Johanne Mygind: Giftig

Johanne Mygind draws on her own family history in the novel "Giftig" (2025). In this lecture, she explores what it means to excavate what should have been forgotten - and find a way through to the other side.

The novel centers on Nanna, who attempts to map her grandfather's role in the environmental catastrophe at Cheminova on Harboøre Tange near Thyborøn in the 1950s and 60s. The narrative circles around a marriage, chemical-induced illnesses, a destructive family silence, and West Jutland introversion - but also the poison that accumulates in close human relationships. Kristeligt Dagblad's reviewer called it "a well-crafted family saga about toxic environments and toxic morality, written with documentary precision and personal voice".

"Giftig" follows Mygind's debut "Kærlighedens år", which dealt with mothers and daughters, women's lives, and the struggle for women's liberation.

Johanne Mygind (born 1976) grew up in a collective and describes herself as a committed feminist. She has a background in political science and anthropology, and has worked as a journalist at DR, Information, and Weekendavisen. Since then, she has written novels, produced podcasts, and taught at Krogerup Højskole.