Publisher's Weekly Review
Brits, who's half Danish and half English, considers the Danish practice of hygge (pronounced HYOO-guh), a word that can be used as noun, verb (hygger), or adjective (hyggelig), in this inviting book that painstakingly explains how the Danes, "among the happiest people in the world," have woven the concept into their lives. She divides the book into sections on belonging, shelter, comfort, well-being, simplicity, and observance, with photos by Susan Bell used as appealing accents throughout. Hygge, Brits explains, can cover a wide variety of experiences, both private moments such as relaxing with a cup of tea and public moments joining friends for a candlelight dinner or walk on the beach. Brits shares insights about Danish culture; children are taught hygge early on, and raised with egalitarian values. Danish furniture also reflects the concept (practicality, simplicity, and quality) and homes are often low-rise buildings (many Danes, she explains, also own modest summer cottages). In this cultural environment, pomposity, ostentation, and aggression are neither encouraged nor admired. In increasingly fast-paced and competitive America, hygge has considerable appeal; readers may very well find reading Brits's compact and enjoyable book the literary version of the practice. Agent: Sophie Hicks, Sophie Hicks Agency (U.K.). (Feb.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
New York Review of Books Review
BABY, IT'S COLD OUT THERE. And I don't mean the weather. This, the most divisive political season in memory, has truly been the winter (and spring and fall and summer) of our discontent. Many of us are struggling. It's not even a question of loving our neighbor at this point; it's more a question of tolerating him. Is it any wonder, then, that a year like this has coincided with a fascination, bordering on obsession, with the Danish concept of hygge? (Pronounced HOO-gah, like an old-timey car horn. ) Hygge roughly translates to "coziness" and "well-being" and encompasses an entire way of living that promises warmth, safety and, most important , community. Books on the Nordic concept of hygge have proliferated here and in Britain like candles in a Danish home. Which is to say, there are a boatload of these books. Because Danes feel about candles the way Americans feel about cat videos and guns. There's no such thing as "too much." The movement's manifesto, already a best seller , is THE LITTLE BOOK OF HYGGE: Danish Secrets to Happy Living (Morrow/HarperCollins, $19.99) . The author, Meik Wiking, tells us that Denmark has one of the happiest populations in the world, which I believe is the result of two things: (1) The Happiness Research Institute, of which Wiking is the chief executive, is located in Copenhagen , so they have the home team advantage; and (2) who wouldn't be happy eating their namesake pastry? Wiking lays out the principles of hygge quite simply - and simplicity is at the heart of hygge. You need: atmosphere (thus the obsession with lighting), presence (the ability to be in the here and now and turn off the phone), pleasure, equality ("'we' over 'me'"), gratitude, harmony, comfort, truce (the willingness to get together and not discuss controversial issues ... imagine that), togetherness and shelter, which involve recognizing and celebrating "your tribe." What I originally thought was the tent pole of hygge - best exemplified by being curled up next to a fireplace, cocoa in hand, cashmere cowl neck caressing my cheek while deer gamboled on the beach in front of my picture window (shut up; my fantasy, my beachdeer) - bore little relation to what hygge actually was. Well, I got the fuzzy clothing and the fireplace and the hot drink right. But you can't hygge alone. Or shouldn't. "The best predictor of whether we are happy or not is our social relationships," Wiking writes. On the down side, Danish culture is very closed to outsiders, and you have to work mightily to make it into anyone's social circle. On the upside, once you're there, you have friendship tenure - you're in for life. "The Little Book" is popular because it is both prescriptive and descriptive, explaining in great but amusing detail how you can hygge with your friends: the right lighting (fluorescent bulbs need not apply), the right furniture (think wood), food and conversation. Along the way you learn the meanings of all sorts of words that get you in the mood for the complete hygge experience. Take hyggebukser: These are the one pair of pants you really should never wear in public but are a favorite anyway because they're so comfortable. Or, as I call them, pants. While Wiking talks about the food and drink traditionally part of a hygge evening, Brontë Aurell and Signe Johansen show you how to make them. Fika is the Swedish word that means meeting for a chat over a cup of coffee or tea and something delicious. It's