Novel
Kick Me in the Traditions
Rend mig i traditionerne
Leif Panduro · 1958
Synopsis
David Dechel, a spoilt schoolboy from a well-off family, sees his whole life mapped out in advance down to the smallest detail. He ought to be happy; he is not, finds the adults crazier than himself and says so. As the school-leaving exams approach, everything falls apart: he cracks, runs away to Copenhagen, and there everything he undertakes goes wrong.
Context
The book appeared in 1958 from Hasselbalch, a year after its author's first novel, and opens a series of three novels about young men at war with the petty bourgeoisie, with two further titles from 1960 and 1961. It was reprinted three times in its first year. It is now counted among the classics of post-war Danish prose, alongside a novel by Klaus Rifbjerg published the same year, and it has been adapted for the screen. The title, colloquial, amounts to telling traditions to go to hell.
Who it is for
A short novel, in Danish, satirical and funny; it is often given to high-school students to read, at the age of its hero.
Prizes and reception
The book that made its author known as the voice of rebellious youth; regarded today as a classic.
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