This Should Be Written in the Present Tense

"Dorte is twenty and adrift, pretending to study literature at Copenhagen University. In reality she is riding the trains and clocking up random encounters in her new home by the railway tracks. She remembers her ex, Per-- the first boyfriend she tells us about, and the first she leaves-- as she enters a new world of transient relationships, random sexual experiences and awkward attempts to write"--

Helle Helle published her first book in 1993. Since then, her work has garnered overwhelming critical and popular acclaim. Recently awarded the Golden Laurel literary prize, Helle Helle is the recipient of countless literary accolades, among them the Danish Critics' Prize, the Danish Academy's Beatrice Prize, the P.O. Enquist Award and the prestigious Lifetime Award of the Danish Arts Council. Her novels and short stories have been translated into fifteen languages. She lives in Denmark. Martin Aitken is the acclaimed translator of numerous novels from Danish, including works by Peter Høeg, Jussi Adler-Olsen and Pia Juul, and his translations of short stories and poetry have appeared in many literary journals and magazines. In 2012 he was awarded the American-Scandinavian Foundation's Nadia Christensen Translation Prize.