Σα βγεις στον πηγαιμό για την Ιθάκη, να εύχεσαι νάναι μακρύς ο δρόμος, γεμάτος περιπέτειες, γεμάτος γνώσεις. Τους Λαιστρυγόνας και τους Κύκλωπας, τον θυμωμένο Ποσειδώνα μη φοβάσαι, τέτοια στον δρόμο σου ποτέ σου δεν θα βρεις, αν μέν’ η σκέψις σου υψηλή, αν εκλεκτή συγκίνησις το πνεύμα και το σώμα σου αγγίζει. Τους Λαιστρυγόνας και τους Κύκλωπας, τον άγριο Ποσειδώνα δεν θα συναντήσεις, αν δεν τους κουβανείς μες στην ψυχή σου, αν η ψυχή σου δεν τους στήνει εμπρός σου.
Να εύχεσαι νάναι μακρύς ο δρόμος. Πολλά τα καλοκαιρινά πρωιά να είναι που με τι ευχαρίστησι, με τι χαρά θα μπαίνεις σε λιμένας πρωτοειδωμένους· να σταματήσεις σ’ εμπορεία Φοινικικά, και τες καλές πραγμάτειες ν’ αποκτήσεις, σεντέφια και κοράλλια, κεχριμπάρια κ’ έβενους, και ηδονικά μυρωδικά κάθε λογής, όσο μπορείς πιο άφθονα ηδονικά μυρωδικά· σε πόλεις Aιγυπτιακές πολλές να πας, να μάθεις και να μάθεις απ’ τους σπουδασμένους.
Πάντα στον νου σου νάχεις την Ιθάκη. Το φθάσιμον εκεί είν’ ο προορισμός σου. Aλλά μη βιάζεις το ταξείδι διόλου. Καλλίτερα χρόνια πολλά να διαρκέσει· και γέρος πια ν’ αράξεις στο νησί, πλούσιος με όσα κέρδισες στον δρόμο, μη προσδοκώντας πλούτη να σε δώσει η Ιθάκη.
Η Ιθάκη σ’ έδωσε τ’ ωραίο ταξείδι. Χωρίς αυτήν δεν θάβγαινες στον δρόμο. Άλλα δεν έχει να σε δώσει πια.
Κι αν πτωχική την βρεις, η Ιθάκη δεν σε γέλασε. Έτσι σοφός που έγινες, με τόση πείρα, ήδη θα το κατάλαβες η Ιθάκες τι σημαίνουν.
As you set out for Ithaka hope your road is a long one, full of adventure, full of discovery. Laistrygonians, Cyclops, angry Poseidon -don’t be afraid of them: you’ll never find things like that on your way as long as you keep your thoughts raised high, as long as a rare excitement stirs your spirit and your body. Laistrygonians, Cyclops, wild Poseidon -you won’t encounter them unless you bring them along inside your soul, unless your soul sets them up in front of you.
Hope your road is a long one. May there be many summer mornings when, with what pleasure, what joy, you enter harbors you’re seeing for the first time; may you stop at Phoenician trading stations to buy fine things, mother of pearl and coral, amber and ebony, sensual perfume of every kind- as many sensual perfumes as you can; and may you visit many Egyptian cities to learn and go on learning from their scholars.
Keep Ithaka always in your mind. Arriving there is what you’re destined for. But don’t hurry the journey at all. Better if it lasts for years, so you’re old by the time you reach the island, wealthy with all you’ve gained on the way, not expecting Ithaka to make you rich.
Ithaka gave you the marvelous journey. Without her you wouldn't have set out. She has nothing left to give you now.
And if you find her poor, Ithaka won’t have fooled you. Wise as you will have become, so full of experience, you’ll have understood by then what these Ithakas mean.
Today, Claire Fontaine and Joseph de Ca'th Lon have arrived in Décines-Charpieu, Lyon where this afternoon they will go to see the NorthernStar, who has a very important match today. During the trip from Milan to Lyon they have been reading a new Astérix adventure, in this case, Astérix and the Roman Agent.
