The Modern Novel

Biography

Suzanne Brøgger was born in Copenhagen in 1944. Her parents divorced five years later. Her mother remarried that same year and her new husband, Svend Brøgger, adopted both of his wife’s children by her previous marriage. He worked for UNICEF and the family spent time abroad, in Sri Lanka and Thailand. Brøgger had a brief fling with a French diplomat when she was in Bangkok, aged sixteen. Her mother and stepfather divorced twenty years later and though her mother reverted to her maiden name, Brøgger kept her stepfather’s name. Her mother had had several mental health issues, including suicide attempts.

Brøgger studied Russian and French at University of Copenhagen, working as a model and in film and theatre. Her first book – Fri os fra kærligheden (Deliver Us from Love) – was an essay collection critical of the western way of life. She is best known for her family saga, Jadekatten (Jade Cat). However she also worked as a war correspondent, travelling to Vietnam to cover the Vietnam War from the women’s point of view. She went on to write many books, essays, fiction and poetry.

Other links

Suzanne Brøgger
Suzanne Brøgger
Suzanne Brøgger
Two translated essays by Suzanne Brøgger
Suzanne Brøgger (in Danish)