The End of Tragedy

The city of Aarhus in the near future: the eternal student Jonathan Tidebon is battling through his thesis, which becomes five pages horter, every time he revises it. He dreams of becoming an author, but he lacks the ability to put himself into the shoes of others, and his first attempt at a short story is a shambles. When a researcher introduces him to an experimental hormone that can free the consciousness, his brain is rendered to a kind of virtual spirituality, and a whole new world opens to him as a writer. With this newfound access to the memory of others, Tidebon tells their stories in his writing. But secrets and lies are entwined in their stolen memories, and the question arises: will Jonathan Tidebon be the saviour, or betrayer of his times? The End of Tragedy is an expansive novel about the creative power of fiction. It is a journey of the soul delving into memory, identity and technology – and two wholly identical graves in Vestre Churchyard in Copenhagen.

About the author 

Ever since his debut in 1963 with the novel Besøget (The Visit) Svend Åge Madsen (b. 1939) has published numerous novels and short stories, including the highly imaginative modern classic Tugt og utugt i mellemtiden (Decency and Indeceny Inbetween) in 1976, Se dagens
lys (See the Light of Day) in 1980, Syv aldres galskab (Seven Generations of Madness) in 1994 and Af den anden verden (Out of this World)
in 2017. Madsen’s work has garnered a spate of prestigious awards, including The Danish Academy’s Grand Prize, Søren Gyldendal’s Prize for fiction, the Danish Dramaturgy’s Excellence Award and the Golden Laurels Award.

Text translated by Lin Falk van Rooyen