Youth: Tove Ditlevsen: 2

The second volume of the Copenhagen Trilogy, Youth, continues the autobiographical journey of Danish poet Tove Ditlevsen. Following Childhood, this instalment portrays a young author driven by a fierce craving for artistic freedom, even as she confronts hardship and moral complexity. Forced to leave school early, she takes on a series of low-paid, menial jobs while nurturing a deep hunger for poetry, love, and real life. Set against the backdrop of Europe moving toward war, she navigates exploitative bosses, a Nazi-occupied environment, and unwelcome sexual encounters on the path to independence. Throughout, she remains relentlessly determined in her pursuit of a poetic vocation, and a kind of fragile hope—seemingly within reach—gleams amid the turmoil. Youth offers an honest, immersive portrait of adolescence, blending biting humor with vulnerability and lyrical insight.

The narrative chronicles Ditlevsen’s struggle to carve out a life of meaning amid chaos, poverty, and social constraints, leading to the hard-won independence she seeks.

Kenmerken

• Tweede deel van de Copenhagen Trilogy
• Autobiografisch portret van adolescentie
• Jaren van jeugdwerk en vroeg werkleven
• In oorlogsomstandigheden en onderdrukking
• Vastberadenheid in het nastreven van poëzie
• Openhartig, scherpzinnig en poëtisch weergegeven

Gebruik

• (Geen instructies gevonden om op te nemen)