Childhood by Tove Ditlevsen | A Danish Classic

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[@TheArtisanGeek]

Thanks so much for all of the support on my recent videos! I took the day off (had a splendid nap and listened to a lot of good music :)), but will be getting back to your messages in the evening :) Take care! xx

[@ChristyLuisDostoevskyinSpace]

Yay for naps 😋 I hope you are getting enough sleep rn despite the stressors of the time. Take care 🙏

[@hjrian]

Good on you!

[@amysquie]

I'd love to know what music you're into and discover some new musicians as well as books 🙂

[@denisecurrie4555]

I love the different assortment of books you read, and the way you read the quotes. Have you thought about being an audiobook narrator?

[@TheArtisanGeek]

Thank you very much! I haven't actually considered becoming a narrator, because in reality I stutter and stumble frequently over words (I always have to edit out a lot lol)

[@zainabkhawaja92]

100%!!!!

[@hjrian]

You have a lovely reading voice. Such a pleasure to listen to.

[@TheArtisanGeek]

Thank you very much! I'm flattered :)

[@nonayoung8177]

I agree. You have a lovely voice

[@ChristyLuisDostoevskyinSpace]

"Ow, my eye is so itchy!" 😂 You are adorable. Oooh, I bet a poet's eye would bring a lot to a memoir. Thank you for pulling so many lovely quotes in this review! I love faith themes in fiction.

[@TheArtisanGeek]

Ah thank you haha!! xx And yes, that's so true. I love reading longer works by poets -- their care for words and lyricism really shines through :)

[@frederikkeblicher7232]

Danish person here! so glad u read that book! i love it

[@NububuChan]

Danish person here, and I didn't know about this book (though the author name sounds very familiar) - thanks for talking about it on your channel!

[@TheArtisanGeek]

My absolute pleasure - thank you for watching! :D

[@kittykatb007]

Maya Angelou biographies are among the few nonfiction works I have wanted to read. Her poems have such great rhythm the I bet bleeds into her regular writing.

[@TheArtisanGeek]

Oh yeah it totally does! She is the first poet that managed to give me chills (Still I rise), can't wait to go through her entire memoir! :D

[@lydiajines95]

Thank you for reading those passages, they really capture all of the comments you made about the book. It seems like a beautiful but heartbreaking book.

[@TheArtisanGeek]

It's my absolute pleasure, thank you for watching! And yes, those were some of the passages I was definitely moved by the most -- it's so true, beautiful but heartbreaking

[@427ang]

I love the beauty of your vintage style in the video, love your soothing voice, and your channel content. Ive just discovered it. Greetings from Poland. I must also say that i hadn’t been aware of discriminating black booktubers in the community. It’s so sad. I just watched a few videos about it that popped out, probably because of the tragic recent events. Sending my love.

[@TheArtisanGeek]

Dziękuję bardzo!! :) Yeah it's a topic that pops up now and then, but in reality it really is part of a bigger problem within the entire publishing industry -- really hoping for it to change!

[@lollythegiant]

Enjoyed this very much. The bits you highlight are very impactful

[@TheArtisanGeek]

Thank you, I'm so glad to hear that :) And yes some of them gave me absolute chills reading them

[@molliesreading6629]

Your voice is gorgeous, I literally got ASMR just listening to you read lol. I absolutely love translated works, so thank you for mentioning this book! I'll be sure to check it out!

[@TheArtisanGeek]

Yay! So stoked that I could pique your interest :D Why thank you very much, glad to hear my voice is soothing haha :)

[@ct1493]

These books are amazing! And I have heard no one in the reading community talking about them let alone KZbin. I really hope you continue reading the trilogy because the books just keep getting better. The final instalment made me cry like no other book has in years, it is immensely tragic and beautiful. I recommend the next two books VERY highly! :) Thank you for having such a passion for reading it makes me feel like I'm not the only one in this generation who loves reading. I love your videos!

[@ameliareads589]

That's interesting to year, because I finished this one lately and wasn't very much into it.

