When she was suddenly given the opportunity of a new life in rural
Jutland, journalist and archetypal Londoner Helen Russell discovered a
startling statistic: the happiest place on earth isn't Disneyland but
Denmark, a land often thought of by foreigners as consisting entirely of
long, dark winters, cured herring, Lego and pastries. What is the secret
to their success? Are happy Danes born or made?
Helen decides there is only one way to find out: she will give herself a
year, trying to uncover the formula for Danish happiness. From child
care, education, food and interior design to SAD, taxes, sexism and an
unfortunate predilection for burning witches, The Year of Living
Danishly is a funny, poignant record of a journey that shows us where
the Danes get it right, where they get it wrong, and how we might just
benefit from living a little more Danishly ourselves.
Helen Russell is a journalist and former editor of MarieClaire.co.uk.
She now lives in rural Jutland and works as a Scandinavia correspondent
for the Guardian as well as writing a column on Denmark for the
Telegraph.