Astérix and the Roman Agent, in French LaZizanie, is the fifteenth volume of the Astérix comic book series, by René Goscinny (stories) and Albert Uderzo (illustrations). It first appeared as a serial in Pilote magazine issues 531–552 in 1970 and was translated into English in 1972.
The original French title of this story was La Zizanie (The Ill-feeling or The Dissension). The inspiration was the dissension at Pilote magazine, a year before, during the May 1968 events in Paris, a time of civil unrest, when Goscinny, then also editor of Pilote, was almost evicted from the post, and remained bitter from the affair.
In the English version Caesar keeps making the famous Et tu Brute remark to Brutus who reacts in silent annoyance at this patronising attitude. In the original French version, Caesar keeps saying Et toi, mon fils (French for And you, my son), a possible reference to the suggestion by some historians that Brutus was actually fathered by Caesar, though some think it unlikely due to the mere 17-year age difference between the two men. It may also be a reference to the Greek phrase which the historian Suetonius reports Caesar did say to Brutus, καὶ σὺ τέκνον (Kai su, teknon?), literally, in English, You too, my child?
Brutus denies ever serving Caesar's enemy Pompey, whereas he actually did so in real life. It is a curious remark to make in a series which, although largely fictional, is based on extensive research into the history and background of the time and the habits of populations both old and new.
Centurion Felix Platypus is a caricature of the actor Lino Ventura, well-known for playing the parts of tough policemen.
The incident of the Pirates fighting between themselves and sinking their own ship is referred to in the next adventure Astérix in Switzerland.
When Impedimenta screams at Vitalstatistix about idiots (words used in the original French edition) who might one day have the absurd idea of writing the history of the village, Goscinny and Uderzo are clearly referring to themselves.
This is the first appearance of several female villagers -Impedimenta's inner circle of prominent wives. In particular, the wives of Geriatrix and Fulliautomatix and an obese lady whose husband is not mentioned, but who appears in many crowd and background scenes in later albums, are first seen here.
In the scenes where people have been deceived into arguing, the speech bubbles are painted in increasingly dark green. In contrast, in the final banquet panel, Vitalstatistix makes his moving birthday speech in pink.
Stradivarius. The old senator's voice is compared to the sound of a Stradivarius violin, highlighting its rich and resonant quality.
Magnumopus (Fr. Savancosinus). The French name of the Roman legionary Magnumpous is Savancosinus. This is a clever play on the word cosine,referencing the comic character Savant Cosinus.
The Battle of the Four Camps. For the first time, all four Roman camps surrounding the Gaulish village -Aquarium, Totorum, Laudanum, and Compendium- unite in a coordinated attack, increasing the stakes for the indomitable Gauls. In the American English release, the camps are named;Aquarium, Opprobrium, Nohappimedium and Delirium.
It is a very special adventure from which great vital ideas are extracted.
Despite Convolvulus's best efforts, the Gauls ultimately overcome the challenges he presents. By recognizing the dangers of manipulation and reaffirming their unity, they successfully thwart the Roman's plans and expose Convolvulus's treachery.
Astérix and the Roman Agent is a testament to the enduring brilliance of Goscinny and Uderzo. This thought-provoking adventure explores themes of trust, betrayal, and the importance of maintaining unity within a community, making it a timeless classic that continues to entertain and enlighten readers today.
Joseph de Ca'th Lon and ClaireFontaine continue to enjoy the Paralympic Games and a city as important for sport as Milan. That is why, the two friends, great football fans, celebrate today the 118th anniversary of the founding of a European historic club, Inter Milan.
Tomorrow, they will travel to Lyon to watch the Northern Star, who has an important match that could mean winning the regular season of their league.
Football Club Internazionale Milano, widely referred to as Internazionale, and commonly known as Inter Milan in English-speaking countries, is an Italian professional football club based in Milan, Lombardy.
Inter is the only team to have always participated in the top division of Italian football since its debut in 1909, never being relegated to Serie B. Since 1947, Inter has shared the San Siro stadium, the largest stadium in Italy, with AC Milan, with whom it contests the long-standing Derby della Madonnina, one of the most widely followed rivalries in world football.
