English-speaking Americans might be hard-pressed to find just one word that describes the sense of utter peace and contentment that certain things—objects, activities, scents—can bring into our lives. Things like toasting marshmallows over a campfire with close friends and family members, or curling up on the couch with a steaming beverage and a good book: these are the kinds of things the Danes might call hyggelige.
In his debut book, Meik Wiking, CEO of the Happiness Research Institute, Copenhagen, responds to a recent international obsession with the Danish concept of “hygge (pronounced hoo-ga),” often described as a feeling of “coziness.” Wiking combines survey-based studies and whimsical personal anecdotes with lectures on language and comparisons with other cultures, to explore the meaning of hygge, and the role it plays in everyday life, in Denmark and abroad. “What freedom is to Americans, thoroughness to Germans, and the stiff upper lip to the British, hygge is to Danes.” With the help of easy-to-read graphs and charts, and quaint woodblock-style illustrations in a calming array of blues, orange, and yellow, Wiking offers international audiences advice on how to recognize and incorporate elements of hygge into their own lives.
Rather than describing the larger institutions or systems in place that might contribute to “Denmark’s position as one of the happiest countries in the world”—which Wiking remedies later, in his second book, The Little Book of Lykke—The Little Book of Hygge places more focus on the little things: singular moments that represent the larger concept of hygge, particular trends or opinions among Danish people, and things that individuals or small groups of family and friends can do to make their day-to-day lives more comfortable. The range of lifestyle advice contained within The Little Book of Hygge touches on everything from classic Danish recipes like gløgg (mulled wine) and æbleskiver (puffed apple pancakes) and how to choose (and use) the proper lighting for your home and office spaces, to activities and ideas for engaging with loved ones on a regular basis and creative ways to carry the hygge vibes with you outside of the home, wherever you are, all through the year.
Fans of audiobooks will be pleased with Wiking’s voice, which is kind and informative and positively Danish. Whether narrating personal stories or giving out lifestyle advice, Wiking sounds like someone you’ve known your whole life, which makes the experience of listening all the more hyggelig. There are pros and cons to each method of participating in The Little Book of Hygge. Meik Wiking’s tone of voice and accurate pronunciation of Danish (and sometimes German or Dutch) vocabulary in the audio version feel like an important part of the experience, but the look and feel of the small hardcover book lend a lot to its personality, and the ability to quickly reference the recipes and lists within is a vital component in the book’s practicality and usefulness. Readers may want to consider investing in both the audio and print versions of this title.
This review was originally written in 2018.
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