Customer Reviews

Denmark - Culture Smart!: a quick guide to customs & etiquette

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I have to agree with the other reviewer, who notes that the book is strangely harsh on Danish society and political arrangements. The author's British biases are really evident. As a result the book gives a distorted view in this area.

Also he seems to dwell a lot on Danes and alcohol. If Danes like craft beers, what's wrong with that? Weird that a Briton(!) would have so much issue with ale.

Denmark's most intriguing feature is that it's a very high-trust and creative society. This leads to a number of customs and institutions that are really unique, and which the author doesn't address. You can't really understand Denmark and Danish people or their vibrant society without accounting for and taking into account this fact.

The author just can't seem to abandon his Britishness long enough to be able to provide a real feel of the Danish way of life from the inside. He doesn't seem aware of or able to articulate the various drifts of Danish culture and why they matter.

The best part of this book may be his section on business meetings. Not sure however that many people buy this book to learn how to give Powerpoint slideshows to Danes.

This isn't to say Denmark is super-perfect. The flaws of the society are often noted by Danes themselves, but this book doesn't really describe them from the Danish point of view. As a result, what Danes talk or care about in their contemporary life won't be comprehensible to visitors.

Being now several years old, of course the book's out-dated in a number of important facts. The publisher should update this book, expand the business and social sections to be more detailed (and thus useful) for those actually on a business trip, and remove the prejudiced comments about Danish politics, the social welfare state, and alcohol.

The book should also offer more about the creative and technological aspects of Danish society, which really drive it: the giant design industry, international finance, environmentalism & the alternative energy industry, the new high-technology such as pharmaceutical engineering, biotechnology, and nanotechnology, film, fine art, dance, and agriculture combined with the foodie renaissance. Few societies have really molded themselves to the Internet and mobile technology the way Denmark has, but the book scarcely notes this at all.

This is the first critical review that I have ever left on Amazon.com. It is not one that I take lightly.

I purchased this book, and have read through it. It has proven an extreme disappointment. I anticipated an in-depth understanding of Danish culture and mannerisms. Instead, the book is pedantic; it glazes over topics with massive generalizations. Also, I was a bit surprised by a perceived political 'bent' in the book -- indeed, it appeared that the author was rather judgmental on a number of socio-economic aspects of Danish life.

This is the type of book that you would expect to find hyped in the 1950s -- short on content/information, short on a perceived, unbiased perspective. I found little useful information of use on "customs and etiquette." A travel book from a noteworthy company (such as Fodders, Rick Steves, Lonely Planet, Frommers, etc.) would likely provide you as much, if not vastly more, relevant information for your trip to Denmark.

Again, this was not easy for me to write. Simply, I felt such disappointment with the book that I felt it necessitated a critical comment.

INTRO:

I recently purchased this book (pocket size) for myself as I am getting ready to visit and meet my fiance's relatives in Denmark (Danmark in dansk; DK for short). I have been trying to educate myself on what it means/feels/encompases to be Danish (important for myself and future family) and have been reading up online (wikipedia, visitdenmark - the official tourist site, etc.) and talking with friends and loved ones. This was the best book as such that I could find and understand & learn more about Danes (and their uniqueness apart from the rest of Scandinavia).

AUTHOR (from the little insert prologue):

Mark Salmon grew up in Ireland, is a Jurist and Educator. Has an M.A. in English Literature, and immigrated to Denmark in 1998, where he workds as a TEFL teacher specializing in Business English, and as a translator and cultural consultant. Has also traveled extensively throughout DK and Europe.

CONTENT:

The book is well organized (logical fashion), with a lot of information (relevant or trivia, but very contemporary) that is VERY UP TO DATE and outlined in the following chapters:

1) Land and People

2) Values and Attitudes

3) Customs and Traditions

4) Making Friends

5) The Danes at Home

6) Time Out

7) Travelling

8) Business Briefing

9) Communicating

While perusing the book before buying it, there were a few things that stood out and confirmed the worth of spending the money:

* very relevant and contemporary information on the CULTURE and CUSTOMS of Danes and Denmark today.

* very well written prose (not infused by impression and personal opinions, but rather of concrete observations and well-rounded living experience in Danish society).

* fun to read (each chapter has numerous sub-sections that are terse yet with a lot of condensed and relevant information).

CONCLUSION:

If you are interested in understanding the peculiar culture/life/identity of Danish or their countryland (apart from the rest of Scandinavia) shop no more. This booklet will save you money, time, and is also very entertaining. The Danes seem to have created a fairytale land for themselves. Learn how. (for my travels I'm going to supplement it with Frommer's guide, and Eyewitness Travel Guide on Danmark. I was told that the "Xenophobe's guide to the Danes" is also worth reading.

I bought this book along with several other books for a month-long trip to Denmark. I was staying with four families that I had never met, rather than staying in hotels, and I wanted to make sure I knew the proper etiquette. I found the information in this book to be spot-on, and very helpful. This is definately the book to purchase if you want to know more about the people of Denmark.