The club was founded in 1908 after a split within the Milan Foot-Ball and Cricket Club (now AC Milan), and won its first championship in 1910. Since its formation, the club has won 37 domestic trophies, including 20 league titles, nine Coppa Italia, and eight Supercoppa Italiana. From 2006 to 2010, the club won five successive league titles, equaling the all-time record at that time. They have won the European Cup/Champions League three times, their latest win in 2010 completed an unprecedented Italian seasonal treble, with Inter winning the Serie A and the Coppa Italia the same year. The club has also won three UEFA Cups, two Intercontinental Cups, and one FIFA Club World Cup. Inter is the only Italian club that won at least an official trophy in every decade since the foundation of the club in 1908.
Inter has the highest home game attendance in Italy and the fourth-highest attendance in Europe. Since May 2024, the club has been owned by American asset management company Oaktree Capital Management.
The club was founded on 9 March 1908 as Football Club Internazionale, when a group of players left the Milan Cricket and Football Club (now AC Milan) to form a new club because they wanted to accept more foreign players. The name of the club derives from the wish of its founding members to accept foreign players as well as Italians. The club won its first championship in 1910 and its second in 1920. The captain and coach of the first championship winning team was Virgilio Fossati, who was later killed in battle while serving in the Italian army during World War I.
One of the founders of Inter, a painter named Giorgio Muggiani, was responsible for the design of the first Inter logo in 1908. The first design incorporated the letters FCIM in the centre of a series of circles that formed the badge of the club. The basic elements of the design have remained constant even as finer details have been modified over the years. Starting from the 1999-2000 season, the original club crest was reduced in size, to create space for the addition of the club's name and foundation year at the upper and lower part of the logo respectively.
In 2007, the logo was returned to the pre-1999-2000 era. It was given a more modern look with a smaller Scudetto star and lighter colour scheme. This version was used until July 2014, when the club decided to undertake a rebranding. The most significant difference between the current and the previous logo is the omission of the star from other media except match kits.
Since its founding in 1908, Inter have almost always worn black and blue stripes, earning them the nickname Nerazzurri. According to the tradition, the colours were adopted to represent the nocturnal sky: in fact, the club was established on the night of 9 March, at 23:30; moreover, blue was chosen by Giorgio Muggiani because he considered it to be the opposite colour to red, worn by the Milan Cricket and Football Club rivals.
During the 1928-29 season, however, Inter were forced by Fascist regime to abandon their black and blue uniforms.
In 1928, Inter's name and philosophy made the ruling Fascist Party uneasy; as a result, during the same year the 20-year-old club was merged with Unione Sportiva Milanese: the new club was named Società Sportiva Ambrosiana after the patron saint of Milan. The flag of Milan (the red cross on white background) replaced the traditional black and blue.
In 1929, the black-and-blue jerseys were restored, and after World War II, when the Fascists had fallen from power, the club reverted to their original name.
In 2008, Inter celebrated their centenary with a red cross on their away shirt. The cross is reminiscent of the flag of their city, and they continue to use the pattern on their third kit.
In 2014, the club adopted a predominantly black home kit with thin blue pinstripes before returning to a more traditional design the following season.
Animals are often used to represent football clubs in Italy -the grass snake, called Biscione, represents Inter. The snake is a symbol for the city of Milan,appearing often in Milanese heraldry as a coiled viper with a man in its jaws. The symbol is present on the coat of arms of the House of Sforza (which ruled over Italy from Milan during the Renaissance period), the city of Milan, the historical Duchy of Milan (a 400-year state of the Holy Roman Empire) and Insubria (a historical region the city of Milan falls within). For the 2010-11 season, Inter's away kit featured the snake.
Questa notte splendida darà i colori al nostro stemma: il nero e l'azzurro sullo sfondo d'oro delle stelle. Si chiamerà Internazionale, perché noi siamo fratelli del mondo.
