ABSTRACT
The methodology I developed during more than 25 years of narrative life story research, first in the Department of Literature, then in Cultural Studies, later in Education, had its original point of departure in both pragmatic and ethical considerations. The first collection of life stories I published (Horsdal, 1991) was intended for foreigners, both as a Danish Cultural History and as a text book for the study of Danish as a second language. I interviewed 25 Danes from all over the country from various social and cultural backgrounds, marvelous story tellers, the oldest born in 1893 and the youngest in 1968. I visited them with my pen and a writing pad in order not to disturb them with a lot of equipment, and while I listened and wrote down what they told me about their lives, each voice opened up to a new world of experience.
