Two daringly original works from the acclaimed Danish author Dorthe Nors, published back to back in a uniquely designed edition.

'Beautiful, faceted, haunting stories... Dorthe Nors is fantastic' Junot Diaz

Karate Chop

In these glittering, funny miniature tales, the acclaimed Danish writer Dorthe Nors sketches ordinary lives taking unexpected turns: a son's love for his father is tested when he suddenly discovers its fragility; a woman in an abusive relationship seeks to better understand the choices she has made; a man with dreams of self-improvement is haunted by deceit; and a daughter watches on silently as her mother's search for meaning ends in madness.

Blending compassion with dark delight, Nors conjures up a flawed, unsettlingly familiar world with each cautionary glance - as fresh moments of wonder, romance and frail beauty are unexpectedly infiltrated by depravity, isolation and despair.

Minna Needs Rehearsal Space

Minna is feeling desperate. Lars has just dumped her by text message. Her friends are constantly flaunting their lovers, children and dogs (with Facebook as their cruel accomplice). And her neurotic sister is everywhere she turns. Minna needs security, and a place in Copenhagen to practise her music. Minna wants a child. Minna needs to stop being answerable to everyone. So, with only Ingmar Bergman for comfort and company, she decides to take a trip away from it all. In this highly original, playful, poignant yet funny novella, Dorthe Nors explores our struggles to find love, relate to others and simply be heard above the relentless noise of the modern age.

Praise for Karate Chop

'Unsettling and poetic. . .. Some pieces, like one about a four-pound tomato, are oddly beautiful; others are brilliantly disturbing' New York Times Book Review

'Dorthe Nors is a writer of moments - quiet, raw portraits of existential meditation, at times dyspeptic, but never unsympathetic' Paris Review

'In the span of two pages, she is