This wonderful night will give us the colours of our crest: black and blue against a backdrop of stars. It shall be called International, because we are brothers of the world.
The language of equality is international, so today, from Malmö in Sweden, The Grandma, who is Andorran/Catalan, wants to remember EdithSödergran, a poet who was born in Saint Petersburg in the Russian Empire, of Finnish nationality who wrote in Swedish, author of one of the most wonderful poems ever written about women, Vikvinnor, which was translated into Catalan by Mariadel Mar Bonet in an excellent way, even though we all know that in literature 'to translate is to betray'.
We must work so that equality is not just a slogan, nor a topic to win votes when there are elections, nor marketing without content to be politically correct, nor a business that distorts all the work, effort and sacrifice of so many women over so many centuries, a work that must continue to dignify the lives of so many women from theocratic regimes to consolidated false democracies, because as EdithSödergran wrote you looked for a woman and you found a person, and the day we all see each other as equals, that day we will be able to call ourselves a real society.
Vi kvinnor, vi äro så nära den bruna jorden. Vi fråga göken, vad han väntar av våren, vi slå våra armar kring den kala furan, vi forska i solnedgången efter tecken och råd.
Vi kvinnor, vi äro så fattiga på ord, vi veta endast så mycket som träden, vi kunna endast tiga och vänta som de mörka skogarna vänta på våren.
Jag älskade en gång en man, han trodde på ingenting. Han kom en kall dag med tomma ögon, han gick en tung dag med glömska över pannan.
Jag väntade ett barn av honom. Men barnet dog i mitt sköte, och jag bar dess lilla lik i mitt hjärta länge.
Om mitt barn icke lever, är det hans.
Nosaltres, les dones Som molt a prop de la terra Demanàvem als ocells Que esperen de la primavera
Acollim al pi despullat Dins els nostres braços Cerquem en la posta de sol Senyals i consells
Vaig estimar un cop un home Ell no creia en res Arribà un dia gelat Amb els ulls buits Se n'anà un dia feixuc Amb l'oblit sobre el front
Si el meu fill neix mort És seu
Tu cercaves una flor I vares trobar un fruit Cercaves una font I vares trobar un riu Volies una dona I trobares una persona I et sents Desenganyat
We women, we are so close to the brown earth. We ask the cuckoo what he expects from spring, We wrap our arms around the bare pine, We search the sunset for signs and advice. We women, we are so poor in words, We only know as much as the trees, We can only be silent and wait As the dark forests wait for spring.
I once loved a man, He believed in nothing. He came one cold day with empty eyes, He left one heavy day with forgetfulness over his forehead.
I expected a child from him. But the child died in my womb, And I carried its little corpse In my heart for a long time. If my child does not live, it is his.
Today, The Grandma has been visiting the Swedish city of Malmö, in Skåne.Located 35-40 minutes by train from Copenhagen, The Grandma has come not only to see and get to know the city but also to look for a cultural treasure of incalculable personal value.
The Grandma is passionate about literature and when asked the seemingly impossible question of what her favourite work of fiction is, she has no doubt about choosing The Little Prince,themasterpiece by Antoinede Saint-Exupéry. And for this reason, whenever she has the opportunity to be away from home, the challenge is to find a version of this wonder in the language of the place she is visiting, so, while being in Copenhagen and already having the Danish version, she could not resist the temptation to take the train and cross the ØresundBridge, from Denmark to the Öresund Bridge in Sweden and go in search of this extraordinary treasure and yes, she has been able to do it.
The visit has been so short that she has not had enough time to really visit the city, so she has put it on his list of upcoming must-sees. In addition, she has taken a short break to watch the Northern Star, who had an important match today, which has not gone well, but from which many lessons can be learned.
Tomorrow morning, she will cross the bridge again towards Kastrup, where she must take the return flight to Barcelona at mid-morning, saying goodbye to these Scandinavian lands that she loves and admires so much.
Malmö is the third-largest city in Sweden, after Stockholm and Gothenburg, and the seventh-largest city in the Nordic region. Located on the Öresund strait on the southwestern coast of Sweden, it is the largest city in Skåne and is the gubernatorial seat of Skåne County. Malmö received its city privileges in 1353.
