hotel d´Angleterre on November 29, including (left-right) Egyptian ambassador Ayman Alkaffas, Chinese ambassador Deng Ying, [UAE], Indonesian ambassador Muhammad Ibnu Said, Cuban ambassador Yiliam Sardinas Gomez and Niger’s ambassador Amadou Tcheko

Romanian ambassador Alexandru Grădinar and his wife welcomed many guests to Sølyst in Klampenborg on November 30 to celebrate the centenary of Great Union Day, their country’s national day. Among those in attendance was Italian ambassador Luigi Ferrari and his wife, who would have particularly enjoyed the recital on the Stradivarius violin

Icelandic ambassador Benedikt Bjarki Jonsson (left) welcomed his culture minister, Lilja Alfreðsdóttir (centre left), to attend the opening of ‘High & Low’, a contemporary art exhibition at Nordatlantens Brygge on November 30. Also present were Austrian ambassador Maria Rotheiser-Scotti (centre right) and Bangladeshi ambassador Muhammad Abdul Muhit (right)

The Austrian Embassy was the venue for a performance by students of the Royal Academy of Music on December 4. Among the dignitaries present (centre: left-right) were German ambassador Andreas Meitzner, Chinese ambassador Deng Ying and Austrian ambassador Maria Rotheiser-Scotti

Georgian ambassador Gigi Gigiadze opened a special exhibition celebrating medieval Christian culture at the Amager Campus of the University of Copenhagen on November 9

Indonesian ambassador Muhammad Ibnu Said (hird right) was among those present at a tourism event at the Radisson Collection Hotel Royal on November 9 to promote travel to his country

14 December 2018 - 10 January 2019

COMMUNITY

THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK

15

Pakistani ambassador Zulfiqar Gardezi (right) was among the guests of Thai ambassador Vichit Chitvimarn (cenre) at the Thai national day celebrations at the Danish National Museum on December 4, which marked the anniversary of the birthday of Bhumibol the Great, who died in 2016 after 70 years on the throne. The reception included a performance by the Danish Royal Life Guards Band

Finland’s National Day celebration at the residence of ambassador Vesa Vasara on December 6 presented a rare opportunity to take a rare Nordic portrait of (left-right) Vasara, Michael Zilmer-Johns, the head of protocol for ambassadors in Denmark, Swedish ambassador Frederik Jörgensen and Norwegian ambassador Aud Kolberg. The national day marks Finland’s declaration of independence from Russia in 1917

Hans Hermansen (left), the CEO of Copenhagen Post, was among the media present at the Chinese Embassy’s press conference on December 7 to mark the tenth anniversary of the China-Denmark Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, where counsellors briefed those present on the progress achieved in 2018

The December edition of International Club Copenhagen was a special one as it marked the 15th anniversary of the club. Its first speaker, way back in 2003, was the former minister Bertel Haarder, and he was at hand to bestow the ‘ICC chain of honour’ to his friend Hasse Ferrold, the founder of the club

Crown Prince Mary’s father, John Donaldson (third right), joined his daughter, son-in-law and grandchildren at the Børnekors Christmas concert at Det Danske Musikkonservatorium on December 8

While most theatres tend to shut over the winter, Gordon Torbet (left) and the troops at Improv Comedy Copenhagen at Frederiksholms Kanal 2 are onstage most days (see page 16 for details)

16 COMMUNITY

THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK

ALL PHOTOS:TANJA VINOGRADOVA

T

HE LONG-RUNNING language centre Studieskole, just off Gothersgade, was the venue for the ‘Spouse Connect Family Event on Thursday December 6, which with Christmas coming up really upped the ante for their monthly meeting.

14 December 2018 - 10 January 2019

OUT AND ABOUT

Christmas is celebrated in different countries.

Organised by the school in collaboration with KareyAnne Duevang, the head of the Welcome Group Consulting, a great many families turned up, treated as they entered to

a coffee, glögg, soft drinks and snacks.

The biggest draw of the night proved to be the panel discussion, where Gartfield was joined by several others, including Mark Walker (right: left), a sometime reviewer for

CPH POST, and Jonathan Davis from Microsoft.

Also present was Carriene Rendbo, the owner of the I Love Natural Hair business, but try as she might she couldn’t persuade Walker to take off his cap.

DAVE SMITH

bad news: you missed it!

The pressure was on, as the guest of honour was none other than Lark Doley from Texas (left), the president of the Toastmaster International, of which SLT and six other groups in the Danish capital are members.

And this year’s competitors, from all over Denmark and southern Sweden as well as the international community, did not let her down, unfurling the kind of mirth and joviality rarely seen in these parts. They were rolling in the aisles as the field was whittled down to a fi-

nal group.

In the end there could only be one champ: Kriti Prajapati from India (right: centre right), who in her owns words delivered “a speech about my husband, toastmasters and the idiosyncrasies of public speaking and leadership”.

But if you think you can outwit her (that didn’t really work, did it?), check out one of the clubs, which can be found in Frederiksberg, Vanløse, Vesterbro, Gladsaxe, Hørsholm and Lyngby. Check out toastmasters.dk for more details.

