A review by pearlgenius
Childhood, Youth, Dependency: The Copenhagen Trilogy by Tove Ditlevsen

5.0

One of my favourite reads of this year; this memoir of Tove Ditlevsen's life is remarkable. Each part was more engrossing than the last, I found myself wanting to know everything about this woman's life. I did a thorough google search afterwards. Her life growing up in Copenhagen before, during, and after the war was a heartbreaking and yet somewhat relatable story. Maybe not relatable but pensive?? Her descriptions and recollections of her childhood are unique as they aren't the classic happy tale as most remember, but a kind of gloomy look on her life. It's understandable as her life living in poverty and struggling with classism at a young age is something that is outstanding in her memory, which is what makes her section on childhood that much more memorable. Her constant drive for poetry was inspiring, as a young woman in the 20th century she paints a clear picture about the struggle to be taken as a serious poet during that time. But she worked continuously hard through her troubles with family and friends, and became successful. Not to mention, to go through an addiction and write about such a difficult time with such honesty and clarity is a kind of strength and power most people don't have. Her writing is beautiful and the descriptions of her life as she grew up was so immersive I felt like I was there on the streets of Vesterbro. An unforgettable book, and one I think everyone should read.