Marie Tourell Søderberg - Hygge: The Danish Art of Happiness

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Michael Joseph is part of the Penguin Random House group of companies whose addresses can be found at global.penguinrandomhouse.com .

First published 2016

Copyright Marie Tourell Sderberg, 2016

The moral right of the author has been asserted

ISBN: 978-1-405-92813-7

Hyggeligto meet you.

And welcome to Hygge. Even though this word might be new to you, I am sure you already know it from your own life. In a nutshell, it is a Danish word for finding happiness in the little things in life.

Hyggeis said to be closely related to the Danish national character. But in its essence it is not Danish, it is universal. Hyggeis for everyone whoever you are, wherever you are.

My name is Marie Tourell Sderberg. I live in Copenhagen and work as an actress. As with most people these days, I sometimes feel caught up in my work. A rehearsal at the theatre is followed by a casting for a TV series, that is replaced by a session in the studio dubbing for a new Disney film and I forget to take time to let it all go and let myself just be.

At these times it is crucial for me to have hygge. Hyggetime with family and friends, hyggemoments with myself and a hyggelighome.

Hyggehas many shapes and forms it looks different depending on who you ask. Over the course of the book you will meet a lot of Danes who explain how they hyggeand what hyggeis to them. You will also find inspiration on how to create a great basis for hyggeto evolve in your everyday life.

For many Danes hyggeis something you strive for. Its like a compass, steering us towards small moments that money cannot buy you, finding the magic in the ordinary.

To me, hyggeis:

Meeting my sister for a walk in the park, chatting, laughing and clowning around, as if we were children again

Listening to the rain on the roof with a cup of tea and my boyfriend next to me

Drinking wine in my mums garden