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Translated from the Norwegian by Michael Barnes and Torbjorn
Stoverud
A tale of delicate beauty and deceptive simplicity by one
of the greatest Scandinavian writers of the twentieth century.The
Birds tells the story of Mattis, who has mental disabilities
and lives in a small house near a lake with his sister Hege
who ekes out a modest living knitting sweaters. From time
to time she encourages her brother to find work to ease their
financial burdens, but Mattis’s attempts come to nothing.
When finally he sets himself up as a ferryman, the only passenger
he manages to bring across the lake is a lumberjack, Jørgen.
When Jørgen and Hege become lovers, Mattis finds he
cannot adjust to this new situation . . .
‘A spare, icily humane story . . . The character
of Mattis, absurd and boastful, but also sweet, pathetic
and even funny, is shown with great insight. The translation
conveys successfully a concentration of style and feeling
that seems to Vesaas’ characteristic mark as a novelist.’ – Sunday Times
‘True visionary power.’ – Sunday Telegraph
‘Beautiful and subtle.’ – Scotsman
‘A masterpiece.’ – Literary Review
‘Disarmingly insightful . . . Vesaas conveys subtle
emotional rhythms with masterful economy.’ – Tablet
TARJEI VESAAS was born in 1897 in the remote rural Telemark
district of Norway, where he spent most of his life. Throughout
his life he published several novels, volumes of poetry and
a book of short stories which was awarded an international
prize at Venice in 1952. He was awarded several other prizes
and was a candidate for the Nobel Prize in 1964, 1968 and
again in 1969. He died in 1970, his reputation as the leading
Nordic writer firmly established. |
