Welcome

Marriage in Copenhagen

Welcome to this, the Octave Issue, of The Copenhagen Review. Beginning in the smoky conviviality of a Copenhagen cafe, in 2007, TCR has brought the writers we like: Nobel Prize winners (who have approved our translations and given us permission) and the less famous, in a mix intended to inspire and enrich the lives of our readers.

Our efforts here have taken place in five languages, Danish, English, German, Norwegian and Swedish. Not everything is translated from one language into four. In fact, we have never done this. We improvise. Some poems might be translated into English from German or Danish, some might be translated into Swedish. And so forth. Sometimes you have to know all the languages to understand everything. In other words, The Copenhagen Review has always been and continues to be a magazine from the perspective of Copenhagen not New York; and most of literary Copenhagen can read English, German, Norwegian, Swedish and Danish.

As well as bringing contemporary writers of fiction and poetry, we have also cast our nets into the seas of the past, bringing forth translations of Novalis, Goethe, Steffens and others. And we have permitted ourselves a flexible approach to how long we let an issue exist before allowing it to succumb to the exciting glow of a new issue.

In assembling our eighth issue, we are happy to present a new language, Italian, with the poems of Modena writer and literary man, Andrea Gibellini. Sissal Kampmann is from the Faroe Islands. We bring a number of excerpts, for the first time in English and Danish, from 4 D, her most recent collection. Another poet, perhaps our very favorite, (but let us control our enthusiasm) is the Irish (Belfast) poet Medbh McGuckian who has loyally contributed to us over the years. We bring her marvelous poem, Transmission of the Letter S. In addition to poetry there are several reviews, both of art events and of books. And finally, we bring a short story by New Orleans born writer, Amelie Prusik.

A special thanks to Christopher Sand Iversen, whose growing role in TCR, both as contributor and web-man, merits the designation, indispensable.

We call this issue a cumulative issue, meaning that we are still open to a few more contributions of the highest quality. This is an experiment consonant with the spirit of this improbable endeavor.

Thanks to our language checkers, Gesine, Emeli, Anni and Innana.

---the editor