[@kymberlycourage]

Yes yes yes to Maya Angelou's 7 book autobiography. It is beautifully written 👏🏾👏🏾 Will definitely be checking Childhood out.

[@TheArtisanGeek]

That's so awesome you've read it! Have you read the other as well? I would love to start with book one, but I currently only have the seventh one at my disposal. Great to hear that you'll be checking out Childhood :)

[@kymberlycourage]

I’ve only read the autobiography and some of her poems. Haven’t managed to read her complete poetry yet. When you do decide to read it, take your time with it. In my opinion, Maya is one of the best out there as is Toni Morrison. Both write with poetic flow(obviously because they’re poets😂) 💖

[@nakulluthra2778]

And also watch her film. It’s called Down in the Delta. Beautiful, the only film she wrote and directed as far as I’m aware :)

[@SlothLinn]

Thank you for this! I am Norwegian, but even though I am a fellow Scandinavian, I had not heard of Tove Ditlefsen. This sounded very good, so I will definitely try to read it!

[@TheArtisanGeek]

It's my absolute pleasure, thank you for watching! And that's so cool! I have actually been looking into Norwegian/Scandinavian literature quite recently. I'm considering getting some work of Tarjei Vesaas, Knut Hamsun and Sigrid Undset - if you have any suggestions I would love to hear them :)

[@karenmarie2750]

Another Norwegian here! I really adored "Else" by Alexander Kielland (he's very famous in norway). It's very political. I dont know if the english translation is any good though/if its easly avalible.. I really love your rewievs by the way!

[@SlothLinn]

@@TheArtisanGeek Ooh, these are all good ones! Knut Hamsun used to be required reading in Norwegian schools, though not anymore, because most people can't stomach his style of writing (somewhat old fashioned and lengthy), but I enjoyed his 'Victoria', despite being a little too young at the time to enjoy the genre properly. Tarjei Vesaas made a big influence on Norwegian poetry, and Sigrid Undset is still popular today. Her 'Housewife', and the 'Kristin Lavransdatter' series are great classics. Lastly, Karen Marie's suggestion 'Else' by Alexander Kielland is also a great suggestion.

[@TheArtisanGeek]

Thank you!! I see that there is an English translation of his works, so I'm guessing Else should be in there. Will have to go check that out, thank you so much and I'm so happy to hear you enjoy my content :D

[@TheArtisanGeek]

Oh that's so interesting to hear! I'm interested in how Hamsun's writing style will translate to English. Thank you so much for the information, this all so helpful!! :)

[@jordanwaterwash2250]

thank you so much for actually reading from the book haha i watch so many reviews without any indication of what the book actually reads/sounds like and im like "how is this supposed to help me decide if i want to read it or not if i don't know what the writing is like???"

[@TheArtisanGeek]

It's my absolute pleasure!! I'm glad that the excerpt were of help! :D

[@alpaykasal2902]

a quick comment to say your readings are always a pleasure. Thank you!

[@TheArtisanGeek]

Thank you so very much! It's very much appreciated!!

[@FormerlyknownasPonti]

You have COMPLETELY broadened my bookish horizons. Thank you for making such amazing content and for being the light that you are ❤️

[@kialazyeyereader1822]

Omg! I NEVER See people read Ditlevsen and she is sooo amazing, and she makes me so proud to be Danish ☺🥰 You are amazing btw! So glade I found your channel!

[@TheArtisanGeek]

She's splendid!! Thank you very much, glad that you found me :D

[@EricKarlAnderson]

It's so wonderful hearing you discuss this! I read the first part of this trilogy last year and loved it too. You've reminded me I need to get back and read the next two parts. Wonderful to hear you reading sections. I agree, she writes such an intensity of feeling.

