“A formidable writer talks about everything from stalkers in the Danish countryside to encounters with Henry Miller, Farah Diba and Philip Roth.”
Kåre Bulie, Klassekampen, Best of 2019
“Suzanne Brøgger has turned 75 and lets loose through almost 400 pages in Alf van der Hagen’s new book. A sparkling reunion with a writer who can still provoke, but who also takes issue with her younger self and the faith in life of freedom and without limits. Today she can enjoy a quiet visit to a Danish village church. The author who once called out against monogamy and called it cannibalism, has herself been happily married for 35 years with her Keld. But she is in no way laidback and quiet. She talked bravely an intensely about Danish politics, about feminism and the hatred of culture, and about the importance of saving our cultural heritage”
Turid Larsen, Dagsavisen, Books of the year 2019
“A sparkling meeting with a brave woman … [Hagen] lets her talk freely through 380 pages. It has become a sparkling meeting with an unusually vital, brave and learned woman. She swings the whip over contemporary society, she is provocative and ironic … van der Hagen’s form is the perfect choice to portray this phenomenon of Nordic literature. He is the anonymous voice that keeps the conversation on track throughout the book. His questions force Suzanne Brøgger to express herself clearly. He confronts her with earlier statements and actions, and is rewarded with refreshing answers”
Dagsavisen
“Which Suzanne Brøgger gets attention now? In Alf van der Hagen’s conversations with the Danish icon, something heavenly and eternal shines through. There’s reason to have high expectations when Alf van der Hagen comes with another book of conversations, a literary genre he himself greatly has contributed to develop, and which he masters brilliantly … Brøgger is both sparkling, learned and funny … How a more or less chronological presentation of life phases and books can become such a fluent and exciting text, has a lot to do with the author Alf van der Hagen’s skilled ability to ask questions, create flow and coherence … The conversations between Suzanne and Alf are wonderfully down to earth, unpretentious, embracing everyday life with great joy.”
Vårt Land
“The meeting between a terribly well-prepared van der Hagen and an equally fit Brøgger is successful … and there are plenty of gifted answers in Suzanne Brøgger … Suzanne Brøgger’s melancholy is always cheerful, it’s about feeling alive, and she is, in her own words, a yes person, whose motto is semper ardens, aways burning, life must always be burning, and Alf van der Hagen skillfully sets her ablaze in his writing”
Kristeligt Dagblad, Denmark
