Erling Jepsen Denmark
Erling Jepsen was born 1956. He had his debut as a playwright in 1977 and his breakthrough as a novelist in 2002 with the novel Kunsten at græde i kor (The Art of Crying). Jepsen was highly praised by all critics for his novel Frygtelig lykkelig (Terribly Happy) (Borgen, 2004) which was instantly chosen as Book of the Month by Weekendavisen.
Kunsten at græde i kor has been turned into a film The Art of Crying, directed by Peter Schønau Fog and has been screened at the San Sebastian Film Festival where it was awarded the Youth Jury Award, it was awarded several prizes at the Mannheim-Heidelberg Film Festival and even nominated for a Golden Globe Award.
Also Frygtelig lykkelig (Terribly Happy) is a motion picture with equally as much success. Directed by Henrik Ruben Genz.
Hovedløs sommer
(Headless Summer)
People’s Press, Copenhagen, 2011
Emilie’s parents are divorced and she has moved with her mum and younger brother to an old house outside of town. One evening a young man shows up in the garden. Mum strikes him down with a bat, but it turns out that he used to live in the house and offers a hand with getting the garden back in shape. The young man moves in and soon flirts with both mother and daughter who are both charmed by his advances. But Emilie is only fourteen and when her father hears about the new lodger he is less enthusiastic.
Rights sold:
Netherlands: Cossée
Germany: Suhrkamp
Biroller
(Subordinate Parts)
People’s Press, Copenhagen, October 2009
Helene dreams of becoming a theatre actress, but the theatre unfortunately doesn’t want her. Her dog, on the other hand, is very talented. It wanders into a local theatre by accident all the way on to the stage during a rehearsal and before she knows it Helene has arranged a meeting with the theatre manager. The offer from the manager wasn’t quite what Helene had in mind, but once you’ve got your foot in you have to prove that you’re ready to go all the way. Subordinate Parts is a novel behind the scene where all is fair in order to secure the right part. Drama and black humour are the key elements in a story where it’s important to aim high if you want to be a star even if you have to start on all fours.
Med venlig deltagelse
(Our Most Sincere Condolences)
Forlaget Borgen, 2006
Frygtelig lykkelig
(Terribly Happy)
Forlaget Borgen, 2004
Kunsten at græde i kor
(The Art of Crying)
Forlaget Borgen, 2002
Sold to: the Netherlands (Cossée), Germany (Suhrkamp), Norway (Press), Sweden (Norstedts), Iceland (Uppheimar), Spain (Lengua di Trapo), France (Sabine Wespieser), Czech (Knihovnica), Film (Final Cut Productions).