a concept very much at the heart of the hygge movement - and Aurell's SCANDI KITCHEN FIKA & HYGGE: Comforting Cakes and Bakes From Scandinavia With Love (Ryland Peters & Small, $14.95) is food porn at its finest. It's rare that I open a book on baking and everything looks good, from the Vores banankage (That Banana Cake) to the Toscatarta, or almond Tosca cake , named after the Puccini opera presumably because you will hurl yourself offa parapet if you can eat only one piece. I tackled the tasty and not overly sweet blueberry studmuffins . But many of the other baked goods were too complicated for this amateur. So I sneaked over to the chef Signe Johansen's HOW TO HYGGE: The Nordic Secrets to a Happy Life (St. Martin's Griffin, $19.99) to bolster my confidence. I picked something I thought would be easy and delicious, a recipe for Chocolate, Almond and Marzipan Prunes. I guess I failed to see it for the arts-and-crafts project it was. Halfway through stuffing the marzipan paste and whole almonds into the prunes and ripping everything into one big sticky mess (only later did I realize the almonds go on top), I gave up, and decided my dish would be called Chocolate Prunes Adjacent. Just lay everything on a plate and stuffit into your mouth at once. Stop whining. That's so un-hygge. Johansen is also a lifestyle guru, stressing that simplicity in all of life's pursuits is the underpinning of hygge: "Jettison the anxieties and clutter of modern living to free up your time and energy to make the most of life." (This simplicity can be kind of expensive and timeconsuming, though. Wiking describes the "Kähler vase scandal," a.k.a. Vasegate. On Aug. 25, 2014, 16,000 Danes tried to buy a limited-edition piece of striped tableware that was considered perfect for a Danish home. They crashed the manufacturer's website, and long lines formed outside stores. ) She also discusses the centrality of outdoor life to happiness. To be active is to be alive, and the outdoors is always preferable to a gym. "If you experienced a P.E.- related trauma in your childhood, please don't let that deter you from taking up an activity later in life," she writes. "Even if your body is clumsy, it's still a magnificent feat of engineering. Marvel at what your body can do." I got a little weepy over that one. Time for another cup of cocoa. Johansen calls hygge "a culture of healthy hedonism," which is the most aspirational definition of a life well lived one could hope for. As if to drive her point home, "How to Hygge" is illustrated with photos of staggeringly gorgeous Nordic people in Fair Isle sweaters clutching coffee, riding bikes and potting plants. For some reason I don't find this as obnoxious as I would if they were Americans. Maybe because I am convinced this is how they really live - as though the cameraman happened to drop by, and Johansen invited him into her sun-dappled kitchen to watch her chop fennel. But first, she hands him a cup of coffee and some "psychedelic socks" - presumably knit from the patterns of Nicki Trench's HYGGE KNITS: Nordic and Fair Isle Sweaters, Scarves and Hats, and More to Keep You Cozy (CICO Books, $19.95 ). I began to wonder why I was impervious to being annoyed by all this codified happiness. After all, I am generally churlish. Yet here I was, savoring the small moments in life like a woman in a '70s feminine hygiene commercial. Then I realized that what I needed to come back to reality was to hear this concept explained by someone who is not Danish. Who is part British, in fact. Let's call it Britsplaining. "When Danes get together, the principles of inclusion manifests," Louisa Thomsen Brits writes in THE BOOK OF HYGGE: The Danish Art of Contentment, Comfort, and Connection (Plume, $22 ). "Hygge comes from a society that prioritizes tender values and is shaped by the patterns of egalitarian behavior." "To hygge is to build sanctuary. . . . We shelter each other when we invite people into our homes, when we give time, listen well, or provide a bed for the night; when we offer privacy, a winged armchair, anonymity, a tent in the garden." Can we just get back to the good lighting and pastries for a second? Not that Brits is wrong, but there's a sense that someone stuck her and Roland Barthes in a particle accelerator and hoped it would all work out. It's no coincidence, I think, that at the moment of a huge swing toward right-wing populism and every-manfor- himself, many readers feel wistful about a culture viewed as a liberal utopia, where citizens willingly give up a large chunk of private income for the public good. If we want to truly experience hygge, a cultural commitment to free education and health care - to people over profit - would go a long way. But listen, I'll take the cake and candles too. h JUDITH NEWMAN is working on a book called "To Siri With Love," about children, autism and the kindness of machines.
