Mette Thomsen

Mette Thomsen (born 26 February 1970) is a Danish novelist. As she has explained herself, she belongs to the culture of "zappers" who have grown up with computers, mobile phones and television, leading to a more limited experience of the world and fewer relationships with other people. This leads to a feeling of anxiety, the starting point of her novels.

Biography

Born in Humlebæk in northeastern Zealand, Thomsen began her interest in storytelling while at Zahles Gymnasieskole, the high school she completed in 1989. In 1991, she spent the summer months at the London Cartoon Centre learning the art of writing cartoon strips. Thereafter she spent a couple of years studying law in Copenhagen but then returned to the world of cartoons.

The influence of cartoons can be seen in her first humorous novel Af en superhelts bekendelser (Confessions of a Superhero, 1994). After becoming the victim of an attempted rape, the heroine becomes a superhero suppressing violent men. Her next novel Plastic (1995) is about a girl on unemployment benefit who dreams of becoming a successful Barbie doll in a perfect life to come. In 2005, Thomsen published the poetry collection Vindæg.

Her most recent novel Seks (Six, 2009) tells the story of six separate individuals. It is based on the theory that everyone on earth can come into contact with everyone else via relationships with six other people. All the individuals nevertheless experience a sense of loneliness.

External links

• Mette Thomsen's website