Friday, February 14, 2014

Hygge and The Almost Nearly Perfect People, by Michael Booth

I ran across the Danish word Hygge twice this week, on North of 49 , then again on this BBC Radio 4 series that was on this week.

A love of or need for hygge is an important part of the Danish psyche. Hygge is usually inadequately translated as "coziness." This is too simplistic: coziness relates to physical surroundings — a jersey can be cozy, or a warm bed — whereas hygge has more to do with people's behavior towards each other. It is the art of creating intimacy: a sense of comradeship, conviviality, and contentment rolled into one.

Sounds like Afternoon High Tea shared with friends to me, that might be the Brit definition. 

I listen to BBC Radio 4 on my iPad, so very interesting. You can probably listen to it for two more days.  I think you might enjoy it.

BBC Radio 4 A Series of 5 Episodes


The Almost Nearly Perfect People:  The Truth about the Nordic Miracle

Journalist, Michael Booth's timely new book sees the author embark on a revealing and often humorous journey through all five of the Nordic countries to discover the secrets of their success. 

 

  1. Denmark, the Happiest Country in the World

  2. Modern-Day Icelanders and Their Viking Past

  3. Norway and Its Oil Riches

  4. Enigmatic Finland

  5. Sweden, the Perfect Society

 

 

 

 

2 comments:

  1. Thank you so much for letting us know about this radio show! I plan on listening to it tomorrow while I have a cup of tea and work on my Olympic knitting project. A hygge moment if ever there was one! The book sounds interesting. Hopefully it becomes available in Kindle.

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  2. Thanks for that. Saw that program advertised but not listened yet so will do so later with a cup of rose tea - very cozy or hygge.

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