DAVE SMITH

ALL PHOTOS: TOASTMASTER INTERNATIONAL

The program included a presentation on HC Andersen by author Heather Gartside (right: right), along with some readings of his fairy-tales, a cello recital or two, and a panel discussion addressing the appeal of hygge and how

A

HUMOROUS Speech Contest organised by the Copenhagen-based group for public speaking enthusiasts, Speak to Lead Toastmasters (SLT), at the St Petri Hotel on November 14 had one serious aim: to find the funniest person in Copenhagen. If that’s you,

ICC

BOOKSANDCOMPANY.DK

MICHAEL ZILMER-JOHNS/FLICKR

Don’t miss ‘Ding Dong Merrily On High!’, a celebration of English-language carols led by acclaimed British choral director David Victor-Smith, the leader of the Farnham Youth Choir. All the proceeds go to charity (Books & Company, Sofievej 1, Hellerup; Dec 21, 19:00; 50kr – registration required)

THE-GLOBE.DK

The Globe’s Christmas Quiz is a city institution, dating back to the late 1990s, and traditionally some of the former greats come back to take on the new pretenders. Shhh, but the odd rollover has been known to go at Xmas (Globe, Nørregade, Cph V; Dec 20, 19:30; max 5 per team, 30kr entry, winners 1,000kr)

The brutally difficult 50-question, English-language Harry Potter quiz is returning this Christmas – after all, nobody does the festive season better than Hogwarts.

Last time, the winners shared 2,300 kroner (Absalons Kirke, Sonder Boulevard 73, Cph V; Dec 20, 20:00; max 6 per team, 20kr entry, winner gets the pot)

Given their New York pedigree, it’s no surprise to learn that two of the Harlem Spirit of Gospel Choir’s three concerts have already sold out. And to cap it all, Ingrid Arthur from the Weather Girls, is their special guest (Dec 15, 20:00; Sankt Andreas kirke, Gothersgade 148, Cph K; 300kr, biletto.dk)

The capital’s biggest zumba event organiser is holding a special Christmas class followed by singing, dancing, surprises and a lottery. Come dressed like the festive period means something!

(Dec 16, 12:00; Kulturhuset Indre By, Charlotte Ammundsens Plads 3, Cph K; 60kr)

PEXELS

HARLEN SPIRIT OF GOSPEL CHOIR

COMING UP SOON

Beyond a couple of ballets and the Crazy Christmas Cabaret, there isn’t much entertainment, so thank god for the Improv Comedy Copenhagen (weekly shows Wed-Sat 20:00, stand-up Sun 20:00, but no shows Dec 23-27 & 30-31; Frederiksholm Kanal 2, DAVE SMITH Cph K; 100-125kr)

14 December 2018 - 10 January 2019

17

Cosying up to Christmas with a helping hygge hand from the locals PHOTOS: TANYA VINOGRADOVA / WORDS: BEN HAMILTON

International House Copenhagen (IHC) understands how important it is for new arrivals to learn first-hand some of the Danish Christmas traditions, and its early December event Christmas Cosiness, now in its third year, is becoming something of an institution

On the afternoon of Sunday December 2, many international and Danish families arrived at the first floor of the IHC on Gyldenløvesgade in central Copenhagen to embrace the hygge. Candelight … tick! Pebernødder … tick! Æbleskiver … tick! Misted windows look … tick!

No Danish Christmas party is ever complete without a table or two set aside for decoration making. Now, careful with the scissors; Rudolf’s nose is already red enough

The wheel of fortune for those brave enough to give it a turn, with tickets for the ongoing Crazy Christmas Cabaret show 'Fogg's Off ' and That Theatre's spring production 'Art' among the prizes

In Santa’s absence, the big man sent these fine deputies

The event wouldn’t have been possible without the efforts of IHC’s team of volunteers

18 HISTORY

THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK

14 December 2018 - 10 January 2019

Operation Santa Storm: The day Julemanden took back the city for the people

LINDA RUTH HOROWITZ

A

S THE LEAVES fall from Christiania’s chestnut trees, a secret monumental event is being planned. Actors from all over Denmark have been invited to a confidential meeting inside an ancient building along Christiania’s ramparts.

One of the organisers of the upcoming event is a man called Derik von Dash, one of the founders of Sun Chariot Theatre Troupe, who arrived at Christiania at the beginning of the 1970s.

Speaking to a crowd of over 100 actors, Derik is certainly filled with excitement. He straightens his red bowtie. He readjusts double-decker spectacles that are constantly slipping down his nose.

“Close your eyes for a moment,” he says ceremoniously.

“Can you imagine it? Flocks of Santas marching through Copenhagen for Christmas?”

Derik lowers his voice into the microphone. “We go inside the grand department stores.

We go into schools, hospitals, homes for the aged. We hand out gifts to one and all … to spread cheer and happiness. Now wouldn’t that be one hell of a performance?”

There is a smattering of chatter. Also a bit of muffled laughter. Holding a finger to his lips, the actor waits for total

ALL PHOTOS: NILS WEST 'JULEMANDENSHÆREN’ AND SANTA ARMY

In 1964, ‘Mary Poppins’ with Dick van Dyke at the fore brought unadulterated joy to kids the world over. Ten years later, a plot to do the same for the children of Copenhagen with Derik von Dash at the helm, was executed with aplomb

silence. Now his voice is almost a whisper: “You are not to breathe one word of this to anyone. Not to your wife. Not your kids. And certainly not to the cops.”

During October and November 1974, some 125 Santa Claus costumes are sewn at a little factory in Vesterbro. Those assigned to sew costumes collect cotton wool for the beards and moustaches, together with tons of red flannel material for 125 costumes.

In the spirit of Hans Christian Andersen’s children’s story ‘The Ugly Duckling’, a 30 foot-tall paper maché goose is sculpted for the event. In the meantime, the actors rehearse new lyrics to Christmas songs, rewritten especially for the event. The Santas also practice marching in step.

