The World and Varvara

"Beautifully executed, propelled by [Fruelund’s] exceptional assurance of form and bone-dry wit."

—Olga Ravn, Booker Prize shortlisted author of The Employees

“The World and Varvara is the type of book you cannot put down.”

—Preben Rasmussen

“A pure reading pleasure.”

—Mai Misfeldt

Varvara Eng is a flamboyant, 79 ½ year old Danish actress who has lived a very colorful life. When the struggling young writer Pelle is hired to write Varvara’s memoir, he’s told that Varvara wants “someone who knows how to lie without being exposed.” The memoir is supposed to be published when Varvara turns 80, which means Pelle has eight weeks to finish it. But there are certain distractions.

Simon Fruelund is a Danish author who debuted in 1997 with the story collection Milk (US edition 2013). Since then he has published another story collection, four short novels, among them Civil Twilight (US edition 2013), and a poetry collection. From 1997 to 2006 he worked as an editor at the publisher Gyldendal. Since 2012 he has taught creative writing at Vallekilde Højskole. The World and Varvara is his third book translated into English.

K.E. Semmel is a writer and translator. His translations include novels by, among others, Naja Marie Aidt, Karin Fossum, Simon Fruelund, and Jussi Adler Olsen. He is a former Literary Translation Fellow from the National Endowment for the Arts. His debut novel, The Book of Losman, is forthcoming in 2024 from SFWP. Visit him online at kesemmel.com