Reading of ”En Tjenestepiges Erindringer” by Rosa Berg

TRANSITION Culture Club

Join us for a discussion of Rosa Berg’s “En Tjenestepiges Erindringer”, first published in 1916. The book follows a young woman, who leaves the Danish provincial town Korsør for the capital Copenhagen to take up work as a domestic servant — full of expectations, curiosity, and hope, but soon confronted with the realities of service, class, gender, and urban life.

Through its personal voice and sharply observed scenes, the novel opens a window onto everyday life as a domestic worker at the end of the 19th/beginning of 20th century: the movement from provincial town to capital, gendered labor in private homes, friendships and vulnerabilities among servant girls, and the dreams attached to moving to the city. You can access the book for free.

TRANSITION Culture Club is a shared reading format where we gather to read a selected literary text and explore how fiction can inform reflections on rural–urban transitions and historical change. Please join us by signing up.