The Little Book of Hygge

​The Little Book of Hygge: Danish Secrets to Happy Living by Meik Wiking [some versions are subtitled The Danish Way to Live Well] was hyped as the book to read a couple of years back, so I am late to this, but seeing it on the library shelf recently I decided to find out what all the fuss was about. I am glad I didn’t buy a copy.

​It is not without some irony that the famous Emperor’s New Clothes story was also written by a Dane - Hans Christian Andersen - and which gave rise to the phrase now considered “… a standard metaphor for anything that smacks of pretentiousness, pomposity, social hypocrisy, collective denial, or hollow ostentatiousness.” The Little Book has a fair bit of that lurking in its pages.
 
The author says that hygge can’t really be translated into English although he suggests that the Canadian “hominess” is the closest. For a start, why that word is considered the property of Canadians is rather strange and even other simple English words like “ambience”, “cosy” and “snug” are pretty good at describing a lot of what is in this book.
 
Apart from being a great marketing exercise for Danish tourism, it verges on sad that there has even been a need for such a book, that there are millions of people so out of touch with their own innate sense as to what makes them feel safe, comfortable and happy, that they need instruction and have to be told that lighting candles, reading a good book, eating cake (or Danish pastries), enjoying Glögg and a heart-warming stew, sharing the evening with good friends or family, wrapping your toes in woolly socks and your body in a blanket to watch a favourite TV show, or just listening to the crackle of a fireplace, makes you feel good. 
 
The author also states that Denmark tops the list as the “happiest country in the world” (down to 3rd in current rankings). As he is the CEO of the Happiness Research Institute in Cophenhagen, a cynic might comment that he has to say that doesn’t he, also that he is blessed with all the benefits that go with a high standard of living. But how these statistics are calculated is a bit of a mystery as the country still manages to feature in the top half of suicides as well - perhaps some of that hygge is a mask to what is really going on in the Danish soul. Like Russians and other nationalities who live half the year in the dark, Scandinavians are well-known for their psychological downside, e.g. alcoholism, depression and for producing grim noir TV crime series. Hans Christian Andersen was also responsible for that maudlin tale The Little Match Girl which as a child I found seriously disturbing.
 
One chapter contradicts the hygge positives; on page 47 there is The Dark Side of Hygge, where the author goes so far to admit that hygge is more beneficial to people who have roots in the place:- “ … I have also come to realize that there is a severe drawback to a social landscape like this: it doesn’t readily admit newcomers. Every person I’ve met who has moved to Denmark tells me the same thing. It is close to impossible to penetrate the social circles there. Or at least it requires years and years of hard work and persistence … Danes are not good at inviting new people into their friendship circles …” (If this is the case, one might make a few observations as to how well migrants or refugees to Denmark are accepted.)

The book is a nice compact size with cute imagery and has recipes - I might even try the Danish Meatballs in Curry -  and it also has other twee stuff, such as how to make woven hearts, although the font is both a bit small and pale for those with vision problems.

It’s a book with its heart in the right place, but it can’t help also being smug and superior as well. 

2 1/2 stars.

PS A browse of bookseller websites shows there has been an explosion of similar feel-good lifestyle books with the Swedes, Finns, British, American and Japanese all exploring their versions of hygge, and the author has produced another title The Little Book of Lykke that will also sell in the millions but looks to be just more of the same. Save your money and put yourself in a hyggeligt mood by donating it to a charity that helps bring a little happiness to others who are not as privileged as the Danes.
 
 
Booktopia
 
Amazon.com
 
Amazon.co.uk

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