A Line in the World

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A celebrated Danish writer delves into the unsung histories and geographies of her cherished region. With her notebook in hand and a love for the wild, she embarks on a journey along the North Sea coast, from Skagen to the Frisian Islands in the Wadden Sea. In fourteen expansive essays, she explores the history, geography, and culture of the places she visits while reflecting on her childhood and her family's ties to the area, as well as her move from Copenhagen. The narrative touches on the ritual burning of witch effigies on Midsummer’s Eve, the environmental activist who fought against a chemical factory in the 1950s, and the transformation of quiet fishing villages into the surfing destination known as Cold Hawaii since the 1970s. Connections are drawn between wind turbines and Viking ships, thirteenth-century church frescoes, and her mother’s unrealized dreams. She vividly describes nature's power through strong waves, sand drifts, storm surges, and shipwrecks. Through her deep engagement with this unique landscape, the work addresses universal themes of civilization, belonging, and change—both personal and communal—as well as the inevitability of change in life on Earth.