When Fortællinger om naten was first released in Denmark in 1990, the Danish press loved it. Says Thomas Satterlee, in his entry on Høeg for the Dictionary of Literary Biography: the book "confirmed for Danish critics what they had suspected from Høeg's first book: the author's talent was substantial, and the breadth of his knowledge was impressive." Satterlee also notes that Danish critics considered the book "a literary" work, especially with its similarities to the stories of Isak Dinesen. Satterlee also says that, with the publication of Fortællinger om naten, "Høeg's influence on contemporary Danish fiction increased," as critics started to "view his ambitious work as a standard by which other Danish writers might be judged."

The book was also received well when it was translated into English in 1998 as Tales of the Night. Katherine Dunn, in...