[@TheArtisanGeek]

Thank you Eric! I'm so glad you enjoyed it as well -- very much looking forward to your thoughts whenever you pick them up :)

[@robotnic]

Lovely review! I'm a huge fan of this trilogy, as you said she has such a lyrical and sensory prose style that really draws you in. They get quite dark as they go on but it's amazing how she is able to continue to draw on the emotions she had at the time of those experiences. My favourite moment in Childhood was when she went to the library and the librarian told her how to pronounce Victor Hugo's name, then when she corrected her dad's pronunciation later he dismissed her, saying it's pretentious to pronounce words any way other than how they are spelled. That was such a universal working class moment.

[@willrichardson519]

Incredibly ironic given that spoken Danish has apparently evolved many vowel shifts from the time writing/spelling was first codified at the dawn of the print era.

[@melissamybubbles6139]

That book does have a lovely writing style.

[@QuestLegacy]

This sounds beautiful and your reading of the passages enhance the power there as well!

[@bellasgonemissing9705]

definitely want to read this now, thanks for making reviews! and your voice is so calming omg

[@deanie3824]

I haven't read a memoir in a while but even from the quotes it sounds much different than what I've read before!

[@TheArtisanGeek]

Yeah, I have dabbled in memoirs before, but have never read something like this one before - makes sense that Penguin called this a genre-bending book! :)

[@aslavetomybones]

Hi there, I only found out about this author today. I am drawn to biographies/memoirs of difficult and even depressing lives, so I pre - purchased the trilogy that comes out as a single book in November. That was a great outline of the book - subscribed.

[@KierTheScrivener]

I have not read any Danish books so I'll have to check this out. I am just getting more and more into memoirs. I Know Where The Caged Birds Sing is incredible. I always had a strong faith to my parents and I've never seen it depicted that way in fiction or nonfiction Loved hearing your thoughts!

[@TheArtisanGeek]

Oh yeah I am eager to get my hands on more of Angelou's work - I've heard great things about that one in particular! Thanks so much for watching :D

[@bookishshenanigans4769]

I bought this recently for my birthday so you've made me excited to read it! Love your shirt by the way.

[@TheArtisanGeek]

Oh that's lovely!! Would love to hear your thoughts whenever you pick it up!! :D Thanks so much -- it's one of my favourite shirts :D

[@dominicmacsuibhne3539]

This is why I love youtube. Such great content ❤

[@batlavender]

Thank you for another beautiful review! I love that you include quotes, because hearing an author’s use of language makes it easier to decide how to prioritize their work in my ever expanding TBR.

[@TheArtisanGeek]

It's my pleasure, thank you so much for watching! Oh yeah I love quoting stuff, I feel it's easier to explain stuff like that -- I'm happy to hear it's helpful :)

[@lesego1503]

I just want to know why KZbin has not been suggesting the black booktubers that I've been needing to see (we know why but it's so frustrating) anyway. Glad you finally made your way onto my KZbin algorithm and I'm definitely subscribing.

[@TheArtisanGeek]

lmao I literally put 'black booktuber' as a tag in every video, I guess the KZbin algorithm thought it wasn't meant to be until now XD Glad you found me! :D

[@asksyealer]

Ohhhh I saw that this book recently got translated and published in Dutch as well! (By 'Das Mag' I believe) They hyped it up sooooo much, it's been on my TBR ever since :)

[@TheArtisanGeek]

Yeah I think it came out a couple of days ago :) I have been thinking about doing a Dutch review, but don't want to spend the money to buy the book just so I can quote the passages lmao XD

[@ShiminMushsharat]

Sounds amazing! I recently started reading more autobiographical books and the childhood parts are my favourites. Thank you for the beautiful review!

[@TheArtisanGeek]

Yeah it's so interesting on learning how much one's childhood has shaped them! Really looking forward to reading more memoirs :D

[@ShiminMushsharat]

@@TheArtisanGeek :D

[@elenathegreat]

I love your shirt!!! I had never heard of this before but it sounds great, adding to my TBR

[@TheArtisanGeek]

Thank you! It's one of my favourites :D Glad to have been able to introduce you to it :D

[@BB-kd8bs]

Thanks so much for sharing this Danish classic with us! It sounds excellent. I’m going to see if I can find it later cause I don’t think I’ve ever read a Danish book before.

