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Copenhagen Royal Library, photographer 'Matthias Olander'.political fanaticism and came out in 1999 and became a best-seller in Denmark. Often my books are quite controversial, like Nothing, which nobody wanted to publish at the beginning, but it became a best-seller in many countries and was translated into 25 languages.Why was Nothing banned?It happened even in Denmark where you think you can write about anything. The book has no sexual content or explicit language, but some people think it’s threatening because it asks questions about everything we take for granted in society – in the Western world specifically. It questions why something is meaningful and why the other is not. Some adults think young readers wouldn’t be able to deal with it. But the opposite happened and young people started to read the book. They are asking these questions when6 Elite+they are searching for the meaning of life. So they see this as an open book with a hopeful ending. Through the years it has become more accepted.How does censorship work in Denmark?In Denmark we don’t have state censorship. But you have institutions that buy books, for example for schools, and if those institutions refuse to buy books it functions like censorship because schools can’t afford to buy books directly. In Germany teachers wanted to use it, but parents didn’t want their children to read it. In France booksellers refused to sell it even though theatres put it up on stage in their town.Do you consider yourself a radical?I think of myself as a quiet and peaceful person, but my thinking isprobably radical. I like to write about stories that are natural. I don’t write to provoke. So I get quite shocked when people find my thinking shocking because I only write about things that are obvious to me.You address the problems of people and the world a lot. What is your vision of Utopia?In many ways I like the social democratic model that was a basic Danish model where you have a more egalitarian economic system. And you take care of those who can’t work. I also love multiculturality. My Utopia is a space where all cultures can live side by side. And that’s one reason why I love New York because you have all cultures there. What makes it function is that you respect each other’s right to choose, and there shall be room for everyone but no room for abuse. I live in Little