Eva Tind
EVA TIND (1974) is a critically acclaimed author, artist and filmmaker based in Copenhagen. She made her literary debut in 2009 with the poetry collection Do, for which Tind received the prestigious Klaus Rifbjerg Debutant Prize. Since then, she has published several novels, three poetry collections, a children’s book and a literary portrayal of the silent film icon Asta Nielsen. In 2020, her novel Origins was nominated for DR’s Novel Prize. The following year, Tind’s biographical novel about pioneering zoologist Marie Hammer, The Woman Who Joined Up the World, was published.
Tind’s work frequently explores themes of origin, belonging and the shaping of our identity. In 2023, her novel The Lemon Mountain was published to widespread acclaim and garnered a nomination for Jyllands-Posten’sLiterature Prize. Her most recent novel, the autobiographical Min Kim, was published in late 2024. Hailed as one of the best books of the year, it draws from the author’s own experiences as an adopted child and is structured around a series of letters exchanged between the author and a childhood friend named Gull-Mai. After reuniting as adults, Tind embarks on an emotional inner journey as she pens the story of their adoption and upbringing. Here, Tind lays bare the many layers and lies surrounding the myth of the ‘happy adoption’, resulting in a profound and powerful depiction of identity, family and cultural loss. This story reaches far beyond borderlines and leaves no reader unchanged.
Reviews
“In Min Kim the critically acclaimed author writes poetically, somberly, realistically and critically about the adoptee’s sense of alienation and the feeling of never truly belonging, regardless of all attempts to assimilate and integrate. […] Min Kim is like a punch to the gut. Violent and painful. You feel a great deal of sympathy for Eva Tind, who, despite a strong personality and safe upbringing, is haunted by nightmares throughout her childhood and well into adulthood. […] The book cannot immediately be categorized into one genre; it is an artistic hybrid of biographical material, fictional letters, authentic adoption papers, touching poetry, sharp critical analyses and political statements from the UN and Australia. It all comes together incredibly well thanks to Eva Tind’s impactful language and impeccable sense for weaving together the different parts and perceptions of reality into one unified, captivating story about the pitfalls of denial, concealment and lying. […] Min Kim is a masterful achievement.”
– Jyllands-Posten, 6/6 Stars (DK)
“With a personal experience of being an adoptee as its basis, Min Kim plays out as a general critique against systems, cultures and myths, written with strong credibility in regard to the complaints and argumentations, and with a high moral relevance and political topicality. Most importantly, the ‘Girl from the South’ has translated her life experiences into a deeply gripping and intriguing novel that gives insight into the psychology of adoption – the racism, the trauma, the aftermath – which problematizes the complacent notion that we do small children of color a service for life by letting them into Denmark.”
– Weekendavisen (DK)
“The narrator’s empathy and personal investment in the subject matter makes Min Kim an incredibly captivating book, whether you’re already interested in adoption or not. It is a book written with blood, sweat and tears – a book that gives its all and succeeds.”
– Information (DK)
“Eva Tind’s struggle to learn the true story of her adoption and her Korean family is touching. […] Tind succeeds in shattering the myth about the ‘happy adoption’, and Min Kim is an indignant novel, it is also downright enraged. Crimes have been committed, irreparable damage has been done. […] The novel ends with perhaps a more meaningful understanding of adoption, namely the one that derives from New Zealand, which bears testimony and provides convincing evidence that people don’t roam freely in the world. Family, culture and history do play a part, contrary to what everyone believed during the happy 00’s. In that way, it is also a testament to how naive enlightened and modern societies can be.”
– Berlingske, 4/6 Stars (DK)
“A gripping portrayal of the main character Eva Tind’s experiences as an adopted child – with emphasis on the word ‘adopted’. […] Her journeys to South Korea to discover her own identity broadens the existential questions and perspectives. There are many interesting observations of foreignism and community, spanning places, time and experiences, as well as body and psyche. It is an intriguing read.”
– Altinget, 4/6 Stars (DK)
Books
Awards
2025 – Nominated for the Readers’ Book Prize for Min Kim
2023 – Nominated for Jyllands-Posten’s Literature Prize for The Lemon Mountain
2022 – Nominated for the Swiss Bookstore Prize for Origins
2020 – Nominated for DR’s Novel Prize for Origins
2020 – Awarded Søren Gyldendal’s Anniversary Award
2016 – Awarded Otto Rung’s Writers Prize
2010 – Awarded the Klaus Rifbjerg Debutant Prize for Do