Operation begins peacefully THE CLOCK strikes noon. The bells of Our Lady Church chime throughout Christianshavn. In orderly procession and the best of Christmas spirits, the Santas march out of Christiania’s main entrance. Von Dash leads his flock with the greatest of ease, sailing on his rollerskates back and forth among the rows of Santas, to make sure the procession flows smoothly. Lots of other merry Santas glide as well on their own rollerskates … all cheerful, peaceful Santas, here to remind the Danish community that genuine human kindness still exists, and what Christmas is truly about. The pageant leads itself up Prinsesse Street, passing by the ancient church.

Known as a rebellious Christianite, Liv Jørgensen is also dressed as a Santa, her slight waistline puffed out with pillows, masked behind a long white beard and moustache.

HC Andersen got a nod with this insanely massive paper mache goose, which stood fully 30 feet tall

Riding on her Christiania bike, the Sun Chariot actress named Else Marie is perched inside Liv’s wagon. Barely fitting inside, the grand lady is dressed in a magnificent Mrs Claus costume topped with a post-box red hat decorated with ostrich feathers.

Just by the canals of Christianshavn, when they stop at a corner, Else Marie passes out gingerbread hearts to the spectators. Along with a hearty embrace and kisses, she and Liv call out: “Glædelig jul allesammen. MERRY CHRISTMAS! Merry Christmas to one and all.”

The Sun Chariot Theatre Troupe strides proudly over Knippels Bridge. As they march toward the centre of Copenhagen, the procession gains momentum. There is power in their stride. Filing toward the Danish Parliament, even Rikki, Christiania’s famous Himalayan bear, is here as a part of the parade, riding high on a tractor, observing the great procession from above. Her ears perk up in happiness as she listens to the Santas playing on bongo drums, coffee pots, clarinets and flutes. All to one melody.

All in unison: “Og vi synger. Og we synger / Julemanden synger / Og vi danser. Og vi danser / Julemanden danser.”

Passers-by stare in awe. They

applaud the Santas, whose underlying mission is to spark public awareness of the discussion of unemployment, poverty and homelessness; the yearly ordeal for the poor who cannot afford gifts for their children; and the underprivileged middle class forced to endure this bourgeois consumer terror. Year after year.

The event is well organised; each actor is assigned to a particular action. One group visits a primary school where they pass out ‘The History Book,’ a newly published, illustrated book.

Now the children will learn the truth about capitalism, colonialism and the exploitation of the Third World. When the Santas hand out the colourful books, the children are in awe. But their enthusiasm quickly turns into fear when their headmaster screams out: “Get out of our school! It is illegal to hand out gifts to children.”

Help from our friends AT THE very same time, over 100 Norwegian Santas hop off the Oslo ferry just berthed in Copenhagen Harbour. In strict rows, they march simultaneously. Behind the procession of Santas, scores of white-robed angels arrive as well, chanting lovely Christmas carols as they

float off the boat. The new army joins in on the majestic march.

Other Santas arrive at public institutions, including hospitals and nursing homes, where they sing for the elderly. Others visit the headquarters of Copenhagen Police, handing over a trophy to their deputy chief, who is quite bewildered … to say the least.

Another group struts into Handels Bank in Nytorv to appeal for an interest-free loan of 50 million Danish kroner to construct low-cost housing for the homeless. Only a few manage to get into the bank before the doors are locked. The cops arrive within minutes.

In the centre of town, a crane is lifted: one lone Santa raised high above the tall buildings.

He delivers a Marxist-inspired speech, reaching out to the audience below with a megaphone: “Why is there so much unemployment? Why are the banks so full of money while the poor stay penniless? Why are our factories empty? We must open these factories and give the people their jobs back!”

Hundreds cheer his speech as he continues: “While shops and banks are making millions, Christmas is becoming a super bourgeois ritual. And who is the tragic victim of this entire caboodle? It is Santa Claus! We want to

HISTORY

14 December 2018 - 10 January 2019

rescue him from this horrendous clutch of capitalism.”

The audience below cheers, while the Santa above waits for them to calm down. His megaphone screeches: “The greedy have taken over. Therefore, it is time for us to act. We must take from the rich and give to the poor. This is the only way we can give happiness to the people.”

Magasin is stormed EQUIPPED with hammers and hoes, a few Santas attack the brick wall of the court, while the Santa up on the crane hurls a smoke bomb down onto the street. It is not at all the way this happening was originally planned. Until then, the police had just been watching the drama, but now they begin to arrest the Santas, who surrender without a struggle – according to the rules of the epic performance.

In the meantime, on the industrial side of Copenhagen, at least 30 Santas equipped with ladders climb over the wired fences of the General Motors car factory. The factory is in the midst of closing down its operations in Denmark, as the costs of labour are too high. The Santas carry Danish flags. They hang up a huge sign painted on old bedsheets: “OPENING HERE: Factory for 1,000 Workers.”

The Santas begin their mission by washing down the factory windows. They sweep the premises. All is going well as planned, but then the manager shows up in quite a fury: “Get the hell out of here! It is undemocratic to enter private property.”

Within minutes, police squads

arrive to physically remove the Santas from the General Motors factory.

Events reach a crescendo inside the exclusive, enormous Magasin Du Nord department store in the centre of Copenhagen. In plain clothes 48 actors take a back entrance, rushing down the steps to the toilets in the basement where they quickly change into their costumes. Each carrying a black sack, they sneak up the steps to the second floor where the book department is located.

On this pre-holiday afternoon with so many children and parents, the book department is overcrowded. Everyone there is searching for Christmas gifts. In her distinctive deep voice, Else Marie exclaims to the customers: “Merry Christmas, everybody!

