The Way It Seems
Selected Short Stories
Knud Sørensen
translated from the Danish by Michael Goldman
ISBN 978-1-947980-28-0 pbk. 246 pages $18.00
ISBN 978-1-947980-29-7 hdc. $25.00
pbk.
hdc.
About Sørensen’s Writing
“Knud Sørensen’s formidable literary output bears a vulnerability, an embracing, gentle warmth, and a penetrating apprehension of emotional depth in commonplace events. May his work take flight and find readers around the globe.”
Dorthe Nors, Danish author of Karate Chop
“...relates sensation and realization to the reader, regardless of age, on the words’ and language’s own terms.”
Gerda Buhl Andersen, Morsø Folkeblad
“No one has, for so many years and in so varied and detailed ways, written about rural life and the radical changes it has undergone, as Knud Sørensen.”
Erik Svendsen, Jyllands-Posten
“Knud Sørensen has acquired a unique, compassionate and deep insight into the mentality and the psychological shifts among farmers and rural people as a result of the total change in their circumstances over the past 60 - 70 years.”
Johannes H. Christensen, Jyllands-Posten
“...builds on dialogue, but a special Knud Sørensen-ish dialogue, where what people say points to what they don’t say, and therefore that is told too, and all the more so.”
Jens Smærup Sørensen, Awards speech at Knud Sørensen’s receiving the Grand Prize of the Danish Academy, Nov. 2014
“Knud Sørensen’s poems investigate and lament the end of the Danish farmer’s way of life, brilliantly capturing its intertwined beauty and sadness. These poems have a universality that speaks to the disappearance of the family farm, not just in Denmark but in America and across the globe. All thanks to Michael Goldman for such vivid translations that allow a new audience to see ‘Denmark like a green dream about eternity.’”
Denton Loving, author of Crimes Against Birds, editor of drafthorse literary journal
“... through a half century in poetry and prose Knud Sørensen has created a great and original body of work about life in Denmark ... his matter-of-fact descriptions of daily life point to both the period’s economic-political ups and downs and the larger and fertile connection to nature and thereby the basis for existence.”
Lars Ole Knippel, Jyllands-Posten
Danish author Knud Sørensen (b. 1928) was a certified land surveyor for 28 years, during which he became intimate with the Danish agricultural landscape. A book reviewer for 14 years, he has also written 48 books and won over 20 literary awards. including a lifelong grant from the Danish Arts Council. His books, most of which portray nuances of life in rural Denmark, include biographies, poetry, novels, short stories, essays and memoirs. He has also collaborated with numerous artists on art shows and art books. In November 2014 he received the Grand Prize of the Danish Academy, the highest award given to a Danish author for their body of work.
Michael Goldman (b.1966) besides being a widely-published translator of Danish literature, is a poet, clarinetist, gardener, father and husband. Over one hundred of Goldman’s translations of poetry and prose have appeared in literary journals such as Rattle, Harvard Review, World Literature Today, and International Poetry Review. He teaches workshops and gives readings at universities and literary events. His recently translated books include works by Knud Sørensen, Marianne Koluda Hansen, Cecil Bødker, Benny Andersen, and Knud Sønderby. He lives in Florence, Massachusetts, USA. www.hammerandhorn.net