SUPER SUCCESS: Lars Mytting’s many books have sold two million copies, and have been published in 21 languages. “Skråpånatta” has already been sold to a number of countries. Photo: Mathias Fossum
What a conclusion to Lars Mytting’s masterpiece: The dramatic “Skråpånatta” is an authorial triumph.
“Skråpånatta” is the last novel in the trilogy that started with “Søsterklokkene” and “Hekneveven”, and it is – in the middle of its many serious themes – a reading party.
In the final stands Lars Mytting forth with an impressive narrative power and narrative joy.
He takes an authoritative grip on the extensive material.
Briefly and effectively, he quickly takes the reader back into the century-long history and then sets loose from 1936 onwards into the Second World War with all the dilemmas in a small village in occupied Norway.
We are still in the fictional village of Butangen, quite close to Fåvang in Gudbrandsdalen. A basis for the books are the Gudbrandsdals legends about the sister clocks, Heknesøstrene and Hekneveven.
Info
BOOK REVIEW: “Skråpånatta”
Author: Lars Mytting
Genre: Novel, last book in the trilogy about “Søsterklokkene”
Publisher: Gyldendal
Sider: 576
Price: DKK 479
Sea view
“Skråpanatta” starts on a winter’s day in 1617 when the farmer Eirik Hekne finds a ewe on the mountain. A raven has pecked out its eyes. Below is a newborn lamb – with wool with a wonderful silver shimmer.
Eirik Hekne takes the lamb and gives it to his daughters Halfrid and Gunhild, the twins who are joined from the hip down. The girls are accused of sorcery and witchcraft, but a priest protects the two girls who are gifted weavers. They have succeeded in completing the Hedgeweave.
And what can now happen to Hekneveven – and not least to the two sister clocks – one is in Dresden and one is still in the village?
also read
Lars Mytting: – I felt a strong sense of despair
ELVERUM (VG) Lars Mytting (55) couldn’t stop writing the last book in the best-selling series “Søsterklokkene”.
“Søsterklokkene”, “Hekneveven” and “Skråpånatta” is the story of three generations on the farm Hekne.
In the last book, a new generation Astrid Hekne is in the lead role, in a wonderful partnership with the parish priest Kai Schweigaard, who has lived and worked as a priest in the village for 65 years, from 1879 to 1945.
He has constantly had his work extended in the church. He has influence and enjoys respect, until the National Assembly’s disciples try to break him.
But indeed he rises again and orchestrates a mighty sortie.
He was in love with his grandmother Astrid Hekne, and now puts his trust in the new Astrid. They have secret meetings and nocturnal outings about the crochet blanket and the remaining sister clock – which the Germans want for Germany.
COMPLETED: Lars Mytting in the writing room where he has sat for eight years and worked on the novel trilogy about the sister clocks. Photo: Line_Moller / VG
Here is a transition from old to new times, noble boy Tarald, Astrid and blind Esther try to choose their own paths in a family with heavy obligations. The father Jehans builds a road through rough mountain sides up to the fertile seat areas – which the occupying power expands even better with Serb prisoners who toil to the death.
The arrival of the Germans in Gudbrandsdalen and Butangen is magnificently described, with several actual events at the bottom, adapted to dictation.
It’s just brilliantly done, with humor and seriousness.
Here there is division in a rural community when the Nazis want to take power, when association with the Germans easily leads to suspicion and reputation. Or as it is said somewhere: “No one has clean hands after two years of war”.
In the middle of an occupied local community, a resistance work is developed, with Astrid and her mother Kristine and the enterprising women around the Hekne family, with cheese making and colonial.
Weapons and ammunition and other things are smuggled in the milk pails, and codes are made in the church, where the hymn numbers indicate deliveries and collections on the day of the week and the various farms.
As they say at the cheese factory: “If we can’t fight with the stock exchange, we’ll have to fight with Gouda cheese”.
OVERWORK: It is noticeable that Lars Mytting has put an enormous amount of work into the last book. Photo: Line Møller / VG
The text is enormously worked out, linguistically polished to the last detail, here there is dialect, humor and one-liners.
As when the two lonely men Schweigaard and the tailor Konow summarize that “we have been love’s little savers, the two of us”.
And here are family and acquaintances in Great Britain and Germany, and Mytting again shows his interest and knowledge of technology. About weapons, about cars with knob operation and airplanes – like the Lancaster bomber.
It’s good and fascinating.
The trilogy is a majestic epic. The good prose, flow and energy provide a high well-being factor and are full of warm humour, seriousness, Gudbrandsdal roots and great knowledge.
And Mytting then sneaks in a little more about the individual’s bias in the mini-biographies at the back.
After reading “Skråpånatta”, the reader is left wanting to read the first two novels in the trilogy again. Yes, re-read this masterful series in one.
How often does it happen?
Published:
Published: 15.09.23 at 00:00
Copy linkCopy linkShare on FacebookShare on FacebookShare by emailShare by email
2023-09-14 22:01:19
#Masterful #Mytting #Book #review #Skråpånatta
Is an English translation of Lars Mytting’s third novel in the trilogy scheduled for release?