Join us for a book talk with author Eric Dregni on The Love of Cod: A Father and Son’s Search for Norwegian Happiness, out April 27, 2022 from University of Minnesota Press! In this discussion, Dregni will discuss his journey to find Norway’s supposed bliss, explored within the novel’s comic travelogue.

Norway is usually near or at the top of the World Happiness Report. But is it really one of the happiest countries on Earth? Eric Dregni had his doubts. Years ago he and his wife had lived in this country his great-great-grandfather once fled; when their son Eilif was born there, the Norwegian government paid for the birth, gave them $5,000, and deposited $500 into their bank account every month. But surely happiness was more than a generous health care system; what about all those grim months without sun? When Eilif turned 15, father and son decided to go back together and investigate. Arriving in May, a month of festivals and eternal sun, they are thrust into Norway at its merriest—and into the reality of the astronomical cost of living, which forces them to find lodging with friends and relatives. But this gives them an inside look at the secrets to a better life, as locals introduce them to the principles underlying their avowed contentment, from an active environmentalism that translates into flyskam (flight shame) to a passion for dugnad (community volunteerism) and sakte or “slow” — a rejection of the mad pace of modernity — to the commodification of Viking history and the dark side of Black Metal music that turns the idea of quaint, traditional Norway upside down.

In this idiosyncratic father-and-son tour, readers will see how, or whether, Norwegian happiness translates.

This program will take place in-person in Volvo Hall; RSVP required. Attendees are required to follow all Scandinavia House safety protocols, including wearing masks during the program and observing social distancing rules in signage. Please read our full safety protocols here.