[@TheArtisanGeek]

It's my absolute pleasure! It's my first Danish book as well -- hungry to read more! :D

[@SixMinutesForMe]

I keep seeing these covers on bookstagram, they’re so gorgeous! 😍 I admittedly hadn’t heard anything about the author so appreciate you sharing 🙏💖

[@TheArtisanGeek]

Yeah they are super cute aren't they! It really fits with the tenderness of the book - I'm glad I could introduce you to Ditlevsen Jaclyn!! xx

[@drawyourbook876]

I love the memoir series of maya angelou! The first quote you read was beautiful :)

[@TheArtisanGeek]

So excited to give it a go! :D And yeah I was flabbergasted when I first read it! :)

[@mindysbookjourney]

This memoir sounds really interesting. The passages sound really beautiful and sad.

[@wandguardnoodle]

I'm really enjoying your classics videos!

[@kialazyeyereader1822]

Just a tip: if you would like to experience Tove Ditlevsens poems as songs in her original language I recommend listening to Barndommens Gade by Anne Linnet 🙂 it's close to being my favourite song 🙂

[@mradcaqbdb]

Great video! The readings you did really make me interested to read this myself. I’m adding the trilogy to my list. Thanks!

[@TheArtisanGeek]

Thank you very much! I'm so happy to hear that - I hope you'll enjoy it if you find a chance to read it :D

[@ONYXPages]

Watching!!! 🙅🏾‍♀️

[@ONYXPages]

Thank you for another lovely video. You’re a gem, fam!

[@TheArtisanGeek]

Thank you Njeri!! xx

[@the_midnight_hour]

Compliment on your reading, because your voice is very soothing and relaxing. I could listen for hours... I never heard of Ditlevsen, until I came across her somewhere online. Memoirs are a bit overlooked, at least I read them too scarcely, although I absolutely love this genre. Her writing seems wonderful, so captivating, tender and sentimental.

[@TheArtisanGeek]

Thank you so very much! And yes, I am in the same boat -- will definitely be seeking them out more in the future :)

[@butchpoetics5096]

im definitely going to add this to my tbr!

[@TheArtisanGeek]

So happy to hear that! I hope you will enjoy it as much as I did, if you end up giving it a go! :D

[@AdyGrafovna]

This sounds interesting. Beautiful reading. As always, I enjoy your thoughtful review. I really appreciate how you read passages to support the points of the review. You must annotate a lot in your books.

[@TheArtisanGeek]

Thank you so very much! I definitely felt it was a book that deserved its own video to shine :) And you're right! My books are always full of scribbles lol, it slows down my reading a lot, but it's so worth the effort - especially going back after some time and rereading my thoughts :)

[@faib.9338]

I only read French classics*being French myself* but the way you talk about this classic really makes me want to read it👌🏽😊

[@TheArtisanGeek]

Oh that's so cool! There is so much French work I would love to read, but hasn't been translated to English or Dutch (yet). Honestly, I am finding so many gems in classics from all over the world recently. I read an Uruguayan one last week and absolutely loved it :)

[@faib.9338]

@@TheArtisanGeek You should try Albert Camus i know that some of his books was translated in English. His most famous book its "The Outsider" in english *my favorite book from this author!🧡* I also started to read more african classics and as an african myself its a shame that I know more European classics than African classics🤦🏽‍♀️

[@TheArtisanGeek]

Oh yeah I have seen his plague book floating around recently, because of lockdown. I have put The Outsider on my list, thank you very much - it sounds like a really good book! :D And yeah I totally feel you! I am trying to pick them up as well, would love to hear if you have any recommendations! Hopefully I'll be able to start reading The Posthumous Memoirs of Brás Cubas soon, it sounds so good! xx

[@faib.9338]