Excerpts
1: Belonging The greatest hazard of all, losing one's self, can occur very quietly in the world, as if it were nothing at all. No other loss can occur so quietly; any other loss-an arm, a leg, five dollars, a wife, etc.- is sure to be noticed. S¿ren Kierkegaard Togetherness At the heart of hygge is an experience of belonging and a sense of connection. It's most often associated with being in the company of others, but we can enjoy hygge alone. Hygge satisfies our natural longing to belong. Like the emergence of fireflies, when we hygger we shine individually but glow in unison to reveal an inclination toward a powerful collective harmony. It is a practice that connects our individual experience, our feelings of mutuality with others, our collective ideals, and the tangible qualities of objects, spaces, and places. Hygge can be found in the settings where we feel most comfortably human, that give us context, offer identity, relation, and history. We hygger on our porch swings, armchairs, doorsteps, and in our beds, local bars, village halls, and bookshops. To be in a situation characterized by hygge is to be in a state of pleasant well-being and security, with a relaxed frame of mind and an open enjoyment of the immediate situation in all its small pleasures. It is a state one achieves most often with close members of one's social network-with one's family, extended family, and friends. Judith Friedman Hansen The importance of place Life in Denmark is harnessed to community, and Danes grow up with a strong sense of connection to their home, their street, their country. Hygge is a phenomenon that reflects our way of inhabiting the world. A sense of interconnection is the glue that binds us in an experience of hygge-to each other and to place. When we hygger, we feel firmly located-secured and present. We thrive on a strong sense of place. Our souls are fed by the predictable rhythm of returning to settings that are comforting in their familiarity-a local coffee shop, a particular tree, an aunt's quiet apartment, a regular swimming spot. The routines that shape our days locate us-from the places we visit to the small rituals that give us pause. Drinking tea first thing in the morning from a favorite mug, or stopping for a glass of wine on a friend's balcony on the way home from work, confirm our feelings of rootedness. Noticing the distinct characteristics of a place and taking notice of the changing seasons makes us feel an integral part of our environment. Wherever we gather in the spirit of hygge, whether it's beside a barbecue on a beach or around a table in a bar on a cold autumn night, we feel anchored. When we hygger, we unwrap a package of good feelings to share and offer each other, signs of encouragement and symbols of inclusion; we make arrangements that provide warmth, shelter, nourishment, and comfort-by doing something as simple as lighting a candle at the table, pulling up chairs to sit together for a shared meal, or taking cake into the office and inviting others stop for long enough to enjoy a slice with a cup of coffee. Circle of warmth To hygge is to create an enclosing circle of warmth by establishing an inclusive, relaxed atmosphere and a single point of focus to secure and celebrate the passing moment. The primal comfort of an open fire and good company on a dark night are the epitome of hygge. A cluster of people sitting beneath the encircling glow of a pendant lamp hung low over a table is a common sight in Denmark-the light seems to hold everyone together, to define them as a unit. Clustering together Hygge is a physical and psychological clustering together for affirmation and a sense of belonging. In Denmark, most gatherings are patterned by a cluster of people sharing a single focus of awareness that everyone helps to sustain-commonly a table surrounded by people pressed together and united in maintaining conversation, like keeping a fire burning in the hearth. Danes prefer to gather in limited numbers rather than in large, expansive groups, to emphasize the unity of their small circles. Bubbles of interaction are everywhere-outside on a street lined with cafZs, and in the privacy of their homes. Everyone creates their own groups, their own foundations for hygge. Although it's a pattern of behavior that the Danes have carefully honed, it's a non-verbal vocabulary that belongs to us all. Hygge happens wherever people gather in a wholehearted and inclusive way, whether it's an unexpected encounter on a sidewalk or a birthday celebration in a kitchen. Hygge is about human connection. The centripetal force of mutuality, warmth, and enthusiasm that binds a group is sometimes intimidating and impenetrable. There are times when we find ourselves in the role of a stranger standing on the margins, examining everything that seems to be unquestionable to members of an inner circle. Feeling excluded from a group is uncomfortable. Feeling trapped inside one is equally disquieting. There is the downside that the Danish style of socializing could