History in Person: Intergenerational Memory in Young Literary Life Writing

This essay discusses popular life writing by younger Danish writers descending from immigrants.It focuses on selected works, within the last two decades, that all have had significant presence in public sphere debates or caused controversy.The books in different ways addresses struggles around intergenerational memory and it is argued that the works can be seen as ways of trying to re-approach life in an ambiguous as well as insightful engagement with one's heritage as well as a majority culture.In recent decades, popular life writing by younger Danish authors descending from immigrants has emerged, making a mark on the public sphere by addressing struggles around intergenerational memory and inheritance, and new ways forward.These authors have gained a wide readership, some of them beyond Denmark.In this essay, I focus on authors and narrators that are children of refugees or immigrating parents. 1 I concentrate on descendants of parents from Middle Eastern countries and the artistic and political practice of exploring an ambiguous insight, or vision, toward themselves and society.My focus is self-expression as a source of knowledge in writings, which can be seen as ways of trying to re-approach life, in an ambigious as well as insightful engagement with one's heritage as well as a majority culture.The sources, or experiences, and sights fueling the writing lead some of the authors to either difficult or deadly forms of public exposure.I consider books written over two decades, 2003-2019, which all have had a significant impact in the public sphere, and which each employ different tools of literary life writing.The examples include genres of autobiography, "told-to" memoir, fiction, poetry, and