@@TheArtisanGeek I studied this novel in high school and it had moved me! I read it almost every year! As I saw that you like non-fiction I recommend you the works of Aime Cesaire. He was an Afro-Caribbean intellectual and politician who created with other intelectual a new African literary movement in France called "la negritude". He is such an inspiring man that I cant get enough of his books, his memoirs and his poems. On the fiction side I recommend the great Aminata Sow Fall especially with her novel translated in English "The beggars strike". I fell in love with her writing. And finally, I recently read a novel by Abdoulaye Mamani "Sarraouina" and I am sure you can find it in English. I'm waiting to see your new videos because you have a wonderful way of speaking!🧡

[@TheArtisanGeek]

Thank you so very much for the recommendations, will definitely be looking into them! And I'm so glad to hear that you enjoy my videos, thank you very much! :D xx

[@heyimsasa]

thank you so much for another great review! also adorable style~ you're such an icon 💖

[@evam6961]

I just subbed to your channel after watching couple of your videos and now this new video right away in my sub box, love the timing 👌

[@TheArtisanGeek]

Oh what a coincidence haha! Thank you so much for subscribing!! :D

[@sleepingwtlo]

Thank you for sharing this review - have pre-ordered a collection of the series!

[@TheArtisanGeek]

It's my absolute pleasure! I'm so glad you're interested in them as well! :D

[@imperatrice211]

Loved this! I've never heard about this book but it sounds amazing!

[@TheArtisanGeek]

Thank you for watching! And yeah, me neither! Stumbled upon it a while ago, when I was scavenging for books online haha :)

[@MilenaReads]

I have never heard of her. I love how full your bookshelves are, haha.

[@TheArtisanGeek]

Yeah me neither! The Dutch translation came out a couple of days though. And thank you haha! :D

[@MilenaReads]

The Artisan Geek oh really?? Well, in that case I should really get to know her work better.

[@Laura-gg4zo]

I absolutely love hearing you read, you should do a kind of asmr reading vid🤩🤩

[@TheArtisanGeek]

Thank you hahah!!!

[@maryap8821]

I've been wanting to read this book and your beautiful review just pushed me to order it right away :) xxx

[@TheArtisanGeek]

Oh I'm so happy to hear that!! Thank you so much for watching! :D

[@uttaraification]

hello from India. I am presently reading this book, and your review pointed some very important things. Thank you !

[@brookemercer2886]

Beautiful review!

[@TheArtisanGeek]

Thank you very much!! :D

[@rebeccamtb]

Great thoughtful review, thanks! I read this a few months ago and really enjoyed it, it was a library copy and now I'm impatiently waiting for the libraries to re-open so I can get to the other two in the trilogy. I've heard great things especially about the third one, Gift/Dependency.

[@TheArtisanGeek]

Thank you very much! I'm glad you enjoyed it as well! We unfortunately don't have many books in English at our library, so I always have to buy them, really looking forward to getting the other two :)

[@joaocarneiro6604]

Hello! I think you would highly enjoy Patti Smith's memoir "Just Kids" then! Have a nice day!

[@TheArtisanGeek]

Heya! Oh I'll look into that one - thank you! Hope you have a nice day as well :D

[@mariem.7498]

Thank you for this great video (from a shy subscriber)! I am just like you, I don't really like memoirs but you definitely made me want to give this one a try! :) I also love when you read out loud! Please make an audiobook one day :D

[@TheArtisanGeek]

Thank you so very much for watching -- the pleasure is always mine :) I'm so happy to hear that, her work is really stunning. Thank you! :D

[@kathleenmaloney4255]

You have a lovely voice. Audible should know about you!

[@TheArtisanGeek]

Ah that's very kind of you to say! Thank you very much! :D

[@TheBlackCinephile]

This isn't related to the video, but you have such a soothing voice and I'm in love with your top!