be considered exclusive. But hygge is a process that usually draws a person in and invites engagement. In the face of tensions that threaten to pull families, friends, and colleagues apart, an experience of hygge helps bind us together. Family Hygge can often be distilled to an experience of kinship, of being with those who understand us and signal that we are wholly accepted. True kinship takes a warm heart. In essence, it is about being together, deeply honestly. We talk about love so much but we forget that it is something we give rather than get: a way of being. Ilse Crawford There is an honesty to a hyggelig encounter that echoes the dynamics of ideal family life. Hygge and our ideas of family are interwoven, both associated with care and intimacy. Many of us think of family as a place that satisfies the heart. Addressing the needs of the heart, warmth, amity, and belonging are the essence of what we experience and offer when we hygger. We feel warmed when we step into a hyggeligt environment. We can be unguarded, carefree, and willing to be seen. If we're fortunate, we can be our most unselfconscious with our relations and those who share the places we inhabit-our homes and our communities. The word inhabit comes from a root that means to give and to receive, and hygge stems from reciprocity and love. Considering family togetherness seems promising for understanding hygge in its most basic form. . . . When we refer to hygge, we are using the concepts of home and family to think with. Jeppe Trolle Linnet Family is cherished in Scandinavian culture, and even though it is far from reality in many places, the ideal of a stable family remains a touchstone for many Danes. Regardless of its shape, modern family is seen as a place of intimacy and integration that can prepare and restore each family member for encounters with the outside world. Work In Denmark, professional environments often display the qualities that many of us would associate with a familial context-informality, casual dress, and comfortable furniture arranged to encourage familiarity and diminish isolation. Danish working culture is based on open communication, collaboration, and flat hierarchy. Danes are innately skeptical about the value of strategic maneuvering at home or at work. They desire to be seen in the fullness of who they are, wherever they are. Employees are considered team members. Each person is expected to take their personal responsibilities seriously in return for influence and the degree of flexibility required to have a career without compromising work-life balance. Knowing that our individual contribution is recognized and working together as a team give us a sense of belonging. With mutual trust and comfortable dialogue, work can be an experience of hygge for as long as it's possible to maintain an even and comfortable pace. If we become too busy, our time cramped with many activities, hygge disappears but is easy to reignite by pausing for coffee or making a habit of stopping to eat lunch together. Trust There's a freedom of self-expression implicit in hygge that rests on reciprocity and mutual trust. Embedded in an experience of hygge is a shared belief that good things will happen, and that all members of a group will be given equal voice and offered recognition. Everyone present is considered part of a greater whole. Each person wants everyone else to feel good. Understanding that we are welcome encourages us to let go and allow ourselves to be seen without the need to perform or scramble for attention. Hygge invites feelings of harmony and mutuality that overcome barriers and facilitate communication; we no longer feel separate when we hygger. The shape of family life has changed; many of us live alone. We look for belonging and connection in our local communities-in cafZs, corner shops, and restaurants. We can hygge to help bridge the space between being alone and feeling lonely. Participants experience a "social intimacy" and a basic "trust" in the inclusiveness and good intentions of the other people present. Hygge cannot be achieved if there is disagreement and conflict in the group or if there is a sense of distrust between people. Furthermore, situations characterized by hygge eschew graveness and seriousness. Carsten Levisen We usually hygger to establish a human factor in our lives, to enjoy the warm aura of friendship and the security of kinship, the benefits of shared activity, physical closeness, and the warmth of proximity. A rich social life (measured by quality of experience rather than quantity of friends) contributes to good health, happiness, and longevity. So many of us place value on hard work, measurable achievement, and wealth, and often fail to set aside time to nurture our relationships and strengthen social ties. We make the mistake of believing that security is found in material things rather than people. In concentrating on friendship and empathy, in paying attention to our relationships with people and place, we address the needs of our