''Witness to the Future'' is a novel written by Danish author

Klaus Rifbjerg Klaus Rifbjerg (15 December 1931 – 4 April 2015) was a Danish writer. He authored more than 170 novels, books and essays. In 1965 he co-produced the film '' 4x4'' which was entered into the 4th Moscow International Film Festival. Biography Ri ...

in 1981. It is about two young boys who are playing in the woods outside

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...

in occupied

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark ...

in the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. They discover a cave with a tunnel that leads them from 1941 to 1981. When they crawl out near a motorway, they run up against angry farmers, biker gangs, heroin addicts, and rabid dogs in a world that is close to nuclear war. They become involved in car theft, police chases, and the massive helicopter explosion. It is Rifbjerg's only work of science fiction. A review in ''

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of B ...

'' called the book an "allegory of the chaos and emptiness of modern times that conveys admiration for a simpler past." The book was translated into English from the Danish original ''De hellige aber'' by Steve Murray in 1987.

References

1981 Danish novels Novels set in Denmark Novels about time travel {{Denmark-stub