Dimitri Mollo reviewed Septologien by Jon Fosse (Septologien)
Takes a while to get into it, but it's brilliant afterwards
5 stars
I originally reviewed only the first volume, The Other Name, read in the Swedish translation. I was of two minds about it, bothered by the repetition and often inane thoughts and conversations. But contrary to my initial intentions, I felt drawn to try and read the rest of the Septology.
It was a good thing to do, as the rhythm and atmosphere created by the prose finally got ahold of me, and the actions and memories of the narrator became more interesting and poignant. Having now read the whole book, I came to think it's brilliant.
It's very intimate, as we end up inhabiting the mind of the narrator to the point where it feels like home. There is a humanity to the protagonist, and to a lesser degree to the minds he also comes to inhabit throughout the book, that feels deeply authentic. (The repeating speculations about religion left …
I originally reviewed only the first volume, The Other Name, read in the Swedish translation. I was of two minds about it, bothered by the repetition and often inane thoughts and conversations. But contrary to my initial intentions, I felt drawn to try and read the rest of the Septology.
It was a good thing to do, as the rhythm and atmosphere created by the prose finally got ahold of me, and the actions and memories of the narrator became more interesting and poignant. Having now read the whole book, I came to think it's brilliant.
It's very intimate, as we end up inhabiting the mind of the narrator to the point where it feels like home. There is a humanity to the protagonist, and to a lesser degree to the minds he also comes to inhabit throughout the book, that feels deeply authentic. (The repeating speculations about religion left me cold, though).
It takes a while to get into the book (in my case, it took me the whole first volume), but it is great once one's inside.
