Livsens ondskab

The city of Roskilde, about 50 km. west of the Danish Capital Copenhagen was the homecity of author Gustaw Wied. In 1901 the author wrote the novel "Livsens Ondskab" (The cruelty of life). This novel was a very harsh satire about "the better bourgoisoi" of Roskilde, The town in which the Danish Kings and Queens has been buried the last 500 years. One of the main characters are "Toldkontrollør", (Custom controller) Otto Knagsted. The author himself was actually custom controler in Roskilde when he wrote this novel. With a very harsh satire, he spiked the whole bourgesoi of Denmark of that time, which of course outraged the same. Especially the scenes about "Ædedolkenes Klub" (The Gourmet Society) are extremely hilarious. When "Luksusbugen" (The luxury bow) one of the fine members of the gourmet society died " In the middle of the dessert he lied down his spoon and told the maid miss Svendsen "I can`t more" and passed away.

The burial scene where he in an xxxl-coffin has to be escorted out of the church is fantastic.

In fact author of Matador (1978) Lise Nørgaard in her selfbiography describes "The Gourmet Society"