The Scotlands of Denmark Posted by Bjørn A. Bojesen on Sep 27, 2014
Last week the people in Scotland voted no to becoming a country independent from the United Kingdom. For some people in faraway countries, it was maybe the first time they saw the Scottish flag or even heard about Scotland. I want to make sure that you, i det mindste (at least), hear about the parts…
5 most shocking Danish artworks Posted by Bjørn A. Bojesen on Aug 31, 2014
A sizeable number of Danish kunstnere (artists) seem to think that kunst (art) is all about provocation. The more people you can provokere (provoke), the better. I’ve never been able to figure out why this is so, but here are 5 really provocative Danish works of art (or ”art”, if you prefer!) NB! I’ve left…
The Battle of Stereotypes Posted by Bjørn A. Bojesen on Aug 30, 2014
”Jylland, du er hovedlandet”. Jutland, you’re the main country. Ever since Danish national bard H.C. Andersen wrote those words (in 1859), people from Sjælland (Zealand) have resented him for it. Andersen himself was from Fyn (Funen), the middle island, but spent most of his career in København, so why couldn’t he see that the island…
Birthdays in Denmark Posted by Bjørn A. Bojesen on Jul 31, 2014
Tillykke med fødselsdagen! (Happy birthday!) Since July is crowded with birthdays in my family, I thought it would be nice ending the month with some facts about fødselsdagsfejring (birthday celebration) in Denmark. Danes are the most birthday-obsessed people I’ve come across yet. For many børn (children) their fødselsdag is just as important as jul…
Danish Lessons with Mick Jagger Posted by Bjørn A. Bojesen on Jul 27, 2014
Mennesker i alle afskygninger. Telte og lejre/camps. En stor, blå himmel. Orange Scene. Øl og rytmer. Kærlighed. Venskab. Skænderier. Nætter uden søvn. Sved og gammelt tøj. Nøgenløb. Støv. Urin. Fællesskab. Latter. Solbriller. Armbånd. Masser af musik. (People of every shade/kind. Tents and camps. A big, blue sky. The Orange Stage. Beer and rhythms. Love. Friendship…
A love letter to the Danish sky Posted by Bjørn A. Bojesen on Jun 30, 2014
Everybody knows that Denmark is not Copacabana. Does such a sad thing as the Danish himmel, where all that cold regn [rhyne] (rain) originates, really deserve a kærlighedsbrev (love-letter)? Well, take a look at the classical oil paintings of Skagensmalerne (the Skagen painters). P.S. Krøyer, Mickael Ancher, Anna Ancher and the others – they were all…
Mind your inversion Posted by Bjørn A. Bojesen on Jun 29, 2014
Danish grammar has a tiny detail that always gives away foreigners: Inversion. That basically means that in some situations you have to change the word order, and if you forget to do that in those situations, well, then you sound like a foreigner… 🙂 There’s inversion in English too. To make a phrase like “you are…