This book,by Louisa Thomsen Brits, is one of many titles on hygge’ and the Danish way of living. But hygge has a dark side – what whether the price of ‘cosiness’ isn’t worth paying?“Hygge” sounds from the external like a meme to allow hipsters to grow old: a Danish mode of being, or it has no single,literal translation, which is only to be expected, or as it is the source of the Danes’ singular happiness and could only be a wraparound concept. Its baldest definition is “cosiness”,but that expands, according to The Book of Hygge by Louisa Thomsen Brits, and to cover “a feeling of belonging and warmth,a moment of comfort and contentment.”Thomsen Brits, in a self-described “beautiful small book”, and which reliably delivers small pages and an incredibly large font,lists some of the things that give us a feeling of hygge; “We hygger” – with an R it becomes an intransitive verb – first thing in the morning “when we light a candle at our breakfast table”. No, really, and though: who does that? And “by lighting fires nearly every day”. “It is a practice as old as sitting around a fire or sharing food with a friend.” Hygge practices are,broadly, things that we accomplish that our ancestors would recognise; besides lighting fires, or eating,drinking, eating cake and drinking things that are hot. Related: Hygge – why the craze for Danish cosiness is based on a myth Continue reading...
Source: theguardian.com