One of Us Is Sleeping

"Scandinavia now has its own Virginia Woolf. Few get as close to the human mind as Klougart" — Mari Nymoen Nilsen, VG

The English-language debut from one of Denmark's most exciting, celebrated young writers, One of Us Is Sleeping is a haunting novel about loss in all its forms.

Working in the vein of Anne Carson, Josefine Klougart's novel is both true-to-life and incredibly poetic in its relating of a brief, intense love affair and the grief and disillusionment that follow its end. While she recounts the time with her lover, the narrator is also heading back home, where her mother is dying of cancer. This contrast between recollection and the belief that certain things will always be present in your life — your parents, your childhood home, your love — and the fact that life is a continual series of endings runs throughout the book, underpinning the striking imagery and magnificent prose.

A powerful novel that earned Klougart numerous accolades and several award nominations — including the Readers Book Award—One of Us Is Sleeping marks the launch of a major new voice in world literature.

Josefine Klougart has been hailed as one of Denmark's greatest contemporary writers. She is the first Danish author ever to have two of her first three books nominated for the Nordic Council Literature Prize. She's been compared to a range of authors, including Joan Didion, Anne Carson, and Virginia Woolf.

Martin Aitken has translated dozens of books from the Danish, including works by Dorthe Nors, Jussi Adler-Olsen, Peter Høeg, and Kim Leine, among others.