ABOUT CARSTEN GRAFF

Carsten Graff (born 1962) is a Danish author, lecturer, and essayist. He is also the founder of the publishing house and cultural center StemningsHotellet. In 1997, he received the Charles Haugsbøll Prize for his critical essay on the virtues of the computer, published in the book Conversations with a Tree.

Early life and education

Graff was born in Skovlunde, Denmark. He attended Ollerup Gymnastics College and later earned a master’s degree in business administration and computer science (Cand. Merc. in datalogy) from Copenhagen Business School. During and after his studies, he worked as a programmer and systems developer and was among the pioneers behind Denmark’s first home banking systems.

Writing career

In 1992, Graff was employed as an IT consultant at the Danish Technological Institute. During this period, he experienced a personal crisis that led him to question the benefits of technological progress. From 1993 to 1996 he contributed regular columns to Computerworld and Berlingske Tidende, where he published ironic essays highlighting the drawbacks of computers. His public breakthrough came with the release of Conversations with a Tree (1996), a book critical of society’s relationship with information technology.

In the following years, Graff published a wide range of books, including The Inner Elephant Man (1997), which he described as his “PhD in ignorance,” the IT-satirical novel INFOENZA (1998), the children’s book Sander Says (1997), and The Book on Not Reading Books (1999). In 2002 he released The Journey to the Now, a book of conversations with Henrik Meng written after the two staged a two-night “Thought Show” at Copenhagen’s Circus Building.

Later publications

In 2010, Graff founded StemningsHotellet publishing house, which debuted with his book A Pure Connection, exploring polyamory and based on his own experiences living in multiple open relationships. Subsequent works include The Art of Letting Go (2011) with Body-sds founder Bengt Valentino Andersen, How I Became Kasi Jesper (2012), Strength & Health (2013), and The Great Dictionary of the Unmentionables (2013), in which he introduced 700 new terms to the Danish language to address taboos and overlooked subjects.

Themes and lifestyle

Graff’s work frequently explores taboos, subcultures, and unconventional perspectives on technology, relationships, and society. His book A Pure Connection inspired Danish broadcaster DR2 to produce a television theme night that included a documentary portrait titled Carsten, the Wives, and Their Lovers.

Selected bibliography

Graff om grænseflader (1994)

Conversations with a Tree (1996)

Murphy’s Love for Drivers (1996)

The Inner Elephant Man (1997)

Sander Says (1997)

INFOENZA (1998)

The Book on Not Reading Books (1999)

The Journey to the Now (2002)

The Waiting Time Is Free (2006, CD)

A Pure Connection (2010)

The Art of Letting Go (2011)