Originally from Greenland, Naja Marie Aidt is a Danish poet and author with nearly 20 works in various genres to her name. She has received numerous honors, including the Nordic nations' most prestigious literary prize, the Nordic Council's Literature Prize, in 2008 for Baboon, and her work has been translated into several languages. She has also been anthologized in the prestigious Best European Fiction series and has appeared in leading American journals of translation. She lives in Brooklyn, NY. Denise Newman is a translator and a poet who has published three collections of poetry. She has translated two books by Denmark's greatest modernist author, Inger Christensen, and her work has appeared widely, including in Denver Quarterly, Volt, Fence, New American Writing, and ZYZZYVA. She lives in San Francisco.
"I salute thee, Naja Marie Aidt." -- Daniel Handler "An explosive
collection." -- Los Angeles Times "Wondrous, with vast loneliness
underlying each syllable. . . . A collection whose individual
pieces fascinate." -- Kirkus "In Danish, the word 'baboon' is often
used as an endearing reproach to children who misbehave. In Aidt's
stories, however, it is the adults who are the real baboons
(indeed, her characters are frequently described as resembling
animals), reduced to a state of almost infantile single-mindedness
and moral poverty. . . . [A] violent, beautiful, breathlessly paced
collection." -- Los Angels Review of Books "The strength of Aidt
and her admirable translator Denise Newman . . . comes through the
book's steadfast gaze into the shadows of life. . . . Undoubtedly
one of the most intelligent writers of the contemporary literary
world, Aidt is also clearly one of the most compassionate--and
therefore one of the most important--voices in fiction." -- Music &
Literature "This is one of the year's strongest short story
collections." -- David Gutowski, Largehearted Boy "[Baboon's]
universe is the same as that of Ingmar Bergman films. A harsh
bleakness of people speaking pointedly to each other in moments
when there should be tenderness, where violence explodes,
engendered by nothing. . . . [W]e see in these temper tantrums our
worst selves." -- Bookslut "Aidt's stories are virulent attacks on
complacency. . . . [D]iamantine tales, brilliant and unrelenting in
their focus." -- The Collagist "Naja Marie Aidt's stories ask not
only what could be hiding beneath the surface of our otherwise calm
lives, but what has been hiding there all along. They are odd and
surprising, and refreshing in that they offer no conclusions. She
is the writer of dark secrets." -- Sarah Gerard, author of Binary
Star "[P]recise and evocative, often inspiring a strange balance
between curiosity and anxiety in the reader. . . . [Aidt] inspires
readers to read between the lines." -- Publishers Weekly "The
emotions unleashed in this tale couldn't be contained in any nice
little talk. They are painfully universal. Yet you know exactly
where in the universe you are. This is the hallmark of great short
stories, from Chekhov's portraits of discontented Russians to
Joyce's struggling Dubliners to Jhumpa Lahiri's uprooted Bengalis."
-- Radhika Jones, Time magazine "Best news of the year: Naja Marie
Aidt's Baboon, recognized in Scandinavia and beyond as a
chiaroscuro tour de force, is finally available in English. This
miraculous translation by American poet Denise Newman showcases
Aidt's uncanny eye for light in all its nuances, as well as her
unerring ear for the many forms of language. Newman captures the
tantalizing, evocative undertones of Aidt's originals, allowing
English-speaking readers to meet this award-winning Danish author
at her quirky best." Susanna Nied, translator of The Alphabet by
Inger Christensen Naja Marie Aidt's recent collection of short
stories Baboon is characterized by tackling somewhat uneasy issues
such as adultery, divorce, violence, disease, sexuality, and
physical attraction. Notice, however, that this interest in
repression, pent-up feelings, affection, aggression, and fear is
presented without any form of sentimentality, which makes the
volume quite remarkable. . . . Add to this the unusual, laconic
language and the extraordinary plots and you are faced with a
universe that unmistakably is that of Naja Marie Aidt. -- World
Literature Today "Overflowing with a mad passion, sudden rage, and
quiet depression." -- Lars Bukdahl, Weekendavisen "Aidt's universe
is unmistakable." -- Søren Vinterberg, Politiken
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