Early Spring (Women in Translation Series) (Paperback)

~ (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review

For three years, Tove Ditlevsen, one of Denmark's favorite writers, was unable to write. Then six words appeared to her: "in the morning there was hope." These became the first words of her autobiography, Early Spring, fitting for a book that spares the reader none of the squalid details of Tove Ditlevsen's first eighteen years, yet is filled with beauty and aspirations. Tove Ditlevsen grew up in a Danish working-class neighborhood, the child of constantly arguing and often impoverished parents. There was no physical privacy, and yet her way of thinking and love of words kept her apart from her harsh and domineering mother, her father who loved her yet told her that "girls can't be poets," and her friends who were mostly interested in sex and stealing. While the details of her life can be harsh, Tove Ditlevsen portrays her neighborhood and family with well-considered love: "Down in the bottom of my childhood my father stands laughing. He's big and black and old like the stove, but there is nothing about him that I'm afraid of." Telling her story primarily through the consciousness of herself as a child and then as an adolescent, Tove Ditlevsen recreates the naive, touching egotism of her youth. -- For great reviews of books for girls, check out Let's Hear It for the Girls: 375 Great Books for Readers 2-14. -- From 500 Great Books by Women; review by Erica Bauermeister

Language Notes

Text: English, Danish (translation)

Product Details

• Paperback: 227 pages
• Publisher: Seal Pr; 1st edition (May 1985)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0931188288
• ISBN-13: 978-0931188282
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #265,632 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a great book for those interested in autobiography!, April 23, 1998

By	Angie Baker ([e-mail] ) (USA) - See all my reviews

This is one of my favorite books. I read it for a course in college about Scandanavain women. it is so funny and touching. You will just fly through it. Good for people who like autobiographies, and women's writing.