This Should Be Written in the Present Tense

Helle Helle’s simple, to-the-point prose cuts to the quick…it’s refreshing to find such an intimate book that leaves something for the reader to writer in their own mind…This Should be Written in the Present Tense is a contemporary classic in the making – Emma Nicklin * Stylist *
Helle has enchanting gifts as a storyteller... This Should Be Written in the Present Tense possesses an immediacy that tenderly and consistently compels. * New York Times Book Review *
A book with all the bigness hidden away – John Self * Guardian *
This Should Be Written in the Present Tense may sound like just another bildungsroman, but it’s surprisingly devoid of ego, and deeply thoughtful * Paris Review *
Compelling * Emerald Street *
There is so much in this book, so much hinted at and alluded to. So much going on off-screen. […] One of the literary finds of the year * Bookmunch *
A beautiful evocation of the reckless naïveté of the early years of adulthood. [Helle Helle’s] pared back style gives the novel a haunting quality, exquisitely reflecting the detachment and doubts of the protagonist’s life. […] This is a highly recommended introduction to the work of a talented new name on the European literary scene * Book Trust *
Helle Helle is a star in her native Denmark but hasn’t been translated into English until now – on this evidence she’s worth the wait – Anthony Cummins * Metro *
I found myself utterly mesmerised by this little novel about the seemingly commonplace. It’s stark minimalism is beguiling * Booklover *
Helle Helle is a beautiful stylist. This Should Be Written in the Present Tense has an atmosphere that is deeply mysterious whilst staying entirely naturalistic – reminiscent of some of the less far out works of Marguerite Duras or Anna Kavan – Mark Diston * Register *

Helle Helle (Author)

Helle Helle is arguably Denmark’s foremost modern novelist and its most popular. She has been awarded many prizes, including the Danish Critics’ Prize, the Danish Academy’s Beatrice Prize, and the P.O. Enquist Award. She was recently given the Lifetime Award of the Danish Arts Council. Her work has been translated into thirteen languages. This is her first novel to be translated into English.

Martin Aitken (Translator)

Martin Aitken is the acclaimed translator of numerous novels from Danish, including works by Peter Høeg, Jussi Adler-Olsen, and Pia Juul. His translations of short stories and poetry have appeared in many literary journals and magazines. In 2012 he was awarded the American-Scandinavian Foundation’s Nadia Christensen Translation Prize. Martin Aitken’s translations of Scandinavian fiction are widely published. His work has appeared on the shortlists of the International Booker Prize, the Dublin Literary Award, and the US National Book Awards, among other prizes. He received the PEN America Translation Prize in 2019 and, for the first book in the Morning Star cycle, the US National Translation Award in Prose in 2022. He lives in Denmark.

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