Ladies and gentleman, children of all ages. Here are some lovely Christmas presents for you. Today, nobody has to pay!”

In their excitement, the parents and children push and shove. Through all the pandemonium, the Santas hand out gifts from the shelves to the children, replacing them with their own socialist history books.

The Santas are so joyful; they begin singing carols, while parents stand by in wonder, a few joining in with the choir. But in the swish of a kitten’s tail, the security guards arrive, interrupting the magic. The shop supervisor shouts: “They are STEALING!” as he tears a book from a little boy’s hands. The boy’s wail is heartbreaking; his parents are infuriated.

A manager bellows out from Magasin’s loudspeaker: “We have

a message for our customers.

Those dressed in Santa Claus costumes do not belong here!

Please return the stolen items to the shelves. The police have been summoned.”

A little girl whimpers to her mother, tears bulging from the corners of her eyes: “Mor, why are they taking Santa?” A shop detective is suddenly attacking Liv Jørgensen, tearing at her beard. She jerks herself away.

The detective yells out: “Hah, you’re no Santa. You’re not even a man.” More cops arrive, dashing up the escalator. Poker-faced cops seize one Santa after the next. A little girl shrieks: “They’re taking Santa! You CAN’T DO THAT! You CAN’T DO that!”

Despite the chaos, the Santas refuse to give up. Derik Von Dash kindly offers a gingerbread cookie to an officer, but he refuses the gift with rage written

all over his face. Yet two other Santas grab hands to dance with the chief manager of Magasin.

Total Bedlam!

A distinguished looking man in a cashmere overcoat stands among the crowd. His wife is beside him in a mink coat. Suspiciously, he whispers: “Something strange is going on – this smells of left-wing propaganda. Let’s get the hell out of here.” The parents grab their son, who refuses to budge, dragging him all the way to the elevator. Only once the elevator disappears down the shaft, does the child’s scream fade into nothingness.

All except for one Santa in a lone back corner, sitting quietly with a little girl on his lap. Telling her a Christmas story. All so quietly. The child touches his beard in wonder. Both are so absorbed in the story, they are completely unaware of their surroundings.

The few customers who witness this precious moment see it as a blessing from heaven.

Police officer Helene Hansen arrives at the location. Her orders are to arrest any Santas left on the second floor. Helene is equipped with eleven pairs of handcuffs attached to her belt, ready for the assignment. She tries to take in the chaotic scene before her. Helene is herself a mother raising four children alone who can barely afford her rent. What her own children wouldn’t give to be here sitting on Santa’s lap … just like that little girl. It surprises Helene to hear herself saying aloud: “I can’t arrest these Santas! Oh, if only my own kids were here now.”

In the meantime, at the snowy entrance to Magasin, the commanding officer screams over the angry crowds into his walkie-

19

talkie: “Send reinforcements and police dogs! NOW!” One after the other, the Santas are thrown mercilessly into paddy wagons.

One of them screeches out from the paddy wagon: “Generosity is impossible in this capitalist society!!!!”

Capitalism lives on ON THIS dramatic night, at least 45 Santas are arrested. All taking place at the entrance to Magasin, over 1,000 shoppers come together in spirit. In total solidarity with the arrested Santas, they all begin to sing ‘Glædelig Jul’, the Danish version of ‘Silent Night’.

The Danish newspapers present the event, each from a different angle. The media widely distribute photos of Santas getting beaten up for being generous. All this is followed by major headlines, parliamentary debates, and storms of readers’ letters to the newspapers.

International TV broadcasts the event around the globe. Both Christiania and the Sun Chariot Theater Troupe are acclaimed as the visionary forces behind the common people of Denmark.

Proclaimed a great success, winning sympathy from the general public, Santa Claus is lauded for his conscious rebellion against consumerism.

And as for the little girl on Santa’s lap? It’s a day she’ll never forget.

‘The Santa Claus Army’, an edited version of Chapter 11 of the soonto-be published English-language novel ‘A Daughter of Christiania’, has been reprinted here with the permission of its author Linda Ruth Horowitz.

20

THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK

14 December 2018 - 10 January 2019

Home alone without plans? Your Christmas and New Year just got busy!

From finding a suitable church service to raving into the early hours at the altars of the city’s best DJs, we’ve got you covered MANEESH VENKATESH

W

HILE THE weather outside is frightful, it can be delightful if you make that extra effort to leave your home and embrace what the city has to offer this Christmas and New Year.

Copenhagen at this time of year truly is a magical place and fortunately there’s always something to do – whether you’re alone or with family.

Read on to find out what the city has on offer for you on December 24, 25 and 31 this year.

CHRISTMAS Glory to God CELEBRATE Christmas at the Christmas Eve Midnight Mass (23:30) at the St Albans Anglican Church (Churchillparken 11, Cph K). Or earlier in the day, attend the children’s carol and nativity service (12:00), or the Christmas Day service (Dec 25, 10:30). Catholics should head to St Ansgar's Cathedral in Copenhagen for the midnight mass on December 24 (00:00) or one of the other services (Dec 24, 16:00, Dec 25, 10:00 & 15:00). Or try a Lutheran service (Dec 24, 14:30, 16:30 & 23:30) at Copenhagen Cathedral (Nørregade 8, Cph K). Finally, Bremen Teater (Nyropsgade 39-42, Cph V) is hosting an international Christmas Eve service (Dec 24, 11:00) presided over by Pastor Thomas Hansen. Festive snacks are served before and after the service.

