@katliamom “Show me one example of joyful Nordic literature! (Astrid Lindgren doesn’t count.)”
Okay, I’ll bite 
Hans Christian Andersen, Selma Lagerlöf, Tove Jansson (I know, all are children’s authors, but they are amongst the best!)
Your perceptions of literature aside…the Danes have a fantastic sense of humor, a love for good eating, and they are really just upbeat. And they have smorrebrod! And great beer!! And BTW…don’t ever ever confuse the Danes with the Swedes. A whole different breed.
@mycupoftea – children’s authors is cheating 
Cayman Islands, Fiji, Ireland, Japan, Taiwan
I meant smørrebrød .
@katliamom “children’s authors is cheating”
Is that why “Astrid Lindgren doesn’t count”?
Yes @mycupoftea. Because she’s arguably the most joyful children’s writer there’s ever been. (Well, as you pointed out, the creator of Moomins, another brilliant Nordic import, isn’t bad either.)
I have a Mumintroll picture (a souvenir from Finland) posted at my office desk. Many visitors comment, “what a cute hippo!”
Challenge: Name me one joyful North American author! (Any joyful North Americans I have previously thought of or will ever think of don’t count.)
Mark Twain
(North American literature is young.)
@katliamom: Nope! Already thought of him!
(I probably should have put a smiley on my previous post—I was parodying the earlier challenge upthread to name a joyful Scandinavian writer, but one author didn’t count, and then another author didn’t count, and then a whole group of authors…)
O. Henry. And my personal favorite Rex Stout
Yea I know. I started it. In all fairness, though, they were all children’s authors, those exemptions. Does that make my “challenge” slightly less ridiculous?
Actually, Hans Christian Andersen has always seemed the most depressing children’s author ever to me. Little Match Girl? Death by freezing. Little Mermaid? Death by foam. The Princess and the Pea? Pain and bruising, and if we’re honest the promise of a life of pain and bruising. The Steadfast Tin Soldier? More of an “everybody dies” than Hamlet.
I don’t know, @katliamom—maybe you are on to something.
Hans Christian Andersen can ONLY be considered joyful when compared to other European fairy tales … Although I may be arguing against myself here …
German children’s literature is not all that joyful, when you think about it. Here’s my favorite Grimm’s fairy tale (courtesy of the New Yorker):
I’ll nominate Damon Runyon as a joyful North American writer.
Back to topic: Love Switzerland but the requirements to try to get citizenship are ridiculous. Ask Tina Turner what it took to get it.
Sleeping with a Rolling Stone?
I once took a Hans Christian Andersen class. Aside from the HCA storybook in my library, what’s stuck with me most are the term “schwankmarchen” and the recollection of the Ice Maiden; sometimes I refer to my wife as the latter when she is cranky.
As for joyful/happy North American authors… hmmm… how about Jane Smiley?