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The Year of Hygge, the Danish Obsession with Getting Cozy | The New Yorker

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At least six books about the concept of Scandinavian coziness were published in the U.S. this year, with more to come in 2017.

Save this story Save this story The Oxford Dictionaries’ 2016 “word of the year” shortlist was heavy on neologisms that one wishes didn’t have to exist: “alt-right,” “Brexiteer,” and this year’s winning term, “ post-truth .” Among the finalists, though, there was one bit of solace: “ hygge ,” a Danish term defined as “a quality of cosiness and comfortable conviviality that engenders a feeling of contentment or well-being.” Pronounced “hoo-guh,” the word is said to have no direct translation in English, though “cozy” comes close. It derives from a sixteenth-century Norwegian term, hugga , meani

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