Malmö is the site of Sweden's only fixed direct link to continental Europe, the Öresund Bridge, completed in 2000. The bridge connects Sweden to Denmark, and carries both road and rail traffic. The Öresund Region,whichincludes Malmö and Copenhagen, is home to four million people.
The city was one of the earliest and most-industrialised in Scandinavia,andthe birthplace of several of Scandinavia's largest industrial groups, such as Kockums, Skanska, and Scania AB. The city has undergone a major transformation in the 21st century, and today, Malmö is characterised by many small and medium-sized companies in biotech, logistics, IT, construction, and real estate markets. It also is home to Malmö University and other higher education facilities.
Malmö contains many historic buildings and parks, and is a commercial centre for the western part of Skåne. It is home to Malmö FF, the Swedish football club with the most Allsvenskan titles, and the only Nordic club to have reached the final of the European Cup. It is also home to women's football club FC Rosengård, the most successful club in the Damallsvenskan.
Malmö has a mild climate for the latitude and, normally, average high temperatures remain above freezing in winter, with prolonged snow cover being rare.
The earliest written mention of Malmö as a city dates from 1275. It is thought to have been founded shortly before that date, as a fortified quay or ferry berth of the Danish Archbishop of Lund, 20 kilometres to the north-east. Its original name was Malmhaug, with alternative spellings, meaning Gravel pile or Ore Hill.
In the 15th century, Malmö became one of Denmark's largest and most visited cities, reaching a population of approximately 5,000 inhabitants. It became the most important city around the Öresund, with the German Hanseatic League frequenting it as a marketplace, and was notable for its flourishing herring fishery.
In 1437, King Eric of Pomerania (King of Denmark from 1396 to 1439) granted the city's arms: argent with a griffin gules, based on Eric's arms from Pomerania. The griffin's head as a symbol of Malmö extended to the entire province of Skåne from 1660.
Lutheran teachings spread during the 16th century Protestant Reformation, and Malmö became one of the first cities in Scandinavia to fully convert (1527–1529) to this Protestant denomination.
We had spent two months in Malmö, Sweden, the place for which God saved all the most beautiful things in nature. The greenest grass. Sky the colour of cornflowers. Children who seemed born of that landscape, their hair spun from white clouds, eyes of cobalt sea.
Joseph de Ca'th Lon and ClaireFontaine have arrived in Verona this morning, where they will attend the opening ceremony of the ParalympicGames today.The two friends have been to Maria Enzasduaf and Kufstein this week, before arriving in this beautiful city in Veneto from where they will travel to the different places to enjoy such a spectacular sporting spectacle as the Paralympic Games.
Meanwhile, The Grandma continues in Denmark. She arrived in Københavnwith Veles e Vents by AusiàsMarch and couldn't leave Roskilde without visiting the Vikingeskibsmuseet, an extraordinary museum that transports you throughout the history of the Vikings, who, just like Ausiàs March did in the Mediterranean, set out to sail, discover and live in places far from Scandinavian lands.
Vikingeskibsmuseet is a must-see to understand the Scandinavian past and present, a culture that has influenced the rest of Europe and part of North America much more than we will ever imagine.
For The Grandma, who loves the sea and sailing madly, being able to visit this museum is an indescribable pleasure, especially the part where they teach how these magnificent and majestic ships were made.
How do you take a piece of this culture with you? Some small souvenirs, a great book and a nice sweatshirt are not enough. Nothing is enough.
This evening, she will travel by train to Malmö, Sweden where she will stay for the weekend before returning to Barcelona, where on Monday afternoon she will have a training session with future trainers in Castelldefels.
Vikingeskibsmuseet (Viking Ship Museum) in Roskilde is Denmark's national ship museum for ships of the prehistoric and medieval period.
The main focus of the museum is a permanent exhibition of the Skuldelev ships,five original Viking ships excavated nearby in 1962.
