The Literary Gift: At BG, the Danish teachers invite all graduating students each year to a literary lecture.

“You’re not in control of your abilities, only of your effort.” This was how author Morten Pape responded to a student’s question about how he broke his social heritage, at the event The Literary Gift in BG’s assembly hall on Tuesday morning. The Literary Gift is an annual highlight in the Danish subject at BG. All graduating students gather across school programmes for a ninety‑minute lecture by an engaging and topical Danish author whose works have helped shape contemporary literary and societal debate. After the author’s presentation, students have the opportunity to ask questions, and in the lessons leading up to the event, most classes have worked with the author and selected texts.

This year’s guest was the Amager-based author Morten Pape, who spoke about his trilogy Planen (2015), Nøglebarn (2024), and most recently Månebarn (2025). In his novels, Pape balances themes of growing up in the Urbanplanen estate, school life, and family relationships. The two latest books especially revolve around his relationship with his father and mother—and the baggage we carry with us through life. The central question is whether it is even possible to break the cycle of social inheritance and inequality. Pape does not believe so; instead, he emphasised to the students that it might be more a matter of taking responsibility for one’s own abilities and making the most of them. “Talent and dedication always produce results.” His own success, he explained, does not stem from a unique ability to “break” the pattern, but rather from recognising his literary strengths and making use of them.

Listening to a talented author talk about his works, his authorship, and the path that led him there is a gift in itself, but what is particularly special is that BG’s students get insight into what it actually means to be a writer. With a mix of spoken presentation and slides featuring personal and historical images, Pape spoke vividly and without hesitation about his own upbringing and about how he worked with the autobiographical material that later became his breakthrough novel. Such an honest and profoundly personal glimpse into what is for many an abstract process is valuable, say Mikkel and Mohammad from class 3.z:

“The talk with Morten Pape was exciting and personal. He was funny and great at giving examples in a way that kept it from becoming boring. He spoke honestly about his life and experiences, and that made it easy to connect with what he said. The presentation made an impression on us and made us think about how important one’s background is, and what it means for who you become.”

The purpose of The Literary Gift is clear in the quotation above: meeting literature—and the writer behind it—opens up the text. The academic aspect merges with reality, where the methods, analyses, and observations students have worked with in class are made visible by a professional who actively works with art as part of his daily life. The Q&A session after the presentation gives students the chance to ask about exactly what piques their curiosity—whether it’s the author’s working methods or the craft of being a writer. There were many questions from the audience—too many for all to be answered—which reflects our students’ eager curiosity about the author and his work. A curiosity that, hopefully, sparks the desire to keep reading.

An honest conversation about what, how, and not least why we write helps open the doors to the world of literature, where the work exists in its own right, and where an understanding of the author’s background, role, and intention can be just as crucial for how our students encounter, understand, and engage with literature—not only during their time in upper secondary school, but for life.

A huge thank-you to BG’s Danish teachers for this wonderful gift—and to Morten Pape for an unflinchingly honest presentation and for the answers that gave us insight into his story, his authorship, and the path that led him there.