[@TheArtisanGeek]

That's so kind of you to say - thank you so much! :D

[@rosieannereads2720]

this book doesn't necessarily sounds like something i would usually pick up but you might actually awoke some interest in me! i also absolutely love the way you reviewed this book :)

[@TheArtisanGeek]

Oh yay! I'm happy to hear that! I was actually in the same boat - now that I think of it I have no idea what really compelled me to pick up this book lol, but I am glad I did! Thanks so much for watching and I am glad to hear you enjoyed my review :)

[@Tia_MB]

If you ever thought about narrating audiobooks, I would say go for it!!!

[@TheArtisanGeek]

Thank you!! I've been dabbling with it on my channel actually - did a short story by Hans Christian Anderson some time ago :)

[@nonayoung8177]

I just found you. Your reviews are very good. I will try to find you on Patreon. Would like to join your book group. !

[@lostinabookbrb]

Do you do audiobook work? I liked the way you've read the passages of Childhood. I haven't heard of this book or author but I'm going to see if they are available on my library apps.

[@TheArtisanGeek]

No I don't, but recently I have been finding it exceedingly more enjoyable to read poetry out loud :D Thank you very much, I'm glad I was able to pique your interest in the book :)

[@Cris-kt9df]

😊

[@readingwithlaurane2490]

You reading aloud is so soothing! Ditlevsen's writing also helps.. It sounds.. pink/purple pastel.. does that make sense? Or is it just because the cover is that colour? Her relationship with her peers is so sad. I feel for her!

[@TheArtisanGeek]

Oh yeah I know exactly what you mean, I actually had pastel and dark blue in my mind whilst reading haha! And yeah it was so said, she seemed like such a gentle soul in a really harsh world :/

[@JA-xe5tl]

I have such a hard time reading memoirs. Maybe I just haven’t found the right one. I love the idea of them, but nonfiction is tricky for me

[@TheArtisanGeek]

Yeah I feel the same way. This one was so well written (and short lol) though, it felt like fiction -- personally, Childhood has been the most accessible piece of nonfiction I have ever read.

[@IguessImight]

Hello there! I am super curious, as a reader who reads in multiple languages (English, Dutch, French) as well: how do you pick the language in which you read translated works? For instance, I read Elena Ferrante's work in French because I feel like it is closer to the original Italian; similarly, I would pick up German and Scandinavian books translated in Dutch rather than English. I don't know if it is very founded - but I am super interested in your opinion about this! Thank you for your video. I look forward to picking this one up :)

[@TheArtisanGeek]

Oh that's a great way to go about it! Usually I look at the availability of the translations. If it's not in English, I'll go for Dutch, then German, then French etc. :) Price also plays a roll, I have recently been buying more German manga because it is significantly cheaper than the English translated ones :)

[@cheepink683]

Please read Maya Angelou. I have read the 1st 2. The 2nd 2 are on my bookshelf. I NEED to hear someone's opinions. Haha spoiler alert: I loved them

[@millie9814]

(Sorry for the long comment and I learned english by myself so...) Crazy how only now youtube is recommending booktube videos from black creators to me. I'm brazilian btw but I watch videos in english to keep my english sharp and because I like the content and learn a lot from people all over the world. I looove your style and I wish I had known your channel sooner and for other reasons, but still, I'm here for the content and for you as a person, I have no idea but if I try, i can imagine that it must be at least a bit frustrating for people to talk about your work only under a "diversity" lense. This is why I don't wish to live outside Brazil and be seen as a "brazilian" instead of an unique person. Anyways, would you be so kind to tell me if you have read "where the crawdads sing?" or plan to read? I never saw a book with so many reviews on Amazon before! I'm reading it about 1/4 through and I'm scared it's gonna be so good I'm going to leave a review on Amazon too, like a zombie "must leave review" hahaha

[@TheArtisanGeek]

Oh no worries at all - and your English is excellent! Yeah it's been weird living in sort of the shadows on here, but I'm glad you found me hahah :) Thank you so very much, I have heard about that book before, would love to give it a go if I can get my hands on it. Glad to hear you're enjoying it! Happy reading!! ✨