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Vilhelm's Room

By Tove Ditlevsen
Penguin Classics
Series: Penguin Modern Classics
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Brief Description
Divorce, madness and self-destruction: the unforgettable final novel from the great Danish writer. I want to write a book about Vilhelm's Room and the events which took place in it, or arose from it; those that led to Lise's death, which I have survived only so... Read More
Format: Paperback / softback
$3000
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Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

Divorce, madness and self-destruction: the unforgettable final novel from the great Danish writer.

I want to write a book about Vilhelm's Room and the events which took place in it, or arose from it; those that led to Lise's death, which I have survived only so that I might write down the story of her and Vilhelm...

The ripples from a breakup radiate outwards from the room where a married couple once loved each other, and a bizarre Lonely Hearts advert sets off a train of tragicomic events that lead to an inevitable conclusion. Tove Ditlevsen's final novel — published a year before her suicide in 1976 — is a masterful conclusion to a great work of writing: a blackly funny and devastating tour-de-force that pulses with life even as it journeys towards death.

Series: Penguin Modern Classics

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780241628997

Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 03 September 2026

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Penguin Classics

Contributors:

  • Translated by Sophia Hersi Smith
  • Translated by Jennifer Russell

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 9.0mm

Width: 128.0mm

Height: 198.0mm

Weight: 128g

Pages: 160

Collections

Classic Fiction Classic General Fiction Coming Soon in Fiction Fiction Fiction in Translation General Fiction Literary Fiction Penguin Books Penguin Classics Penguin Classics: General Fiction Pre-order Books Pre-order General Fiction Pre-orders Pre-orders by Release Date Series: Penguin Modern Classics Tove Ditlevsen

About the Author

Tove Ditlevsen (Author) Tove Ditlevsen was born in 1917 in a working-class neighbourhood in Copenhagen. Her first volume of poetry was published when she was in her early twenties, and was followed by many more books, including the novels The Faces and Vilhelm's Room and her autobiographical masterpiece, Childhood (1967), Youth (1967) and Dependency (1971). She married four times and died by suicide in 1976. Sophia Hersi Smith (Translator) Sophia Hersi Smith is a translator living in Copenhagen. Together with Jennifer Russell, she has translated fiction and poetry by Danish writers such as Olga Ravn, Tove Ditlevsen and Solvej Balle. Jennifer Russell (Translator) Jennifer Russell is a translator living in Copenhagen. Together with Sophia Hersi Smith, she has translated fiction and poetry by Danish writers such as Olga Ravn, Tove Ditlevsen and Solvej Balle.

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    Divorce, madness and self-destruction- the unforgettable final novel from the great Danish writer I want to write a book about Vilhelm's room and the events which took place in it, or arose from it; those that led to Lise's death, which I have survived only so that I might write down the story of her and Vilhelm... The ripples from...
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