Rasmus, the Mermaid and the Court Poet

Rasmus Daugbjerg brings the folk tale into modern literature with the novel Rasmus Nielsøn - an original and ominous story freely based on a historical source from the late 1500s, which has received glowing reviews.

The protagonist is a strange and lonely figure drifting around 1500s Samsø until he meets the mermaid Ibrant. She brings not only friendship but also a prophecy about the new prince who will soon lead the kingdom. Meanwhile, the court poet Erasmus Lætus prepares in the king's chambers to write laudatory words about the prince's birth - but rumours of the mermaid's warning reach him. A warning of war and conflict concerning the prince who later becomes King Christian IV.

Lone Nikolajsen writes in Information that the book "unfolds a solitary's sorrowful and tender gaze at the world with the same poetic sensibility as Tarjei Vesaas' The Birds".

This is an afternoon talk in the series 1 BOOK 1 HOUR, where literature facilitator Esben Hansen sets out comfortable chairs for a literary conversation. You don't need to have read the book beforehand, and there are no spoilers. There is a friend ticket for 75 kr., which applies to you and a friend. The novel is also being read in the Book Club as a prelude to the event - sign up for the reading club here.