New York Times Book Review and other US press
Michael Owen reviews THE INVENTION OF ANA for the The New York Times Sunday Book Review:
"Mikkel Rosengaard’s intriguing first novel abounds with stories, layering one over another until we’re not sure who’s doing the telling (...) Ana reminds us that stories complicate one another, and sometimes add up to mysteries. A mystery might be fun to explore, like the human experience of time. But other mysteries pose a danger: Those who learn of them enter a night unlit even by stars."
Elsewhere, Bomb Magazine, Guernica and Columbia University's EuropeNow Journal brings interviews, discussing The Invention of Ana, time theory and how to tell stories in the age of Trump.
Storytelling in the Age of Populism by Kenneth Goldsmith (Guernica)
Narrative Gravity: Mikkel Rosengaard Interviewed by Raluca Albu (Bomb Magazine)
The Power of Narrative by Morten Høi Jensen (EuropeNow)
Finalist for the National Magazine Award in Fiction
THE MATING CALL is a finalist for the 2022 National Magazine Award (McSweeney's Quarterly)!
This short story about a bird call on a digital island was also recently selected for Selected Shorts, presented by Amy Tan, and performed by BD Wong at Symphony Space in New York City.
Mikkel Rosengaard
THE INVENTION OF ANA out in Sweden
Föreställningar om Ana Ivan was published by Förum in February 2017. Sydsvenskan, one of Sweden's largest newspapers, ran an interview and a review saying:
"Rosengaard's debut is a pageturner (...) with scientific paradoxes and quantum mechanical mystery, Rosengaard suceeds in making the reader forget about time".
The novel is deftly translated by Johanne Lykke Holm who is publishing her anticipated debut novel in Sweden later this year.
THE INVENTION OF ANA is also published in English, Danish, Norwegian and Dutch.
THE INVENTION OF ANA out in the US
On February 13, Custom House/HarperCollins published Mikkel Rosengaard's THE INVENTION OF ANA which was recently included in Library Journal’s “First and Foremost Debut Novels” feature.
The Invention of Ana will be the first Danish debut novel to be published in the US since Peter Høeg's 'A History of Danish Dreams' (1988).
“This strange story about strange stories, told with intelligence and humor, lingers in the mind like a dream.”
— Kirkus Reviews
“A striking, auspicious debut.”
— Publishers Weekly
“Rosengaard’s novel is a swift and memorable meditation on how storytellers struggle to separate the tangible from the contrived.”
— Booklist
“Surprising, suspenseful, and deeply affecting, written in prose as elegant and precise as a mathematical proof. A meditation on time, mortality, and politics, and a beautiful and enlarging read, The Invention of Ana made me feel as if my own life had gained a bit of extra time.”
— Alena Graedon, author of The Word Exchange
HarperCollins writes:
"Combining the infectious narration of Nick Hornby’s Funny Girl, the philosophical lyricism of Roberto Bolaño’s The Savage Detectives, and the mesmerizing power of Anna North’s The Life and Death of Sophie Stark, a breathtaking debut, brimming with youthful brio and irresistible humor, that chronicles a young man’s friendship with a most peculiar artist."
AGE OF THE FEMTROLL goes viral
"Age of the Femtroll, or the Based It Girl" (Flash Art, 2023) has reached 3 million views on Twitter!
The essay describes the emergence of a new American cultural figure — the based it girl.
Praise for THE INVENTION OF ANA
"Mikkel Rosengaard’s intriguing first novel abounds with stories, layering one over another until we’re not sure who’s doing the telling"
—New York Times Book Review
"The spirit of Scheherazade is alive and well in Rosengaard’s debut novel (...) a striking, auspicious debut."
—Publisher's Weekly
"This strange story about strange stories, told with intelligence and humor, lingers in the mind like a dream."
—Kirkus Review
“Rosengaard’s novel is a swift and memorable meditation on how storytellers struggle to separate the tangible from the contrived.”
—Booklist
"A uniquely stunning novel with a surreal dreamlike quality ... Rosengaard’s debut is on its way to becoming a new classic."
—BookTrib
"Fascinating ... Ana's stories are Rosengaard's great achievement"
—AM New York
"Deep, dark and commanding."
