What We Are Reading Today: ‘The Trouble with Happiness’

Photo/Supplied
Short Url
Updated 13 October 2024
Follow

What We Are Reading Today: ‘The Trouble with Happiness’

  • Each story delves into the inner lives of regular people

Author: Tove Ditlevsen

I don’t often read fiction; real-life stories are much more interesting and usually compelling enough. However, Danish author Tove Ditlevsen’s work intrigued me. On a recent trip to Denmark, I picked up a copy of “The Trouble with Happiness and Other Stories” and spiraled into her dark world — in the most enlightening way.

A collection of short stories, each with its own moody and simple sensibility that oozes authenticity, the book is small but mighty. Known for her deeply psychological and slightly melancholic writing style, Ditlevsen brings us along for the lonely, disappointing, and often fleeting moments of happiness.

The book is aptly named.

Each story delves into the inner lives of regular people. Her chosen narratives of everyday women are a powerful exploration of human vulnerability and longing for connection. The writing is witty and drenched in emotional honesty. It is quite depressing at times, as the author indeed struggled with depression during her 59 years of life, before her death in 1976.

The version I read was translated by Michael Favala Goldman. Although I was unable to read it in its original form, this translated version allowed me to get a sense of who Ditlevsen was. Many of the stories in this book were published previously, in the 1950s and 60s, albeit in slightly different iterations, in prestigious publications such as The New Yorker, Apple Valley Review and Hunger Mountain Review. But to have them contained in one book was powerful, and I had a hard time putting it down.

In “The Cat,” Ditlevsen plainly writes about ordinary people and places but infuses the mundane with her poetic sense: “They sat across from one another on the train, and there was nothing special about either of them.”

She continues: “They weren’t the kind of people your eyes would land on if you tired of staring at the usual scenery, which appears to rush toward the train from a distance and then stand still for a second, creating a calm picture of soft green curves and little houses and gardens, whose leaves vibrate and turn grayish in the smoke streaming back from the train, like a long billowing pennant.”

The stories are short and sharp, cutting you in a way a knife cannot.

 


Book Review: ‘The Culture Map’ by Erin Meyer

Updated 04 June 2025
Follow

Book Review: ‘The Culture Map’ by Erin Meyer

“The Culture Map” by Erin Meyer, which was published in 2014, discusses the cultural differences between people and how they influence business interactions.

American author and professor at INSEAD Business School, Meyer talks from personal experience about fundamental points to pay attention to while having interactions with international business owners, peers, or clients.

She uncovers the meaning behind certain behaviors and suggests solutions to overcome the differences between people to accomplish shared goals.

As a cross-cultural management expert, Meyer discusses the elements that contribute to people’s communication and collaboration, including evaluation, persuasion, leadership, decision-making, and trust.

Using practical examples, she explains how misunderstandings sometimes happen when people interpret attitudes using their own lens, which may not be appropriate when relying on personal background and general understanding of the world.

She writes about people appreciating and focusing on what they find meaningful to them. Some cultures value direct feedback, while others tend to lean toward indirect communication when asked to give an opinion.

In addition, the author provides strategies to overcome differences and find common ground, focusing on the importance of learning and understanding cultural norms, and also being adaptable when an individual becomes part of an international team.

She also encourages readers to understand and respect other traditions to build effective relationships with the world around us.

“The Culture Map” is a guide for people who may be working in multicultural environments and want to elevate teamwork while improving intercultural skills.


What We Are Reading Today: ‘The Importance of Being Educable’ by Leslie Valiant

Updated 04 June 2025
Follow

What We Are Reading Today: ‘The Importance of Being Educable’ by Leslie Valiant

We are at a crossroads in history. If we hope to share our planet successfully with one another and the AI systems we are creating, we must reflect on who we are, how we got here, and where we are heading.

“The Importance of Being Educable” puts forward a provocative new exploration of the extraordinary facility of humans to absorb and apply knowledge.

The remarkable “educability” of the human brain can be understood as an information processing ability.


What We Are Reading Today: ‘Deadly Force’

Updated 03 June 2025
Follow

What We Are Reading Today: ‘Deadly Force’

Authors: Tom S. Clark, Adam N. Glynn, & Michael Leo Owens 

Police shootings in America spark outrage and protest and raise questions about police use of lethal force. Yet despite the attention given to high-profile shootings, it is extremely difficult to draw wider conclusions about the frequency and outcomes of police gunfire because there is no systematic and centralized source of information on these incidents.

This pioneering book draws on original data, compiled by the authors, to examine police shootings, both fatal and non-fatal, in hundreds of American cities. 


What We Are Reading Today: ‘Volcanoes: Crucibles of Change’

Updated 02 June 2025
Follow

What We Are Reading Today: ‘Volcanoes: Crucibles of Change’

Author: Richard V. Fisher

“Volcanoes: Crucibles of Change” explores the science and mystery of volcanoes. The author chronicles not only their geologic behavior but also their profound effect on human life.

The book covers the surprisingly large variety of volcanoes, the subtle to conspicuous signs preceding their eruptions, and their far-reaching atmospheric consequences, according to a review on goodreads.com.

Tourists will find their scientific curiosity whetted by this informative and entertaining book.


What We Are Reading Today: Myanmar’s Enemy Within by Francis Wade

Updated 01 June 2025
Follow

What We Are Reading Today: Myanmar’s Enemy Within by Francis Wade

In 2012, violence between Buddhists and Muslims erupted in western Myanmar, pointing to a growing divide between religious communities that before had received little attention from the outside world.

In this gripping and deeply reported account, Francis Wade explores how the manipulation of identities by an anxious ruling elite has laid the foundations for mass violence, and how, in Myanmar’s case, some of the most respected voices for democracy have turned on the minorities at a time when the majority of citizens are beginning to experience freedoms unseen for half a century.