Denmark: Baboon (Naja Marie Aidt, trans. Denise Newman)
Naja Marie Aidt (b. 1963) was born in Aasiaat, Greenland before moving to Denmark. An accomplished poet and writer, she has been awarded the Danish Fund for the Endowment of Arts, the Danish Kritikerprisen, as well as the Nordic Council's Literature Prize. She currently resides in Brooklyn, NY.
Background: Danish Vikings colonized the wider Scandinavian region throughout the 8th-10th centuries, including parts of England and France. Unified under a monarchy, the Danes were converted to Christianity in the mid 10th century. Although Denmark did not keep its French and English territories, parts of Germany and Estonia came into the union, as well as Norway and Sweden. By 1546, Denmark had converted to Lutheranism. Sweden broken away in the early 17th century, and the following century saw a general decline in power. By 1645 in the Treaty of Brømsebro, Denmark surrendered many of its lands although Kind Frederick III declared war only thirteen years later only to be soundly defeated. From the latter half of the 17th century, Denmark tried to restore its earlier lands in the Scanian War (1675-1679) and the Great Northern Way (1700-1721), as well through treaties, but these were not very successful. Instead, Denmark turned towards neutrality, and managed to be a trading partner. In 1814, the union between Denmark and Norway was dissolved, with Denmark keeping control of Iceland, the Faroe Islands, and Greenland, as well as its further overseas territories. In the 1830s, a national movement began to gain ground, and in 1849 Denmark became a constitutional monarchy. Denmark's neutral stance during WWI and non-aggression pact with Nazi Germany were self-protective, but Germany invaded anyway. Denmark, although an EU member, has maintained its own currency, as well as some other forms of independence.
Baboon (Two Lines Press, 2014) is an eclectic and fascinating collection of short stories. The stories are visceral, confronting the less beautiful side of humanity. Some of them are disturbing, but all have a beauty of language. Some stories start out in such a way that you think things are normal, until a sudden dark turn leaves you questioning. Aidt uses her stories not just to reveal hidden ugliness, but also to critique how we as humans are apt to ignore problems going on around us and just put up the blinders, even to those in our own family. While I think sensitive readers or readers who have experience trauma or family abuse may want to stay away from this particular collection, I really liked Aidt's writing and overall enjoyed the reading experience, even if it left me occasionally slightly ill.
