Money to Burn
A groundbreaking, profound and intimate novel about capitalism’s effects on the human heart: Money to Burn is the first volume of the Scandinavian Star series, a new masterpiece of Danish literature
'Buzzes with electricity… intriguing, maddening, exciting. I’m in’ Observer
'Taut and intelligent… a moving love story and an incendiary indictment of contemporary society' Literary Review
Maggie and Kurt are struggling to hold their marriage together after their only daughter has left home. They live in an old farmhouse in Nyborg but somehow keep missing each other, unable to discuss the events that brought them together.
Decades ago, a passenger ferry called the Scandinavian Star caught fire, killing 159 people. The event is still considered a national tragedy in Denmark and Norway. Years later, it was revealed not to be an accident, but the result of an insurance scam gone wrong.
How is the Scandinavian Star disaster connected to Maggie and Kurt? How does money affect and infect our closest relationships? And is it ever possible to escape?
‘A comet in Scandinavian literature’ OLGA RAVN
‘Startling and irresistible’ CLAIRE-LOUISE BENNETT
'Unusual, fascinating, and complicated in the best way' CLAIRE FULLER
'Nordenhof's writing is electrifying' CHETNA MAROO
Asta Olivia Nordenhof (Author)
Asta Olivia Nordenhof is an award-winning poet and author. Money to Burn was first published in Denmark in 2020 and went on to win the European Union Prize for Literature and the PO Enquist Prize, and to be shortlisted for the Nordic Council Literature Prize. Its publication caused a sensation internationally and it is set to be published in sixteen languages. The second book in the series, The Devil Book, was an instant bestseller in Denmark.
Caroline Waight (Translator)
Caroline Waight is an award-winning literary translator working from Danish, German and Norwegian. Her translations include books by Caroline Albertine Minor, Ingvild Rishøi, Maren Uthaug and Dorthe Nors. She was a finalist for the 2023 PEN Translation Award and received a special commendation at the 2023 Warwick Prize for Women in Translation.