For the Love of Cod
A Father and Son’s Search for Norwegian Happiness
paperback edition forthcoming april 2023
Eric Dregni takes his son on a return trip to Norway—the country where he was born fifteen years earlier—to investigate whether it really is the happiest country on Earth. From a passion for dugnad or community volunteerism to sakte or “slow,” a rejection of the mad pace of modernity, this idiosyncratic tour shows readers how, or whether, Norwegian happiness translates.
Eric Dregni is the best kind of tour guide, bringing to life a country vis-à-vis its people, its (sometimes odd) customs, and its places. Brew some kaffe, get koselig (cozy), and settle in to do some armchair traveling to Norway. It’s a trip you’ll be lykkelig (happy) to take.
Lorna Landvik, author of Chronicles of a Radical Hag (with Recipes)
Norway is usually near or at the top of the World Happiness Report. But is it really one of the happiest countries on Earth? Eric Dregni had his doubts. Years ago he and his wife had lived in this country his great-great-grandfather once fled. When their son Eilif was born there, the Norwegian government paid for the birth, gave them $5,000, and deposited $150 into their bank account every month, but surely happiness was more than a generous health care system. What about all those grim months without sun? When Eilif turned fifteen, father and son decided to go back together and investigate. For the Love of Cod is their droll report on the state of purported Norwegian bliss.
Arriving in May, a month of festivals and eternal sun, the Dregnis are thrust into Norway at its merriest—and into the reality of the astronomical cost of living, which forces them to find lodging with friends and relatives. But this gives them an inside look at the secrets to a better life. It’s not the massive amounts of money flowing from the North Sea oil fields but how these funds are distributed that fuels the Norwegian version of democratic socialism—resulting in miniscule differences between rich and poor. Locals introduce them to the principles underlying their avowed contentment, from an active environmentalism that translates into flyskam (flight shame), which keeps Norwegians in the family cabin for the long vacations prescribed by law and charges a 150 percent tax on gas guzzlers (which, Eilif observes, means more Teslas seen in one hour than in a year in Minnesota!).
From a passion for dugnad or community volunteerism and sakte or “slow,” a rejection of the mad pace of modernity, to the commodification of Viking history and the dark side of Black Metal music that turns the idea of quaint, traditional Norway upside down, this idiosyncratic father and son tour lets readers, free of flyskam, see how, or whether, Norwegian happiness translates.
Eric Dregni is the best kind of tour guide, bringing to life a country vis-à-vis its people, its (sometimes odd) customs, and its places. Brew some kaffe, get koselig (cozy), and settle in to do some armchair traveling to Norway. It’s a trip you’ll be lykkelig (happy) to take.
Lorna Landvik, author of Chronicles of a Radical Hag (with Recipes)
For the Love of Cod is full of Norwegian culture, social structure, language and climate erudition.
Rochester Post-Bulletin
Honest, funny, and down to earth, For the Love of Cod is an eye-opening look at how Norway discovered the key to real happiness.
Foreword Reviews
[Dregni] writes about the country’s stunning beauty.
Third Coast Review
An insider’s view of the Norwegian perspective on democratic socialism, Viking history, and long winter nights.
Ely Summer Times
For The Love of Cod reminds us of the importance of exploring heritage, and the joys of immersing oneself in a new culture.
The Sword Newspaper
Contents
Lykkelig
Happy Go Lucky
Voksenpoeng
Adult Points
Selklubbing og Hvalburger
Clubbing Seals and Whaleburgers
Flyskam
Flight Shame
Svartmetall og Stavkirker
Black Metal and Stave Churches
Oljefondet og Velferdsstaten
The Oil Fund and the Welfare State
Å gå viking
To Go “Viking”
Tunnelfeber
Tunnel Fever
Kooperativer og Konformitet
Cooperatives and Conformity
Påskekylling
The Easter Chicken
Russ
Redhats
Kulturhuset
The Culture House
Arbeidsglede og Naver
Work Happiness and Living off the System
Berserkergang og Helgefylla
Blind Rage and Weekend Drunk
Folketrygden
The People’s Insurance
Alien Var Her
Aliens Were Here
Sakte
Slow
Mørkved
The Dark Side
“Ute på tur, aldri sur”
Out on a walk, never cross
Frisk som en fisk
Fresh as a fish
Naken og Sikker
Naked and Safe
En Natt på Nobel
A Night at the Nobel
Fremmedspråk
Stranger Language
Miljø
Environment
Dugnad
Volunteering
Takk for Alt
Thanks for Everything
Glossary: Norwegian Words to (Maybe) Live By
Acknowledgments
