“The day was grey and bitter cold, and the dogs would not take the scent.”
First line in A Storm of Swords by George R. R. Martin
Hi, guys. I know the headline might be a tad dramatic but I really just wanted to talk about some of the experiences I’ve had as a fantasy reader and try to reflect on them. You see, I’ve been reading fantasy books since the age of 10 when I picked up Harry Potter. As a child I never wanted to read any other genre. The things we read in school that weren’t fantasy confirmed that belief.
However, when I was about 14, I could tell that that wasn’t okay anymore. You see, fantasy is for children and when you grow older you’re meant to develop an interest in “real life” books. I noticed this change when visiting the school library and my teachers would try to pull me towards the non-fantasy shelves. “Aren’t you ready to try something other than fantasy?” they would ask. I would get similar comments from family members: “You’re still reading fantasy? Still Harry Potter?” said in that condescending way. So naturally I started to feel embaressed about it. I stopped talking about reading as one of my passions because that would always prompt the question of what I liked to read. I still only read fantasy but I just didn’t talk about it to avoid being seen as “the weird one” or “the nerd”.
That was pretty much my life until a few years ago when I discovered BookTube and the online book community in general. Suddenly I’m watching SO. MANY. PEOPLE talking about their love for fantasy books. It was also new for me to see women talking about fantasy, and that made a huge difference in my life. It felt empowering in the way that I was no longer alone in my obsession. It gave me the confidence I needed to just embrace my love of reading and not be afraid to talk about it. I no longer felt weird.
Does this mean that everything is just perfect now and people are accepting the fantasy genre? Not exactly but there has been a shift with the huge success of the Game of Thrones show. We were finally the cool people! Game of Thrones really managed to showcase all the merits of fantasy and how it isn’t just escapism, and that opened many people’s eyes to the possibilities within the genre. Just look at how many fantasy books are being adapted into movies and shows at the moment (it’s a lot!).
This is all very good and definitely a huge step in the right direction, but to go back to my own experiences, I still see so many people dismissing the genre. As I now talk more openly about my love of reading, I often get the weird look from people who don’t understand how an adult can talk so passionately about magic. I don’t let it bother me anymore but it’s still there.
Finally, I also just want to highlight some of the problems of being a fantasy reader in Denmark. Now, I read my books in English because that’s what I’m most comfortable with but the fact is that I don’t have a choice. Or rather, other Danes don’t have a choice because very, very few fantasy books get translated into Danish. Only the most popular books get a translation and of those it’s mainly YA books. As an example: the only adult Brandon Sanderson book that has been translated is The Way of Kings. Not Mistborn. Not Warbreaker. The entire Wheel of Time series hasn’t been translated either. Those are some of the best and most fundamental books within the genre that aren’t available to non-English speaking Danes.
I just want to clarify that Danes are able to speak English quite well, but I’ve still met many who find it intimidating to read an entire book in English. Fantasy isn’t exactly the easiest genre anyway. So the lack of translations have an impact on how many people are reading the genre. On top of that, not very many Danish fantasy books are published. And those that are, are so far away from any Bestseller list that they could never dream of hitting them. So there you have your vicious circle. Of course publishers aren’t going to spent money translating books in a genre that doesn’t sell very well. The surge in popularity fantasy books otherwise have experienced hasn’t reached Denmark. We only read murder mysteries here.
I can’t help but get the feeling that our society treats the fantasy genre as less than others, and the result is the shame I felt as a child for reading it anyway. I’m sure a lot of other people has felt the same way and I really want that to change. Fantasy is an amazing genre that can explore so many relevant issues and have just as much literary merit as any other genre.
So what is the solution? It’s difficult to change societal opinions on your own but that is not an excuse to do nothing. I will set the goal for myself to read at least 5 fantasy books by Danish authors by the end of the year. It will require some research on my part because I can’t mention a single adult fantasy book by a Danish author right now. I will also have to overcome my dislike of reading in Danish but I want to view this as an opportunity to find so many more amazing books. And then I want to talk about them! Maybe that will make just a little difference.
Now, I can of course only talk about the situation in Denmark but I would love to know if you’ve experienced something similar in your own country, especially if you’re from a non-English speaking one. Is fantasy a popular genre where you live? Have you experienced your own kind of stigmatization for reading fantasy? Do you think there’s an incresing acceptance of the genre? Chat with me in the comments.
First Line Reader 
Hello there! I’m from the Pacific Northwest (in the US) and fantasy is quite popular here. That’s a shame not many books are translated into Danish. 😦
I haven’t felt any negative stigmas towards fantasy readers, but I do think people who tend to read fantasy sometimes get labelled as “geeks’ Or “nerds” sometimes.
Usually I feel people judge me when I say I read Children’s fantasy, or children’s books in general. Which is a shame because while they’re definitely a different style, they can be equally well written. The story telling is just simpler, but simple does not mean it’s any less well-written in my humble opinion.
Good post! Thanks for sharing!
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Great to hear that fantasy is popular there! That warms my heart.
Yes, the geek and nerd labels are often connected to fantasy. I think it varies a lot whether those terms are seen as something negative or not, because some people would even use the word “nerd” as a compliment. I would still say it has some negative connotations.
Oh yeah the issue of reading outside your age category. I feel that judgement too, and definitely agree with everything you just said. It still requires good writing skills to be able to write a children’s book and nobody should be judged like that for enjoying it.
Thank you for sharing your experiences 😀
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Hi! I really liked your post – I can relate so much. Here in South Africa fantasy isn’t exactly looked down upon, but it’s not very popular. It’s more a case of either someone loves it, or they’re not interested in it. People generally don’t read much around here and when they do, it’s mostly murder mysteries.
I’ve seen a slight increase in young adult fantasy novels written in Afrikaans, but they’re still very strongly rooted in a South African environment and culture – not true fantasy set in a completely imagined world. Very few English fantasy novels are translated and most Afrikaans people find it too daunting to read a whole book in English.
I’m different in that sense because I read only English – like you, I dislike reading in my native language. But yeah, fantasy is just not very popular around here.
Happy reading, by the way!
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Thank you for sharing! That sounds so familar which is sad to hear. I don’t think I’ll ever undestand the immense popularity of murder mysteries but here we are.
Insteresting that so many of the fantasy novels are based on South African culture but I guess it makes sense. Like maybe the authors are trying to differentiate themselves from the more international fantasy books. I see something similar with the Danish YA fantasy books. A lot of them are viking stories or inspired by Norse Mythology.
So happy to hear that I’m not the only one who dislike my own langauge lol. English just makes it a better reading experience.
Great that you’re still reading fantasy despite its lacking popularity. So happy reading to you, too 😀
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Maybe the authors are trying to differentiate themselves, yes. Or they’re trying to make the books more relatable?
I, for one, don’t mind reading stories inspired by Norse mythology – simply because it’s something foreign to me. I suppose it would be quite different for someone who grew up with it, though.
Nothing will stop me from reading fantasy! 🙂
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