The Viking Ship Museum also conducts research and educates researchers in the fields of maritime history, marine archaeology and experimental archaeology. Various academic conferences are held here and there is a research library in association with the museum.
Around the year 1070, five Viking ships were deliberately sunk at Skuldelev in Roskilde Fjord in order to block the most important fairway and to protect Roskilde from an enemy attack from the sea. These ships, later known as the Skuldelev ships, were excavated in 1962. They turned out to be five different types of ships ranging from cargo ships to ships of war.
The Viking Ship Museum overlooking the inlet of Roskilde Fjord was built in 1969 with the main purpose of exhibiting the five newly discovered Skuldelev ships.
The original Skuldelev Viking ships are the main focus of the museum, but a small exhibition about the Roskilde ships and various temporary exhibitions with a broader scope can also be experienced here.
In the late 1990s, excavations for the shipyard expansion of the Viking Ship Museum uncovered the remains of a further nine ships, the Roskilde ships, from the medieval period. It is the largest such discovery of ships in Northern Europe. Most of these are from the period just after the Viking Age, 1060-1350 AD, but Roskilde 6 is from 1025 AD and is the longest Viking ship ever found; about 37 m long. All except Roskilde 8 have been excavated and their remains are at the National Museum of Denmark.
The Viking Ship Museum has a long tradition of Viking ship reconstructions and boat building and also collects boats of interest from all over Scandinavia.
The boat collection at the museum now comprise more than 40 vessels and the associated ship building yard is constantly building new ships by original methods as part of an experimental archaeology learning process. It is possible to follow or engage in the ship building process here. The shipyard is located on a small isle known as Museumsøen (Museum Island), connected to the main museum exhibition buildings by a drawbridge.
Every summer, a handful of boats are launched for extended sea voyages to accumulate more knowledge about the seafaring techniques and conditions of the Vikings.
Today, the day dawned with a few clouds in København. The Grandma has takenthe train to Roskilde. It's a 25-minute journey, enough to accompany them with a good read. She has chosenSommerfugledalen: Etrequiem by IngerChristensen, a Scandinavian author for whom TheGrandma feels true devotion and whom she had the pleasure of meeting in person in Rome eight years ago.
Inger Christensen was a woman with a passionate personality and what excites The Grandma most about her poetry is the use of mathematical patterns (such as the Fibonacci sequence or combinatorial systems) that make you, as a reader, feel that language grows like a natural organism. And indeed, it does.
Inger Christensen shows how individual existence is part of an immense order where plants, animals, humans, language and the universe function as a network of interconnections, as the Mallorcan philosopher Ramon Llull said in the 13th century.
Inger Christensen's work is based on the philosophical idea that language not only describes the world, but also creates it. Her poems often seem like experiments with reality, as if she were trying to discover how far language can go to explain existence, and for this reason, these poems explore the contradiction between order (patterns, mathematics, language) and chaos (war, destruction, entropy) and this is amazing.
It is difficult to highlight one work above the rest as a whole, but today TheGrandma has decided to highlight Sommerfugledalen: Et requiem, a cycle of sonnets about butterflies and mortality, where it talks about how the beauty of nature coexists with the awareness of the fragility of life.
The butterfly is a mythological insect for many cultures. Diderot's Encyclopédie cites them as a symbol of the soul. Accordingly, the ancient Greek word for butterfly is ψυχή (psȳchē), which primarily means soul or mind. In some cultures, butterflies symbolize reincarnation. In Japan, the butterfly is seen as the personification of a person's soul; whether alive, dying, or already dead. In China, however, it symbolizes love, in an image similar to that of the Western heart. In many countries it is an allegory of beauty and fragility, which is why it is a metaphorical image of young women. Her life is also a symbol of transformation and change; coming out of the chrysalis to become better. In Devon, England, people rush to kill the first butterfly of the year to avoid a year of bad luck. In the Philippines, a persistent black butterfly or moth in the house means a death in the family. Several states in the United States of America have chosen the butterfly as their state insect.
For this reason, the so-called butterfly effect is an image to explain that everything is related and as Inger Christensen and Ramon Llull said, the universe works as a network of interconnections.
