By Samuel Shem. Foreword by John Updike. Translated by Cindy Lynn Brown. Medical assistance by Cæcilie Trier Sønderskov.
2nd Revised Edition!
Now it is finally here in Danish! The satirical novel The House of God by Samuel Shem (pseudonym of psychiatrist Stephen Bergman).
In The House of God we get the humorous and provocative story of Roy Basch and five of his fellow students during their period as doctors on duty at one of the most famous teaching hospitals in the United States in the 1970s – a fictionalized version of Beth Israel Hospital. As in all other hospitals, the medical hierarchy in God's own house is a pyramid - a whole lot at the bottom and only one at the top: It's like an ice cream cone where you have to "lick your way up"!
Basch and his colleagues struggle with the so-called Gomers and the difficult decisions in life and death situations under the guidance of their teacher, known as Fede, who teaches them how to be a good doctor, but ultimately also a good person.
The book was described in the New York Times as "raunchy, troubling and hilarious" and has achieved cult status over the decades. It is seen today as an eternally relevant milestone in the eternal discussion about humanism, ethics and medical education and is a bestseller in, among others, USA and most recently in Germany. Now it is finally available in Danish!
"A heady rollercoaster ride" Kathrine Tschemerinsky in WeekendAvisen