Out to eat: playing safe ON CHRISTMAS Eve, Nimb Brasserie at Tivoli invites you to enjoy a three-course dinner, which starts at 18:30 with snacks and a glass of bubbly. Nimb Fru, SALT (Toldbodgade 24-28, Cph K), Von Plessen (Bredgade 37, Cph K) and The Harbour (Kalvebod Brygge 53, Cph K) also offer Christmas Eve menus.

Out to eat: experimenting IF YOU fancy something different, try a Spanish Christmas (from 17:30 on Dec 24) at Pinxtos (Nansensgade 63, Cph K).

Enjoy a number of authentic Spanish dishes climaxing with

a delicious chocolate mousse (menu: 580kr). Or why not an Indian Christmas dinner at Guru (Jernbanegade 3-5, Cph K), served with some of their funky festival cocktails, such as Mango Bellini and Espresso Martini.

Out to eat: Giving back POPULAR with the city’s homeless and artistic communities, the Christiania Christmas celebration (Dec 24; Den Grå Hal) is open to all and free to attend, although donations are gratefully received.

Or, even better, volunteer!

Let the music begin IF MUSIC’S your religion, head to Palæ bar (Ny Adelgade 5, Cph K) for Christmas jazz from 12:00 to 14:00. After all, everyone (including God) loves jazz. And if you need to dance off all that duck, try the Christmas rave at Søpavillonen (Gyldenløvesgade 24, Cph V; Dec 25, 22:00). Tickets at the door cost 225 kroner.

NEW YEAR’S EVE Getting it right NEW YEAR’S Eve, ‘over-rated’ in so many countries, often exceeds expectations in Copenhagen. Ladies don sparkling cocktail dresses and gentlemen have an excuse to wear a suit and tie, as the city that has been hiding in the cold comes alive with free flowing booze, loud music, and thousands of people

in high spirits. If you happen to have experienced a quieter side to the Danes up until this point, New Year’s Eve is certain to reveal a different side to them. Normally Danes don’t engage in activities unless they’re scheduled (and preferably three weeks in advance), so this behavioural blow-out is the people’s way of rebelling against the orderly way of Danish living!

The jump is everything AS THE night reaches its peak, make sure you have your champagne and your kransekage (almond cake) at hand – staples for a Danish New Year. Then, find a couch, chair, table (or any elevated surface that you can), grab the hand of the person next to you, count down and leap off into the New Year! If you happen to trip, it will bring bad luck (so make sure you cling on to your most sober friend).

Mi casa es su casa GET INVITED to someone’s house – this is the usual way Danish people celebrate New Year’s – in good company with lots of food and drink. Normally, the evening starts with watching the queen’s New Year’s speech on television at 18:00. Failing that, crash a neighbour’s party! This is the one night no-one will bat an eyelid at this kind of behaviour.

Copenhagen is as flat as a pancake and so it is not hard to get high enough to watch the sky light up.

Countdown in the centre HEAD TO Rådhuspladsen (city hall square) where the crowds follow the live countdown being broadcast to the nation. Watch out for rogue fireworks as the place will get a little sparky as the night continues. The Lakes, Islands Brygge, and the Knippelsbro and Langebro bridges are probably safer but still lively alternatives, so remain vigilant.

Some countries have heavy restrictions on the private use of fireworks – but in Denmark you can blast away merrily! And people do. Purchasing a pair of safety goggles is a very good idea.

New Year cleansing!

MAKE A splash alongside the rest of the mad winter swimmers at Svanemøllebugtens Vinterbadelaug in the Copenhagen district of Østerbro for a preparty endorphin kick. Learn more at svanevinterbad.dk.

With new friends IF YOU are not in a relationship and between the age of 28 and 55, join other singles for a party at the Clarion Hotel near Copenhagen Airport from 21:30!

Tickets cost 425 kroner. The organisers are responsible for Denmark’s biggest singles events.

Learn more at runningdinner.dk.

Toasting 2019 at Tivoli THERE are various restaurant choices, although many do get

booked in advance. You can enjoy the rides until 22:00 and watch the impressive fireworks display at midnight. Learn more at tivoli.dk.

Out on a limb at Nimb ENJOY a four-course meal at Nimb in Tivoli with exquisite wine pairings, starting at 19:00.

And then dance the night away to Frederikke Vedel & All Stars.

Learn more at nimb.dk.

Celebrating at the circus WALLMAN’S presents an international musical show and various circus performances. The main event is from 18:00-00:15, with the after-party from 00:1505:00. Learn more at wallmans. dk.

Like the Great Gatsby WITH PERFORMERS, a live-band and DJs, this party at Vega is dedicated to reliving the Roaring ‘20s of Jay Gatsby.

Learn more at partylikegatsby.eu For the youngsters THE 450kr admission price (Præstefælledvej 18, Tårnby) includes a free bar for the entire duration (22:00-05:00), fireworks and bubbly at 12, a large garden, banging DJs, lots of surprises and breakfast for those who last the course. Drinkless ticket options start at 250kr.

Learn more at nytaarsfesten. com.

EVENTS

14 December 2018 - 10 January 2019 BALLET

TWITT PHOTOGRAPHY

THEMEPARK

SIGNEVILSTRUP

BALLET

STUDIO SARAH LOU

TIVOLI.DK

THOMAS PETRI

CABARET

21

PARTY

Crazy Christmas Cabaret ongoing, ends Jan 5; Tivoli Glassalen; tickets: 170-385kr, londontoast.dk A half-naked Russian president riding horseback, North Korean atomic bombs on stand-by and two years of the orange-faced US leader ... get in the mood for Christmas at Vivienne McKee’s Crazy Christmas Cabaret, which this year is called ‘Fogg’s Off’.

