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The Xenophobe's Guide to the
Danes
by Helen Dyrbye, Steven Harris
and Thomas Golzen
A guide to understanding the Danes that
highlights their character and behaviour with warmth
and wit.
The
Xenophobe's Guide to the Danes
is now available on Kindle
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STORE UK
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| Everything in
moderation |
| Denmark is a
land of modesty and moderation. This is largely
a consequence of the Danes' sense of social
responsibility. The touchstone of any activity
or point of view is whether it is samfundsrelevant,
that is, socially useful. |
| That's not
funny |
| Danish humour suffers from
the handicap of the Danes' literal-mindedness
('Can you play the violin?' 'I don't know, I've
never tried.'), and for their need to conform.
In a country where all right-thinking people
think the right things, no-one is sufficiently
different to laugh at. |
| Combined forces |
| Danes co-operate. Lego
comes from the Danish words leg godt which means
'play well', and this is just what the Danes are
good at. They get along well with other people.
In any brochure translated for the world market,
the word 'co-operation' will appear at least
three times per page along with a generous
sprinkling of 'joint ventures'. |
| Frankly
speaking |
| They say what they think
about sex, politics, religion, everything. Small
talk can assume monstrous proportions. They will
tell you frankly how much their mortgage is, how
much they earn per hour and whether or not they
shave their armpits. |
| I laughed till I cried. After
two years in Denmark this book still managed to
provide insights into the Danes. I find myself
quoting it when trying to describe Denmark to
others ... and even to my Danish boyfriend ..
His constant 'you mean other people don't do
that' was only interrupted by his laughter. |
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Copenhagen, Denmark
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| Amazing book. The three authors
are 100% attuned to the Danes. They get the
Danish humor right. We could not have written it
better ourselves, really! So, if you are going
to Denmark, or need an introduction to the
Danes, this is the book to get. |
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Denmark
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I admit to being a Dane, and
reading this book my reactions alternated
between amused pride and sincere embarrassment
as I saw one layer after another of our national
character accurately dissected - but most of all
I laughed!
This book has a wonderful energetic sense of
irony and humour, combined with a deep insight
into the Danish culture and mentality. The only
objection I have to some of the conclusions and
observations is that they are rather obviously
made in Copenhagen and apply the best to Danes
from the capital. Denmark is a small country,
but there is still some regional variance in our
culture. For instance, people in Jutland have a
better sense of humour than those in Copenhagen.
I think a Copenhagen Dane might have laughed
less...
If you are going to Denmark, if you have
travelled or lived there for a while, if you
hate us, love us, or feel puzzled about us, or
if you are a Dane yourself, you will almost
certainly enjoy this book! |
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Denmark
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| ...it has been used as a
textbook in a Danish Business School's cultural
understanding classes and the Danish AIESEC (the
world's largest student organisation) offers
this series to all students participating in
their international traineeship exchange
programme. What more recommendation do you need. |
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Cape Town, South Africa
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| This is a book written by
people who know us well and view us with a
mixture of kindness, indulgence, scepticism and
quirky humour. |
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Information, Denmark
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Nationalism and Identity
Character
Attitudes and Values
Happy Families
Manners and Behaviour
Leisure and Pleasure
Drinking and Eating
Custom and Tradition
Sense of Humour
Culture
Systems
Culture
Systems
Business and Commerce
Government
Language |
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Authors: Helen
Dyrbye,
Steven Harris
and Author:
Thomas Golzen
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| Format: 96 pages,
pb |
| Published: 24/07/2008 |
| NEW EDITION |
| Price: £4.99 |
| ISBN: 978-1-906042-27-1 |
| Online eBook. Click on
button below to sample. |
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