Dania O. Tausen: Skál

Photo: Erla Z

Dania O. Tausen:

SKÁL

Dania O. Tausen (1998) is a poet and musician from the small village in the Faroe Islands. She is currently a student at the University of the Faroe Islands, where she studies Creative Writing. ’Skál’ was her debut release, which gained a lot of attention from the Faroese readers. The prose-poetry collection was released right before Christmas 2020 and was reprinted shortly after, because of the big interest.

‘Skál’ is about two young adults, who try to figure out their way in a small community, where they grew up in a conservative environment. They deal with normal teenage struggles, but with the extra layers of confusion and frustration that arises from their foundation of Christianity. Not many Faroese books have been written about this theme, which made it an important debut release. Dania points out that this story needed to be told in the name of acceptance and authenticity. It must be tolerated to ask questions and have doubts and call out bad treatment and speak about relevant struggles which normally would go unsaid but almost everybody goes through at some point. The process of Dania’s journey in writing and releasing the collection ‘Skál’ was documented in a film with the same title. The film has had good reviews and won the Audience Award at The Copenhagen Filmfestival, CPH:DOX 2021 and the an Award in the category New Nordic Voice at Nordic Panorama. Title: Skál Pages: 116 Publisher: Sprotin Year of publication: 2020 English sample available

CHEERS

Translated by Lena Anderssen

Cheers She takes a big puff, watches the smoke as she slowly blows it out into a thin stream. The duvet is scrunched on the floor and she lies naked on the bed. As usual everything is scattered around her: The food, the headphones, the books, the computer The Bible. She has just read the Bible and lies there now letting it sink in. Letting it seep into her brain, like the nicotine in the cigarette.

She likes this quality time with God. They get along well, God and her. He sees right through her, so it feels natural to be naked and be who she is. Accept her deeds and enjoy the time in stillness with him. The days are less lonely when she knows he is there. He always knows how she feels, what mood she is in.

He always knows where she is, what she’s doing, what she needs, and what she certainly doesn’t need.

Unlike all the others, who pay attention to her when she wants to be invisible and do not see her when she is in pain.

Who know that she sometimes sleeps in her car for days, but still ask stupid, trite questions when they get the chance. Who pry and keep an eye on every decision she makes but do not tell her when they have an opinion about it.

She thinks about who she would be without all the eyes around her. She used to regard “a cloud of witnesses” as people with no relation to her. Who saw her and perhaps could be influenced by her behaviour and be changed through her attitude towards life. They were souls that she had to save. But suddenly this cloud became everyone she knew. Who kept an eye on her. Because how could she turn her eyes upwards, when the eyes down here demanded the same?

The smoke fills the room and she marvels at how afraid she used to be of someone coming in. Now she doesn’t even lock the door. Because nobody opens it. She’s been given peace. For quite some time. Given peace to find peace. With herself, with others, with God.

And she has come to know this space and grown close to it. The space that talks to her and sees beauty when she cries. Helps her live and sleep. Shows her what it truly means to breathe and give.

At first it felt as if they had given up, given up on her, with sorrowful faces and cold hands for her own little game with her own rules.

That she now was one of the departed. Whom they were waiting for to get up and find a way home. She laughs. Little do they know about how she sits and reads and talks to God.

“If only they knew how close we are, God and me, especially after 2 glasses of whisky.”