The Nutcracker ongoing, ends Dec 23; Tivoli Koncertsal; tickets: 275-635kr, tivoli.dk Little Marie’s magical journey into the Land of Sweets accompanied, of course, by Pyotr Tchaikovsky’s iconic music, has become synonymous with the festive season.

Tivoli’s version places the action firmly in the themepark, including cameos from a few famous faces of yesteryear.

Christmas at Tivoli ongoing, ends Dec 31, open Sun-Thu 11:00-23:00, Fri-Sat 11:00-24:00; Tivoli, Vesterbrogade 3, Cph V; tivoligardens.com Tivoli is rarely shut for long – particularly when it’s got the rest of its 175th year to celebrate. Just 13 days after closing the doors on Halloween, it opened for Christmas. Don’t miss the firework festival at the end of the year.

Alice in Wonderland ongoing, ends Dec 22; Gamle Scene, Kongens Nytorv 9, Cph K; 100760kr; kglteater.dk This has a distinctly Anglo feel thanks to its British choreographer (Christopher Wheeldon), music (Joby Talbot) and set (Bob Crowley). Expect bright colours, crazy effects and pure magic in this co-production with the Royal Swedish Ballet.

Party like Gatsby Dec 31, 21:00-04:00; Vega, Enghavevej 40, Cph V; partylikegatsby.eu With 20 world-class performers, a stunning live-band and Gatsby’s brilliant resident DJ, this party is an extraordinary spectacle dedicated to reliving the Roaring ‘20s.

Dress in your finest attire and transport yourself into the glamorous world of Jay Gatsby. (SM)

Prismen Designers Market Dec 15, 11:00-17:00 ; Holmbladsgade 71, Cph S Over 60 artists and designers from around the country will be selling handmade arts and crafts at this cosy market.

With great food and drinks to go with the unique designs, this is a great chance for a day out with the family to take care of some Christmas shopping.

BaghusDK Xmas Market Dec 13-14 & 20-21, 10:0016:00; Vesterbrogade 107B, Cph V; free adm The Danish furniture, ceramics and jewellery designers at BaghusDK sell prototypes, discontinued goods, samples and exhibition products – all of their own creation. Look out for the discounts in their big sale and check out their range on the Facebook page.

Xmas Market in Højbro Plads ends Dec 23, open until at least 18:00 daily, later Thu-Sat; Højbro Plads 9, Cph K; free adm; julemarked.nu Experience an old-fashioned Christmas like in the good old days with decorated trees, 80,000 sparkling lights, elves, reindeer and Santa’s sleigh.

Don’t miss out on the delicious German grilled sausages and gløgg.

Phantom of the Opera ongoing, ends March 31; Det Ny Teater, Gammel Kongevej 29, Cph V; tickets: 209-748kr, detnyteater. dk; in Danish The sets in this historically huge production are of a big, bold, garish themepark aesthetic and they ably show a considerable budget exploited to its bloated potential. The overall effect is an eye-popping gothic sweetshop. (MW)

Strøm skating disco Dec 15, 17:00-21:00; Frederiksberg Runddel; free adm More like Kool & the Gang than Torville & Dean, the famous icerink is going back to the 1970s.

Improv Comedy CPH nights weekly shows Wed-Sat 20:00, stand-up Sun 20:00; Frederiksholm Kanal 2, Cph K; 100-125kr The Byens Bedste winner Improv Comedy Copenhagen offers a staggering five English-language shows a week. The pick right now is ‘Murder of Crows’, a film noirinspired show on Friday nights that includes Adrian Mackinder.

Horisont ongoing, ends March 3; Danish Architecture Centre, Bryghusgade 10, Cph K; 110kr Visit the Danish Architecture Centre and see an exhibition honouring the Danish architect Jørn Utzon. ‘Horisont’ celebrates the 100th birthday of the architect who created the Sydney Opera House. (MV)

Marina Abramović ongoing, ends 2020; Royal Library Søren Kierkegaards Plads 1, Cph K; pre-booking necessary at kb.dk/en ‘Method for Treasure’, the Serbian artist’s new installation at the Black Diamond, allows visitors to become actors in her world of treasures. Experience an immersive installation where you become part of the art. (MV)

Women of Surrealism ongoing, ends Jan 13; Kunstforeningen, Gammel Strand 48, Cph K The early 20th century Nordic painters Franciska Clausen, Rita Kernn-Larsen and Elsa Thoresen were among Denmark’s most important surrealistic artists, but their work had been largely forgotten until this exhibition at Kunstforeningen. (MV)

Steam engine outing Dec 15 & 16, 11:30; Helsingør Station; 80-320kr, reserve tickets at veterantoget.dk Reserve your tickets for the Polar Express, or at least Denmark’s answer to the famous steam engine.

Climb aboard at Helsingør like in days of old and set off for Copenhagen Central Station via Bakken and Klampenborg.

Van Gogh ongoing, ends Jan 20; Arken, Skovvej 100, Ishøj; 150kr, under-18s free adm Explore Van Gogh in a large scale exhibition about life, humanity, faith and nature. (MV)

Creme de la creme ongoing, ends Jan 27; Design Museum Denmark, Bredgade 68, Cph K; 115kr, under-25s free adm The exhibition showcases artworks that have never or seldom been shown to the public. (MV)

Finderskeepers Xmas Market Dec 14-16, open Fri 12:00-18:00, Sat 11:00-17:00, Sun 11:00-16:00; Axel Towers, Cph K; 40-80kr Head to floors 1 & 2 of Axel Towers to choose from goods presented by 120 designers.

