The most recognized contemporary Danish writer on the international literary scene, Peter Høeg gained widespread acclaim for his second novel, Frøken Smillas fornemmelse for sne (1992; translated as Smilla's Sense of Snow, 1993; and as Miss Smilla's Feeling for Snow, 1993), which was sold to publishers in more than thirty countries. In the United States the novel spent twenty-six weeks on The New York Times paperback bestseller list, and both Time and Entertainment Weekly chose it as their 1993 book of the year. The tremendous popular success of Smilla's Sense of Snow led to a 1997 motion picture of the same name, directed by Danish-born Bille August and starring Julia Ormond. All of Høeg's books have been translated into English, and his work has been the subject of lively debate among literary critics, both in Scandinavia and the United States.

In many of his novels Hø...