environment-the society that we live in and our planet. Sustainability depends on community-when we learn to be happily reliant on each other, we're less likely to turn to material consumption to meet our emotional needs. Belonging to the moment Hygge helps us to enter a moment or a place. By appealing to our senses and promising security, it draws us in, attuning us to the spirit of a location, inviting us to relax and connect to ourselves and to others. It facilitates a sense of being fully present and opens us to the pleasures of the occasion. There is a slight anxiety implicit in hygge that heightens our experience of belonging to the moment-the knowledge that there is a world of activity and responsibility just beyond the instant, poised to impose, intertwines with our situation, enlivening us to its particulars and pleasures. The flip side of an experience of enjoyment is the certainty that it won't last forever. Today's moment of hygge will be tomorrow's memory. With that awareness, we give ourselves over to the moment more completely. It must be emphasized that hygge entails commitment to the present moment and a readiness to set distractions aside. Judith Friedman Hansen Hygge is evoked in situations where there is nothing to accomplish but letting go to the present moment in a way that's more aligned to simple pleasure than deep reflection. Experiencing a sense of presence and belonging is challenging when we're stressed or distracted. Hygge isn't the complete absence of the usual demands of a fully engaged human life, but it is facilitated by a willingness to put down our problems and abandon our cares for a while. At the heart of hygge is a willingness to set aside time for simply being with people and, ideally, having all the time in the world for them. Hygge is a vehicle for showing that we care. It's a way of paying attention to our children or partners and friends in the messy reality of the here and now, and putting down the distractions that pull us in different directions. So many of us are drawn to a virtual world of connectivity. Hygge isn't about a life without technology, but it asks us to balance our commitments and remember the value of human interaction, conversation, and physical intimacy. It liberates us to fully inhabit the moment without feeling compelled to record it. Spontaneity and immediacy characterize hygge, as does a willingness to accept our differences and enjoy an atmosphere of tolerance and peace. The salient feature of hygge is the atmosphere of warm and relaxed enjoyment of the moment which it allows. While it is nurtured by thoughtfulness and mutual involvement, hygge is informal and unrestrained. Judith Friedman Hansen When we feel held by the atmosphere of a place or captured by the pleasure of an encounter, hygge is being evoked. Atmosphere binds us together, weaves us into the particulars of a place, and makes us feel at home with ourselves and with those around us. Belonging to ourselves Achieving the serenity and freedom of feeling that we belong to ourselves, wherever we are, is a common concern in our mobile lives. The practice of hygge can instill stability of presence, a state of awareness and ease, by creating a frame around us, offering us comfort, giving us a point of focus, and allowing us to relax enough to be ourselves. Hygge relies on us finding a balance between self-containment and wholehearted participation, personal liberty and awareness of the needs of others. It connotes a caring, civilized mode of behavior that builds companionable ease and trust. The most common form of despair is not being who you are. S¿ren Kierkegaard In Denmark, the ability to be at peace with oneself is a character trait that is highly respected. A person who simply lives up to their own standards and appears at ease in their environment, who seems to eschew jostling for a place in social hierarchy and competitive behavior, is described as able to hvile i sig selv-rest in oneself, be comfortable in one's own skin. It is a quality that suggests an inner stability of identity that is not dependent on attention or status. It is a quality that suggests an inner stability of identity that is not dependent on attention or status. People who are innately comfortable hygger with ease. They are less self-conscious or immersed in self-presentation and unlikely to indulge in one-upmanship. Those who are prepared to leave their problems at the door, who aren't preoccupied with the concerns of their lives outside of the hyggelig sphere also support the dynamics of hygge. Holding on to our identity is a challenge for all of us. Often it is easier on home ground where we operate in a knowable sphere. And easier in a country like Denmark where there are not huge disparities between people, so their identities are less likely to be usurped by their social or professional position. Excerpted from The Book of Hygge: The Danish Art of Contentment, Comfort, and Connection by Louisa Thomsen Brits All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.
