The Henrik Bertelsen Saga is a series of historical business novels following one man through the political, technological and economic upheavals that reshaped the world from the late 1970s into the first decades of the twenty-first century.

Henrik Bertelsen is a fictional character. When the story begins in 1979, he is a young Danish civil servant with what appears to be a secure career ahead of him. An unexpected opportunity takes him to Saudi Arabia, and from there his life gradually moves away from public administration and into the rapidly expanding international technology industry. Over the following decades, his career takes him across Europe, North America, the Middle East, Asia and South Africa.

The historical background, however, is real. The novels unfold against events such as the seizure of the Grand Mosque in Mecca, the final phase of the Cold War, Gorbachev’s reforms in the Soviet Union, the Chernobyl disaster, the rise of Japan as an economic and technological powerhouse, China’s opening to the world and the events surrounding Tiananmen Square. Later volumes follow the acceleration of globalisation, the political transformation of South Africa and the extraordinary optimism that swept through the software industry in the years leading up to the millennium.

That euphoria eventually gives way to crisis when the dot-com bubble bursts. After years of constant travel and international business development, Henrik reaches the point where he has had enough of the relentless life on the road. He leaves the corporate world behind and starts his own consultancy, opening a new chapter in both his professional and personal life.

Henrik’s private life is just as important as his career. He is married to Sammy, who is English. Early in their relationship, they decide that each of them should pursue a professional career of their own. That decision becomes increasingly difficult to maintain after they first adopt a boy from Indonesia and later a girl from Korea. Rather than abandoning the principle, they repeatedly find unconventional ways of combining family life, work and Henrik’s growing travel commitments.

Music is another important part of Henrik’s life. He is an amateur musician and loves performing with his band. It takes time and is not always easy to reconcile with an international career, but he refuses to give it up. Despite his many business trips, he manages to keep the band as a permanent part of his life.

Technology and international business are central to the series. Computers, software, printing systems, distribution channels, international partnerships, corporate politics, negotiations and cultural differences are not merely background detail. They shape the characters’ opportunities and decisions. These environments are inspired by my own decades of experience in the international technology industry and supported by extensive historical and technical research.

This is also what distinguishes the Henrik Bertelsen Saga from a traditional spy thriller. Intelligence agencies, geopolitical tensions and political intrigue occasionally enter the story, but Henrik is not a secret agent and he does not save the world. He is a businessman, husband, father, friend and musician trying to build a career, sustain a family life and hold on to his own interests while history repeatedly intrudes.

The tension therefore comes not only from politics and international conflict, but also from negotiations, ambition, loyalty, technological change, cultural misunderstandings, family pressures and moral compromise.