—Open Letter Review
"An intriguing tale of family secrets and generational curses"
—San Antonio-Express
* * * * * - Berlingske Tidende (Denmark)
"Mikkel Rosengaard's debut novel is terrific (...) fluently written and deep-felt, often with more than a hint of humor, Rosengaard simply and plainly has an extraordinary talent for telling stories and telling them well"
* * * * * - Ekstra Bladet (Denmark)
"Rosengaard's first novel is an awe-inspiring show of storytelling magic. A cool debut full of hilarious ideas and warm emotions."
* * * * * - Børsen (Denmark)
"An addictive and compelling debut novel (…) the narrative voice is bold, the tone almost perky despite the heavy topics, and the language effervescent."
* * * * * - Nordjyske (Denmark)
“Rosengaard flies all the flags of fiction (…) a story that is sensuously attentive and vividly alive for the reader”
* * * * - Hebban (Netherlands)
"The severity and depth of the characters and themes are animated by a remarkably creative use of language and a very fine narrative style. This fascinating debut novel could well provide Rosengaard the breakthrough in Europe and the United States."
* * * * - Chicklit (Netherlands)
"impressive, painful and endearing at the same time (...) As a reader you can do nothing but surrender to the book and - just as the main character is enchanted by Ana's stories - be enchanted by Rosengaard's storytelling skills."
Sydsvenskan (Sweden):
"Rosengaard's debut is a pageturner (...) with scientific paradoxes and quantum mechanical mystery, Rosengaard suceeds in making the reader forget all about time"
❤❤❤❤ - Politiken (Denmark)
"Propelled forward with an impeccable sense for pace and timing (...) Rosengaard succeeds brilliantly in hitting the readers right in their page-turning spot."
Skånska Dagbladet (Sweden)
"Terrifically interesting (...) A mindfuck with time, space, place, memory, mourning, inheritance, how things are and then not, when everything turns out to be different. I feel surprisingly involved, I long for the book like I long for sweets in the evening, enamored by Rosengaard's way of telling a story, his language that is just flowing."
* * * * - Jyllands-Posten (Denmark)
"Impossible not to be swept away by Ana's mysterious journey."
Dagens Næringsliv (Norway)
THE INVENTION OF ANA has everything to make it qualify as a cult novel. The characters are young and intense, the themes are wonderfully ambitious and philosophical, and the plot unfolds in widely different and partly romantized parts the world.”
* * * * - Kristeligt Dagblad (Denmark)
"”It’s a pleasure to read Mikkel Rosengaard’s free flowing and effortless prose”
Weekendavisen (Denmark)
"It is fascinating subject matter Mikkel Rosengaard presents in his debut novel (...) a strong sense for storytelling and an honest curiosity has a spellbinding effect."
Tara (Sweden)
Suddenly I'm hooked (...) there is a Peter Høeg-esque flow to the writing and the novel soon becomes an intense tale about time. Present, past and forever. Sometimes almost burlesque. From the flow of words emerges a moving story about a young girl coming to terms with herself."
Västerbottens-Kuriren (Sweden):
"A strong drive, great timing and well-chosen changes of pace characterize Mikkel Rosengaard’s prose. I sense some of Peter Høeg’s temperament as a writer and an obvious sense if not for snow, then for the magic of being.”
Upsala Nya Tidning (Sweden):
""Mikkel Rosengaard's approach to the novel is ingenious ... the idea is strong and the result highly successful"
Landskrona Posten (Sweden):
"“A true page-turner with a deeply engaging story and a dramaturgy and subject matter that puts time in question – in more than one respect.”
Litteratursiden (Denmark)
"Der er noget kalejdoskopisk over romanens univers, som hele tiden ændrer sig en lille smule, rykker sig, så man er nødt til at læse videre for at få næste forunderlige billede med. ’Forestillinger om Ana Ivan’ er en bog, man læser hurtigt, men som bliver hængende i bevidstheden længe."
Vi Läser (Sweden):
"Rosengaards snillrika förmåga att få till en intagande, oväntad och kuslig historia gör mig nyfiken på vad han kan åstadkomma i nästa bok."
Bogpusheren (Denmark)
"Det er noget af et brag Mikkel Rosengaard fyrer af i sin første roman (...) en fascinerende historie om stærk familiefølelse og om kærlighed og svigt."
LItteraturNU (Denmark)
"Informationer tilbageholdes virtuost, så mysterierne vokser sig større og med et snuptag samles hele molevitten og tildeles en fin krølle på halen (...) nok kræver det en god historie at skrive en god roman, men det kræver også en god hjerne at fortælle den."