This bildungsroman blends social realism and fairy tale to tell the story of Per, an ambitious clergyman's son who rejects his faith and flees rural Jutland for Copenhagen. Believing he must hunt down luck like a wild beast, Per falls in with the city's Jewish community and falls for Jakobe Salomon, a wealthy heiress who stands as one of European literature's great Jewish heroines. He becomes obsessed with a grand engineering scheme to reshape Denmark's landscape and elevate its global position, but both his personal life and career ambitions ultimately come to grief.

Why You Should Read?

• Explore the profound question at the novel's heart: the relationship between 'luck' and 'happiness,' concepts that share the same word in Danish
• Experience a masterful blend of social realism and fairy tale that traces one man's journey from youthful ambition to hard-won wisdom
• Perfect for readers who appreciate literary fiction exploring themes of faith, ambition, love, and the cost of pursuing grand dreams
• Discover a classic of Danish literature featuring Jakobe Salomon, one of the strongest and most memorable Jewish heroines in European fiction