And while The Grandma was reading Sommerfugledalen: Et requiem, she has arrived at her destination, Roskilde, where an intense morning of work awaits her, with another vital network for territorial development: the railway.
Inger Christensen (16 January 1935-2 January 2009) was a Danish poet, novelist, essayist and editor. She is considered the foremost Danish poetic experimentalist of her generation.
Born in the town of Vejle, on the eastern Jutland coast of Denmark, Christensen's father was a tailor, and her mother a cook before her marriage. After graduating from Vejle Gymnasium, she moved to Copenhagen and, later, to Århus, studying at the Teachers' College there. She received her certificate in 1958. During this same period, Christensen began publishing poems in the journal Hvedekorn, and was guided by the noted Danish poet and critic Poul Borum (1934-1996), whom she married in 1959 and divorced in 1976.
After teaching at the College for Arts in Holbæk from 1963 to 1964, she turned to writing full-time, producing two of her major early collections, Lys (1962) and Græs (1963), both examining the limits of self-knowledge and the role of language inperception. Her most acclaimed work of the 1960s, however, was It, which, on one level, explored social, political and aesthetic issues, but more deeply probed large philosophical questions of meaning. The work, almost incantatory in tone, opposes issues such as fear and love and power and powerlessness.
In these years Christensen also published two novels, Evighedsmaskinen (1964) and Azorno (1967), as well as a shorter fiction on the Italian Renaissance painter Mantegna, presented from the viewpoint of various narrators (Mantegna's secretary Marsilio, the Turkish princess Farfalla, and Mantagena's young son), Det malede Værelse (1976, translated into English as The Painted Room by Denise Newman and published by Harvill Press in 2000).
Much of Christensen's work was organized upon systemic structures in accordance with her belief that poetry is not truth and not even the dreamof truth, but is a game,maybe a tragic game -the game we play with a world that plays its own game with us.
In the 1981 poetry collection Alfabet, Christensen used the alphabet (from a ["apricots"] to n ["nights"]) along with the Fibonacci mathematical sequence in which the next number is the sum of the two previous ones (0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34...). As she explained: The numerical ratios exist in nature: the way a leek wraps around itself from the inside, and the head of a snowflower, are both based on this series. Her system ends on the n, suggesting many possible meanings including n's significance as any whole number. As with It, however, despite its highly structured elements this work is a poetically evocative series concerned with oppositions such as an outpouring of the joy of the world counterposed with the fears for and forces poised for its destruction.
Sommerfugledalen of 1991 (Butterfly Valley: A Requiem, 2004) explores through the sonnet structure the fragility of life and mortality, ending in a kind of transformation. It consists of 15 sonnets and is a so-called sonnet redoublé.
Christensen also wrote works for children, plays, radio pieces, and numerous essays, the most notable of which were collected in her book Hemmelighedstilstanden (The State of Secrecy) in 2000.
In 1978, she was appointed to the Royal Danish Academy; in 1994, she became a member of the Académie Européenne de Poésie; in 2001, a member of the Academy of Arts, Berlin. She won the Grand Prix des Biennales Internationales de Poésie in 1991. She received the Rungstedlund Award in 1991, Derösterreichische Staatspreis für Literature in 1994; in 1994, she won the Swedish Academy Nordic Prize, known as the little Nobel; the European Poetry Prize in 1995; The America Award in 2001; the German Siegfried Unseld Preis in 2006; and received numerous other distinctions.
Her works have been translated into several languages, and she was frequently mentioned as a candidate for the Nobel Prize in Literature.
The complete Butterfly valley has been set twice by two Danish composers, Niels Rosing-Schow and Svend Nielsen. Both versions were, separately, recorded by Ars Nova Copenhagen with poetry reading by the poet.
Happiness is the change that comes over me when I describe the world. It comes over the world. Happiness is the change that comes over me when I'm afraid. It comes over the world. For instance I can be afraid of and for the world afraid because the world consists among other things of me so swiftly dying.
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