Superflex ongoing, ends Dec 30; Copenhagen Contemporary, Refshalevej 173A, Cph K; 100kr Interactive installations deal with collaboration and power of play in ‘One Two Three Swing!’ (MV)

Cecily Brown ongoing, ends March 10; Louisiana, Gl Strandvej 13, Humlebæk; 125kr ‘Where, When, How Often and with Whom’ is Brown’s first European exhibition for years. (MV)

Ceramics Market Dec 15, 10:00-15:00; Absalon, Sønder Boulevard 73, Cph V; free adm Even if you’re not a fan, there are bound to be prezzie options.

22 MUSEUMS CORNER Swaying to the galleries – 48 hours in town THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK

14 December 2018 - 10 January 2019

NANNA HJORTENBERG

C

OPENHAGEN'S unique quality of living is one that integrates art and culture in daily life.

The city has a long history of

art, design and architecture, and the current scene is an immensely vibrant one with activities and events taking place throughout the city.

Join me on a two-day journey through the city, visiting some of the best galleries and exhibition venues it has to offer.

by one of Denmark’s great artists, JF Willumsen. Den Frie presents one of the finest examples of the Danish ‘skønvirke’ – a mix of art nouveau, jugendstil (Ger-

man art nouveau), and the arts and crafts movement, while also showcasing the work of younger emerging artists.

by two of the period’s most talented architects, Nicolai Eigtved and Lauritiz de Thurah, and later renovated by Kaare Klint, the building and its collections

epitomise Danish design and architectural history. The excellent Klint Café perfectly modernises the Danish lunch tradition.

gallery in either Amaliegade or Bredgade. One of Copenhagen’s most intriguing design galleries, Etage Projects (etageprojects. com), is located at Borgergade

15. The owner Maria Foerlev is a frontrunner in exploring the constantly changing overlaps and intersections between contemporary art and design.

tesen.dk), the grand old dame of the Copenhagen art scene.

Her gallery is easy to find as it's

located on the corner of Gothersgade and Møntergade.

Kunsthal Charlottenborg, as well as the CHART headquarters (chartartfair.com). Check out the exhibition featuring the kings of Danish architec-

ture, the Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG), which focuses on the firm's collaborations with contemporary artists.

designed by international star architect Rem Koolhaas. The building has been underway for nearly 10 years and has stirred a lot of controversy. It is a mustsee: it integrates itself into the urban cityscape in a radical

and rough way, simultaneously respecting and challenging the surrounding architecture and infrastructure. Enjoy the exhibitions and gaze at the skyline from one of the many terraces.

FRIE TO DO WHAT YOU WANT EXPLORE one of Copenhagen’s hidden gems, Den Frie Udstillingsbygning (denfrie.dk), next to Østerport Station. The small wooden building was designed

DESIGNS ON THE BEST THE BEAUTIFUL Designmuseum Denmark (designmuseum. dk) is just a short walk from Den Frie and always worth a visit.

Built as a hospital in the 1750s

HOMAGE AT ETAGE MOVING on, you will find some of the most influential and interesting galleries close to the museum. Stop by Andersen’s beautiful two-space

GRAND DAME OF GOTHERSGADE ROUND off the first day's gallery tour with a visit to Gallery Susanne Ottesen (susanneot-

START OFF BIG START the day at Kunsthal Charlottenborg (kunsthalcharlottenborg.dk), an institution housing the Danish Academy of Fine Arts, the exhibition space

NEW KID ON THE BLOCK STROLL down Nyhavn and reach the harbour canal. Copenhagen doesn’t have gondolas but instead you can board a harbour bus and sail towards Danish Architecture Centre (dac.dk), housed in BLOX, a building

PACKING THEM IN KØDBYEN, the former meat packing district, is home to three galleries: V1 Gallery (v1gallery. com), Gether Contemporary (getherconemporary.com) and Bo Bjerggaard (bjerggard.com).

You might be able to catch an opening night – but don’t tell them we suggested you gatecrash!

Nanna Hjortenberg is director of CHART, a three-day event that gathers leading Nordic art and design galleries into a public program of exhibitions, talks, music and performances.

FOR MORE INSPIRATION FROM THE MUSEUMS, VISIT COPENHAGEN MUSEUMS & ATTRACTIONS AT CPHMUSEUMS.COM

23 Not set in Italy or about football, 2018’s film of the year ON SCREENS

14 December 2018 - 10 January 2019

BEN HAMILTON

I

F WE’VE learned one thing this year – besides the German football team being human, Denmark becoming a byword for socialism in alt-right circles, and Dr Cliff Huxtable’s preferred form of bedside manner switching from sedation to fellation – it is that it is less remarkable to see blockbusters premiering on a streaming service.

This December, however, a new strategy is emerging, and it would appear to be thanks to the enterprise of selected cinemas.

Why not, they reason, grab the cinematic release rights for a streaming service title, even if it only gives them a one-week window of opportunity to show it where it belongs: on the big screen.

Grand Teatret in central Copenhagen was one of six Danish cinemas to start showing Roma (95 on Metacritic; released on Netflix on Dec 14) from December 6, while Bird Box (60; at cinemas on Dec 13, via Netflix on Dec 21) is following a similar route. In fact, Valby Bio is showing both films.

The third amigo ALFONSO Cuarón (Gravity), the member of powerhouse Mexican director triumvirate who many tend to forget in the shadow of Alejandro González Iñárritu and Guillermo del Toro – they were all born within three years of one another in the early 1960s and have won four of the last five Best Director Oscars – has delved into his own childhood for inspiration.

