In the late 1970s, a pyromaniac runs amok in a close-knit community in rural Norway. Homes are burnt to a cinder, and panic spreads, as neighbours wonder who amongst them could be wreaking such fear and anguish. And slowly, almost imperceptibly, a mother comes to realise that her son is lighting the fires. Born into this time of chaos, Gaute Heivoll is indelibly linked to the arsonist intent on such destruction. By juxtaposing the pyromaniac's story with his own, Heivoll explores memory, loss and the agonising separation of child from parent that it is a rite of passage for us all. Written in fluid, luminous prose, Before I Burn is a literary sensation, by the foremost Norwegian writer of his generation.
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From Norway's pre-eminent young writer comes a startling novel about a pyromaniac raging through a close-knit community. This gripping and luminous novel explores madness, memory and the dark heart of the human psyche.
Les mer
Luminously written... [Before I Burn is] an unsparing examination of the darker recesses of the human psyche... Heivoll's unhurried prose satisfyingly addresses the mysteries of memory and the precariousness of human existence * The Times *One of the best books I have ever read... [Gaute Heivoll] manages to describe the rush of setting fire to a house so well. We understand the pyromaniac's fascination for the fire and the heat ... A pyromaniac seen from the inside, and is marvellously written. -- Karin FossumGaute Heivoll is one of the finest voices of his generation. Before I Burn is a glowing depiction of the darkness in an isolated human being's mind. -- Karl Ove KnausgardThanks to Heivoll's adroit and sensitive handling of his themes, this semi-autobiographical account of old crimes is elevated and transformed into a great novel. * Glasgow Herald *Gaute Heivoll's new book is great storytelling of the highest order, an existential horror story from the foremost of the young writers. -- Edvard HoemIt has been an eerie pleasure to read Gaute Heivoll's thrilling novel about the pyromaniac who shook his home district in 1978. For jeg brenner ned shows once again that Heivoll is a key name among his generation of writers and one of the most significant in contemporary Norwegian literature. The novel has all the requisites to captivate readers and become Heivoll's definitive breakthrough. -- Hans Herbjornsrud
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Produktdetaljer

ISBN
9780857892171
Publisert
2014-11-06
Utgiver
Vendor
Atlantic Books
Høyde
198 mm
Bredde
129 mm
Aldersnivå
01, G
Språk
Product language
Engelsk
Format
Product format
Heftet
Antall sider
320

Forfatter
Oversetter

Biographical note

Gaute Heivoll made his debut in 2002 with the prose collection Liten dansende gutt [Small Dancing Boy], and since then has written poetry, children's books, short stories and novels. Heivoll was the recipient of the 2003 Tiden-prisen Prize. In 2006 he was the Norwegian representative to the Literary Festival Project Scritture Giovanni and his short-story "Dr. Gordeau" was translated into English, German and Italian.