House and Home

Helle Helle

Original title: Hus og hjem
Publisher: Samleren, Denmark , 1999
Genre: Novel

House and Home is Helle Helle’s first published novel about a group of young people who in their otherwise open and unrestrained time together have difficulty truly relating to each other. Anne returns to her childhood town after many years in Copenhagen. With her boyfriend, Anders, she has bought a house but he will join her later. While waiting, she plans to paint and decorate but she isn’t really getting anywhere.

Her two old schoolfriends then greet her gladly. Other people in town, however, have difficulty remembering her and her deceased parents. Her neighbor, Jens, a young unmarried pastor, attracts her attention in a way that does not fit into her plans for the future.

Foreign rights

Norwegian: Forlaget Oktober

God almighty! To think that people still write like this: Crystal clear realism with vibrant undertones. Everyday life and ecstasy. A classy romantic novel. From today onwards Helle Helle is more than just a talent.”

Ekstra Bladet

Sentence after sentence, chapter after chapter Helle Helle provides a supreme overview of how we talk and react, what our dreams are
made of and what we miss. I have no doubt: This is the best novel this year.

Bogens Verden

Helle Helle

Photo by Mikkel Carl

Helle Helle (b. 1965) is a graduate of the Danish Academy of Creative Writing and the author of a number of novels as well as two collections of short fiction. She is one of Scandinavia’s most original writers, with a career spanning three decades, from her debut Example of Life (1993) to her most recent novel, Hafni Says, published to rave reviews in 2023. Her books have been translated into 24 languages.