Naja Marie Aidt, photo courtesy of ArnoldBusck
Naja Marie Aidt is one of Denmark’s most famous authors. Her poetry and short stories have won numerous prizes, including the Nordic Council’s Literature Prize and the Danish Critics Prize for Literature. With the forthcoming novel Rock, Paper, Scissors, to be released by Open Letter Books in August 2015, Aidt’s enticing and intricate work is bridging the gap to American English readers. Translated by K.E. Semmel, Rock, Paper, Scissors has already started wooing the media masses.
Book Riot included Rock, Paper, Scissors on their “6 Small Press Books to Read in August,” and Publishers Weekly featured the title on their list “PW Picks: Books of the Week, August 10, 2015,” each singing the praises of Aidt and her new work. Publishers Weekly eloquently summed up the novel’s themes and why it is notable: “Laced with sex, marital problems, family drama, and money woes, Aidt’s supremely cultivated novel is concerned with the struggle to connect with those we truly love and the consequences of remaining distant.”
Publishers Weekly also featured Naja Marie Aidt on their “10 Best Novels by Poets” series, where Aidt listed her favorite novels and her values in terms of good writing. In the interview, Aidt talked about what she looks for in a good book and also what she values in her own writing: “A good plot or great story is not enough for me. I need the language to be precise, sensual, intense, and distinctive.” In terms of her own work, she draws creative energy from shifting from poetry to prose and different forms of writing, as the challenge of shifting from separate genres allows her to grow and develop as a writer. The maturity and curiosity to explore different forms of language is clearly seen in Rock, Paper, Scissors. Once again, Publishers Weekly accurately summed it up: “Aidt writes with verve, passion, and a sharp edge,” creating work that is equally thought-provoking and entertaining.