Voilà, Paula: William Heinesen (1900–1991) lived through almost the entire 20th century in the Faroe Islands. He wrote about the rugged archipelago in the North Atlantic, steeped in myth but rooted in the immediate reality of life. Noatun, published in 1938, is Faroese through and through: fishing, farming and sheep breeding determine the days – rain, snow, rockfalls and waves shape the course of events like the rhythm of the seasons. A motley crew of headstrong individuals, with no future in the poor small-town life and the local upper classes, decide to settle in a disreputable valley and found the settlement of Noatun. A shipwreck has cast a shadow over the bay, but the settlers are not deterred. Their desire for a free, albeit hard, self-determined, albeit uncertain life is stronger than all setbacks and fears of failure. Heinesen describes the struggle with the elements and social and political resistance with austere beauty and taciturn profundity. The language is very close to mythical nature and to human beings, from birth through life and survival to death.
Hi Sean - how interesting to find out about a Faroese poet - interesting that he wrote in Danish, while the Faroese was translated later. I see this book has a political message in which he was interested. Thanks for the introduction - cheers Hilary
There are so many amazing authors of whom I know little or nothing. How I wish I could dedicate more time to reading.
ReplyDeleteMay the time come, rather soon than later.
DeleteHi ha molt poc traduït al castellà o al català.
ReplyDeletePodries fer-nos una petita sinopsi i així almenys sabríem de què tracta. ;-)
Aferradetes, Sean.
Voilà, Paula:
DeleteWilliam Heinesen (1900–1991) lived through almost the entire 20th century in the Faroe Islands. He wrote about the rugged archipelago in the North Atlantic, steeped in myth but rooted in the immediate reality of life. Noatun, published in 1938, is Faroese through and through: fishing, farming and sheep breeding determine the days – rain, snow, rockfalls and waves shape the course of events like the rhythm of the seasons. A motley crew of headstrong individuals, with no future in the poor small-town life and the local upper classes, decide to settle in a disreputable valley and found the settlement of Noatun. A shipwreck has cast a shadow over the bay, but the settlers are not deterred. Their desire for a free, albeit hard, self-determined, albeit uncertain life is stronger than all setbacks and fears of failure.
Heinesen describes the struggle with the elements and social and political resistance with austere beauty and taciturn profundity. The language is very close to mythical nature and to human beings, from birth through life and survival to death.
Aferradetes.
Moltes gràcies! ;-)
DeleteHi Sean - how interesting to find out about a Faroese poet - interesting that he wrote in Danish, while the Faroese was translated later. I see this book has a political message in which he was interested. Thanks for the introduction - cheers Hilary
ReplyDeleteHilary, click the label "Faroe Islands", and you will find more books and authors.
DeleteFas que coneguem autors que no havia sentit a dir mai.
ReplyDeleteUna abraçada, Sean.
Variatio delectat, com deien els antics romans, la varietat deleita. ;-)
DeleteAbraçades, Carme.