An unusual glimpse of 20th-century Denmark

Abstract

The history of Danish dreams is a family saga set in 20^th century Denmark. The novel details the fate of a handful of characters from different social backgrounds, whose lives become intertwined. A central idea in the novel is the uncertain flow of time that can be controlled by people, and mutually, that controls people. The suspension of the natural laws of time is closely attached to the suspension of another physical point of orientation: places.  In this article I analyse The history of Danish dreams by Peter Høeg following the theoretical framework on places and non-places of Marc Augé and Yi-Fu Tuan; and on the significance of time in literature of Paul Ricoeur and Patricia Waugh. An investigation of the critique of colonial practices and the use of mimicry in the novel are also part of the analysis. The aim of the article is to connect the special role of place and time to the creation of magical events in the novel.