The phrase "women in danger" could be used to describe almost every book by Mette Winge. The leading characters are generally women (or girls) who come across mysterious events and end up in danger. But the books are not just thrillers: Mette Winge aims to paint a picture of society and provide an insight into the period in which the book is set, as well as its people, their aims and beliefs.
Mette Winge made her debut in 1988 with the novel Skriverjomfruen- en guvernanteroman (The Maiden Scribe - a novel for young ladies), that examines the life of one of the country´s historically significant female authors, Charlotta Dorothea Biehl. The novel explores Biehl's final days, and the way in which she sees and experiences life through the eyes of the young Lucie while she herself is confined to her home as a result of illness. The Maiden Scribe won Mette Winge the Critics´ Award and has been reprinted several times.
Two years later, in 1990, came Novemberlys (November Light), a Victorian novel set in fashionable Copenhagen at the end of the 1800s. The story centres around the investigation into the murder of a young man, but the overall theme of the book is life in Copenhagen which underwent important changes during this period.
Following the significant periodes in Danish history, Mette Winge has also explored the Second World War. Den femte vinter (The Fifth Winter) from 1993 is set during the German occupation of Denmark. The story, which is hard and brutal, is seen through the eyes of four people. Once again, the descriptions of wartime life form the backdrop for the action, and the novel was highly praised for its accurate portrayal of the times with rationing coupons, peat smoke and thick, itchy socks.
Descriptions of contemporary life can be found in the two novels Sandflugt (Shifting Sands), a love story from 1991 and Grønt mørke (Green Darkness), a Cold War story from 1994, which both examine life in 1980s Denmark. Political and financial crises are interwoven with a love story.
Mette Winge´s novel, Nogle dage i september(A Few Days in September), was published in the autumn of 1998. The action takes place at Fredensborg (the royal summer residence just outside Copenhagen) in the early spring of 1885. King Christian IX, who had three daughters, who were married to the Russian Tsar, the Prince of Wales and a wealthy German Count respectively, has invited the whole family for a large gathering.
At the same time, the body of a ten year-old girl is found in the castle park, and the following day the Councillor of State´s little daughter Georgine is kidnapped. Once again, the women are at the centre of the action. The footman´s beautiful wife Hildeborg Rasmussen, who has secrete rendezvous with the Russian Tsar at night in the summerhouse, finally helps the Councillor´s wife to find her daughter.
Since this article was written Mette Winge has published two novels within crime and historical novel.