At first glance, Roma’s name and premise (a middle-class family going about their business) suggests it is set in Italy and extremely

dull. But substitute ‘middle’ for ‘master’, and then raise it one and swap ‘class’ for ‘piece’, as the reviews have been nothing short of spectacular.

Roma is currently the second favourite to win the Oscar for Best Film, and were it to triumph it would become the first movie not made in English to take the award. Several previous winners have had foreign settings, but bizarrely chosen English as their language – most notably the recently deceased Bernardo Bertolucci’s 1987 winner The Last Emperor, whose authenticity (parts were even shot in the Forbidden City) was second to none in a cinematic era notably short on quality.

Denmark’s very own Susanne Bier, meanwhile, directs a strong cast led by Sandra Bullock in Bird Box – another sense-deprivation thriller in the tradition of the TRex scenes in Jurassic Park and the ghoulies in the excellent A Quiet Place (now on C More), in which the script builds suspense around the predator’s handicap. Only this time, the humans are the ones who can’t see, spending half the film blind-folded. It doesn’t work half as well.

Putting it bluntly FOLLOWING her strong turn in A Quiet Place, British actress Emily Blunt is finishing 2018 on a high with what could prove to be one of its biggest hits: Mary Poppins Returns (Not Released Worldwide; Dec 25). Despite its Christmas debut, the film has picked up several Golden Globe nominations (including best film and a nod for Blunt), while the American Film Institute has included it in its Top 10 Films of the Year list – not bad for a movie

that nobody has yet reviewed on Metacritic.

Judging by the trailer, it looks like of one of those films that US audiences will embrace for its jovial depiction of Brexit-like eccentricity, but that British audiences might find a little twee. And Blunt would appear to have the accent all wrong. Poppins wasn’t overly posh; she just happened to have a beautiful voice.

Blunt isn’t the only one taking over from a legend like Julie Andrews, although Michael B Jordan in Creed II (67; Dec 20), the eighth film in the Rocky franchise, has already had a film to warm up in. Along with Sylvester Stallone, Dolph Lundgren is reprising his role as the Russian fighter Ivan Drago, now training his son to send another member of the Apollo Creed dynasty to the morgue. It’s not as good as the first film, but then again that has a higher Metacritic score than the original (82 vs 70).

And rather bizarrely, Jason Momoa (the one who looks like a centaur in Game of Thrones) is taking on a role previously played in a film within a TV series. The fictional character Vincent Chase’s big Hollywood break in the long-running Entourage came in Aquaman (NRW; Dec 13), and no doubt the makers of this superhero flick were anxious not to recreate anything too reminiscent of the splashy promo shots primarily played for laughs. Maybe that’s why they cast manly Momoa to offer stark contrast to actor Adrian Grenier’s boyish looks.

Coincidentally, perhaps, both Andrews and Lundgren feature.

A ride for the emotions WITH ROMA coming out, it was already a strong month

Sorry kids, ‘The Cosby Show’ doesn’t start until 1984

for films, and the release of Ex Libris: The New York Public Library (91; Dec 6), Spider Man: Into the Spiderverse (84; Dec 13) and The Rider (92; Dec 13) ensure there’s plenty of quality out there.

At 197 minutes long, Ex Libris certainly takes its time, but the praise has been universal (okay, there was one negative review, probably written by somebody convinced the majority were going to condemn the long running time). You’ll probably love it if you find libraries peaceful, and likewise Spider Man if you can still stomach cartoons.

That leaves The Rider, the tale of a crippled rodeo star desperate for one last human-equine connection to make sense of his life.

This film is really resonating with the public – a tear-jerker (not in the Bill Cosby kind of way).

At the bottom end of the scale, Hunter Killer (43; Dec 25) is a risible ‘Hunt for Arse over Elbow’ affair; Transformers 6: Bumblee (NRW; Jan 3) can just buzz off now and save us all the anguish; and your feelings watching Under the Silver Lake (59; Jan 3) starring Andrew Garfield will either sink or swim, depending on your predilection for the drippy Brit, patience (139 mins) and penchant for weirdness.

Notting Hill meets Dexter THE STAR of You (Netflix on Dec 26), a new series in which a bookshop owner makes a famous author fall in love with him, has a Garfield resemblance going on. Before you start thinking this sounds like Notting Hill, it’s been compared to Dexter, so it could be a good choice for a post-Christmas binge.

Meanwhile, American Crime Story: The Assassination of Gianni Versace (74; Netflix on Dec 21), Top of the Lake: China Girl (HBO Nordic on Dec 15) and Thirteen (73; HBO Nordic on Dec 22) are all making long overdue debuts.

Movies-wise, this time it’s C More obliging with the Oscar-nominated films: Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (Dec 28) and Get Out (Dec 21), while Mary Shelley (C More on Dec 19), Game Night (Netflix on Dec 25) and The Christmas Chronicles (Netflix since Nov 22) are also worth checking out.

The latter stars none other than Kurt Russell as old busy beard himself – yeah, Snake Plissken is playing Santa. With that, and the festive edition of this year’s The Cosby Show confined to the limits of State Correctional Institution – Phoenix, it’s shaping up to be a great Christmas.

FILM OF THE MONTH:

the rider

December 13th – 23rd. After suffering a near fatal head injury, a young cowboy undertakes a search for a new identity in the poetic and moving modern western ‘The Rider’ (Chloé Zhaos, 2018).

We present some 50 films with English dialogue or subtitles every month.

See what’s on at cinemateket.dk or visit us in Gothersgade 55

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