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Host Garrison Keillor answers your questions about life, love, writing, authors, and of course, A Prairie Home Companion.
Dear Mr. Keillor, I was
November 1, 2004 |
Dear Mr. Keillor,
I was surprised to read somewhere that you are not Norwegian, or even Swedish or Danish or Icelandic. I am shocked. I could swear you said you were. Am I wrong?
Stephanie Jeppesen
Seattle
Stephanie,
I don't think I ever claimed to be Nordic in any way, shape, or form. Sometimes I say "we" to refer to Lake Wobegonians and maybe you inferred from that some connection to Norwegians, but no, I am not one of the chosen. The Keillors came from Yorkshire, by way of New Brunswick, and the Crandalls from England, and the Powells from Wales and France, and the Denhams from Glasgow, and that pretty well covers my people. I lived in Copenhagen for awhile and picked up some Danish which I occasionally fob off as Norwegian, and every year around Christmastime I sing "Johnny Johnson's Wedding" and "Det Kimer nu til Julefest" but it's a foreign exchange experience for me. I'm just one of the Anglos, and about as WASPy as they come.
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