Because Venus Crossed an Alpine Violet on the Day that I Was Born

"In a way, the language is the protagonist in this book. It is luminous and vibrant, full of associations, reflections and quotes. The words embrace the world with sensuality, humour, wonder and a confusion of feelings."
—Fredrik Wandrup

In a hotel, high up in a mountain village, two sisters aim to reconnect after distant years that contrast their close, almost twin-like upbringing. Martha has just been discharged from a sanatorium after a mental breakdown. Ella agrees to keep her company in the hope that the clean winter air will provide clarity—and a way back to their childhood connection.

It's only when plans go awry, and Martha disappears in a rage, that Ella discovers a new sense of self outside her filial role. This identity is reinforced by various encounters: the hotel receptionist who takes her under her wing; the enigmatic love interest; the wistful, drunken Salvation Army soldier; the carpenter. And not least, Ella's encounter with the writings of Stefan Zweig, which have a profound impact.

Winner of the Critics' Prize 2018 and shortlisted for the Booksellers' Prize 2018, Mona Høvring's work is as sharp as it sensitive; insightful as it is original when exploring the many distractions of the heart.

Mona Høvring made her debut as a poet in 1998, and has since published five more collections of poetry and four novels. Her first novel, the acclaimed Something That Helps, came out in 2004. After her 2012 novel The Waiting Room in the Atlantic, she was awarded the Unified Language Prize. In 2013, her third novel, Camilla's Long Nights, was nominated for the Nordic Council Literature Prize. After the highly praised book of poetry Girl with Skull (2017), she returned to prose with the novel Because Venus Crossed an Alpine Violet on the Day that I Was Born. A definite breakthrough for the author, the book won the Critics’ Prize, became a finalist for the Booksellers’ Prize, and ended up on numerous critics’ best of 2018 lists.

Kari Dickson is a literary translator. She translates from Norwegian, and her work includes crime fiction, literary fiction, children’s books, theatre, and nonfiction. She is also an occasional tutor in Norwegian language, literature, and translation at the University of Edinburgh, and has worked with BCLT and the Writers’ Centre Norwich. She lives in Edinburgh.

Rachel Rankin is a poet and translator based in Edinburgh, Scotland. She received a Scottish Book Trust New Writers Award in 2019 and was selected for the National Centre for Writing's Emerging Translator Mentorship Programme in 2018. She has also worked as a tutor in Scandinavian Studies at the University of Edinburgh, where she has taught classes in Norwegian language and Scandinavian literature.