A Step in the Right Direction by Morten Søndergaard, translated by Barbara Haveland

A Step in the Right Direction is a series of meditations on walking. Divided into four major songs, or cantos, each one explores the act of walking from a different point of view: As a social activity; as an act of love; as a condition for thought; and as an inspiration for art. In this new collection, Morten Søndergaard continues a line of thought he first developed in Bees Die Sleeping and continued in Vinci, Later (which was published in English in 2005).

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Praise for Morten Søndergaard:

“For now we have Søndergaard, and a collection of poems so worthy of your attention and attachment that it bears repeating again and again, with rising urgency, how good this book is.” — Seth Abramson, Huffington Post

“Morten Søndergaard carefully brushes the lint off our shoulders, then crouches behind the controls of his poems and does everything to dislodge us from our feet. As doomful and slapstick as Beckett, he gives voice to the ground we stomp all over, and the stuff aside from people that peoples our world.” — Stuart Ross

“That everyday life would find its way into Sø’s poetry was demonstrated by his earlier masterpiece Vinci, Later. Now it has come to stay. A Step in the Right Direction is not just a step forward, but a giant leap into a much larger realm for this poet. It is, without having to say much else, an instant classic.” — Tue Andersen Nexø, Information

“With Morten Søndergaard, you find yourself in a world of wide open curiosity. You are travelling, you are on the move, and yet Søndergaard’s poems are like statues carved in Italian marble.” — Bjorn Breden, Politiken

“Morten Søndergaard stands out as the heir to Inger Christensen. If one argues that a poet’s primary task is to walk out into the world with eyes wide open and pass on impressions and thoughts through a tireless linguistic curiosity prism, then Morten Søndergaard’s A Step in the Right Direction is the work of an exemplary poet.” — Kim Skotte, Politiken

Reviews:

“It’s absolutely riveting… one of the more sublime books of poetry available… it bears repeating again and again, with rising urgency, how good this book is.” — The Huffington Post

“There are many moments of beauty and poignancy… The translation loses nothing” — Arc Poetry Magazine

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Morten Søndergaard (born 1964) is a part of a generation of Danish poets that emerged in the early Nineties. Søndergaard’s first collection of poetry, Sahara i mine hænder (Sahara In My Hands) was published in 1992. This debut collection has been followed by a succession of works which have won him both critical acclaim and a number of literary awards. Morten Søndergard’s most recent publication is Processen og det halve kongerige (The Process and Half the Kingdom) (2010). His books have been translated into Arabic, English, German, French, Italian, Serbian and Swedish.

Barbara J. Haveland (born 1951) translates fiction, poetry and drama from Danish and Norwegian to English. Her lengthy C.V. features works by many leading Danish and Norwegian writers including Peter Høeg, Ib Michael, Jan Kjærstad and Linn Ullmann. She has also translated poetry by other Danish poets such as Pia Juul and Nicolaj Stochholm and by the young Bosnian-born writer Alen Mešković. Recent projects include new translations of three plays by Henrik Ibsen: The Master Builder, Little Eyolf and A Doll’s House. She lives in Denmark.