Pastries, Bacon and Beer — No Way Back
A guest post by Fi Benson
I have never been to Denmark and until recently my knowledge of all things Danish was limited to pastries, bacon and beer.
But that has changed since browsing in my local library and coming across a book with such a compelling title (to me) that I had to take it out and read it. No Way Back is written by Theodor Fontane and translated from the German by Hugh Rorrison and Helen Chambers (Angel Classics, 2010).
The story tells of the happenings that befall the eccentric Count Holk, member of an old German Schleswig family and gentleman-in-waiting to a Danish royal princess.
The tragi-comic style of the writing and the nature of Holk’s bizarre behaviours make this an enchanting read, but it is the context in which the tale is set — Copenhagen and Schleswig-Holstein on the eve of the Prussian takeover of the region — and the relationship of the characters to that context, that has had the biggest impact on me, evoking a strong sense of empathy between myself and the main characters.
An empathy that doesn’t arise because I have experienced national occupation, because thankfully I haven’t. But when the people in the story are talking about ‘Old Denmark’ , I understand fully their passion and affections for the traditions and heritage of their birthplace .
Since my sister took up genealogy over a decade ago I have held a deepened interest in the local rituals and social geography that combine with national and global states of affairs to create the ‘story’ of any particular place. Inspired by my sister’s activities I have undertaken ongoing informal research into the heritage and evolved culture of the north-east of England, my home region. Extending beyond this, whenever I visit other areas of the UK or abroad I love to find and explore the ‘old parts’ of these areas, to see what facets of their story I can find.
No Way Back allowed me to enjoy the feeling of being linked to people in a country that up until reading the book I hadn’t thought much about. The book kindled in me an interest in Denmark beyond its contemporary exports.
My appreciation goes out further to translator Helen Chambers for her interesting and informative ‘Afterword’, through which I became sufficiently acquainted with and intrigued by Fontane and his role in German literature, to make me want to seek out further translations of his work.
What about you? Have you ever been inspired by a work of fiction to explore the history of another country? Or have you felt strong links to a previously unfamiliar culture? Tell us about it.
Fi Benson is a writer & dramatist based in the Forest of Dean, England. Her plays and sketches have been performed in theatres around the UK and she performs her own poetry and prose in open mic events. Her paperback ‘From Wear To Wye’ is now published on Amazon for Kindle under the title of ‘Hang On A Minute! Tales Of A Writer’s Life In The Ancient Forest of Dean‘. She blogs at http://fi-benson.blogspot.com and twitters at @FiBenson1.
