A Line in the World by Dorthe Nors

This is another non-fiction book that caught my attention amongst the display of new books in the library. This one is a mix of biography, diary and travel journal by the award winning Danish writer, Dorthe Nors.

The 'Line in the World' that the title refers to is the west coast of Denmark, stretching from the northern tip down to where the Wadden Sea meets Holland, (and for those of us who are not terribly familiar with the area, there is a nice little map in the front of the book). Generations of Nors's family have lived on this coastline, and after many years living in cities, she decided to take a year to explore her homeland and delve into it's history.

Denmark is not all that far north in the great scheme of things, but the weather along the west coast can be ferocious. For hundreds of years great storms have ripped into the land and in some cases have claimed the lives of thousands. The very worst storm in 1362 is known as the Great Drowning of Men, which took so many lives that the bodies washed up in lines along the shores. When you live in an environment like this you learn to respect the weather and the power of the sea because either could take your life at a moment's notice.

After reading the book I came away with the impression that the Danes are very practical people and generally say things how they see it. The northernmost point of the country juts into one of the busiest waterways in the world, and this area of water is also critical to NATO defence, as Russian submarines can sometimes be seen lurking beneath the waves. The Danish government has installed a little black shed on this rocky outcrop, and there is a man in there all day every day keeping an eye out for the Soviets. Nors makes this observation to a local caretaker:

'It's very Danish setting up something that looks like a camper van and sending a man with binoculars to guard some of the busiest waters in the world.'

'Not sure about the binoculars,' said the caretaker, 'but every now and then he goes out for a smoke.'

Good to know that the Danes have got our backs.

Comments

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