“No one knows what a novel is …” With this bold statement by Danish writer Poul Borum, the book sets the stage for a story that refuses to be confined by narrow definitions. 

At its heart is Harald, who dreams of becoming a poet. In the autumn of 1979, he moves to Copenhagen with his girlfriend to chase that dream. Almost at once he is swept into the city’s buzzing cultural scene, where he meets people from every corner of society and, most importantly, other poets. Along the way he discovers new literature, fresh ideas, and the music that defines a generation. 

This is the story of how a poet is made, shaped by the world around him and by his own restless search for identity. Brimming with life and rich in detail, it brings to life unforgettable characters, places, and events, weaving them into a dazzling mosaic suffused with the spirit of the 1980s, a decade when everything changed, and when Harald finally became a poet. 

This new novel unfolds in the same imaginative world as Einar Mar Gudmundsson’s award-winning classic Angels of the Universe (1993) and his coming-of-age novel Passport Pictures (2017).

“From Head to Toe is a time machine that takes the reader on the lyric express, on an artistic journey, back to the future music of the 80s, to youth, to possibilities, to poetic ideals, and political movements. With the special warm humor that characterizes Einar Mar Gudmundsson, the story tells of being an Icelander in Denmark, of apprenticing with the navy’s cleaning women, and of the literature scene that defined the decade”
SUNE DE SOUZA SCHMIDT-MADSEN, LITERARY DIRECTOR LINDHARD&RINGHOF

“The book is blazingly brilliant… But first and foremost, this is a book with something to chew on. These are reflections on the form of the novel, on its development over the last 60 years, and the author’s views on aesthetics in both poetry and novels.”
KBJ, CRITIC