The Half Brother
Encyclopedia
The Half Brother is a 2001 novel by the Norwegian writer Lars Saabye Christensen
. The story follows a man who grows up in Oslo after World War II
, with his mother, grandmother, great grandmother and half brother. The novel was published in Norwegian by Cappelen
in 2001, and in English for the first time in 2003. It received the Brage Prize
and the Nordic Council Literature Prize. A television series based on the novel is scheduled for 2012.
in Oslo, on liberation day 8 May 1945. She does not say a word during the entire pregnancy, not until she gives birth in a taxi. She names the child Fred.
Arnold Nilsen from Røst
in Lofoten
, a circus artist and salesman, known as "The Wheel" after rolling spectacularly down a slope as a child, is allowed to move in with Jebsen's family, thanks to his self-confidence and his yellow Buick
. Other than Vera and Fred, the family consists of Vera's mother, Boletta, and grandmother, known as The Old One; all in all four generations. Soon Vera has another child, whom they name Barnum Nilsen, after the master scam artist P. T. Barnum
.
Barnum is sharp but very short and therefore lacks confidence. He is impressed by Fred's rebellious attitude. He attends a dance class where he meets Peder and Vivian. After being sent out from the first lesson, the three meet and hang out every time their parents thing they are dancing. The three become close friends and stay by themselves for the most time. Vivian becomes a kind of girlfriend for both of the boys.
Fred and Barnum share the same bedroom. They often have confidential talks at night. Fred tries to influence Bernum to become tougher and go his own way. He hates Arnold, the stepfather, and tells Barnum that he rather would have been Barnum's father. Once, The Old One received a letter from Wilhelm, her fiancé, who disappeared while hunting in the Arctic Ocean and Greenland. The letter means a lot for everybody in the family. Barnum often reads it to Fred, who is dyslexic. Fred begins to show more respect for Barnum and his ability to write down his dreams, and gives him a typewriter as a birthday gift. Fred's recognition means a lot to Barnum. Fred attempts at a career as a boxer. Barnum adopts a motto from his father: "The important is not what you see, but what you think you see".
Barnum wins a writing competition in school which stimulates his desire to write. After coming in contact with the production of the film Hunger
, based on Knut Hamsun
's novel with the same title
, Barnum decides to become a scriptwriter for film. Peder becomes his agent after returning from the United States. As a consequence of his grandmother's drinking habits, he develops an uncritical attitude to alcohol, which eventually leads to alcoholism.
. In August 2002 it had sold 226,000 copies in Norway. It was translated to English by Kenneth Steven. Arcadia Books published it in the United Kingdom in 2003, and Arcade Publishing
in the United States in 2004.
of Dagbladet
made comparisons between the novel and the works of Knut Hamsun
, Göran Tunström
and John Irving
, but also called it "a true Saabye novel. Here he offers himself at full, puts his whole previous authorship at stake, in a single gigantic bet where he has raised the pot with everything from shelved five-øre
coins to newly printed 1000-kroner
bills, everyday memory glimpses and brightly polished metaphors." He wrote that while there might be some longueurs which could have been trimmed, it is nothing that prevents the work from "pulling up, high up", and "give the readers a wealth of sparkling moments".
Paul Binding of The Guardian
described The Half Brother as a "phenomenally successful novel". Regarding the structure, he wrote that the author uses time and peripheral characters to "creatively disturb any conventional narrative forward motion", and that "Mystery is of the book's very essence, for all the clarity, the realism of the presentation." Binding wrote: "The Half Brother - translated into compulsively readable prose by writer Kenneth Steven - is no mere interesting example of contemporary Scandinavian writing; it's a deeply felt, intricately worked and intellectually searching work of absolutely international importance." Gerard Woodward
wrote in The Daily Telegraph
: "The Half Brother is the kind of big, ambitious, panoramic novel of the sort we tend to think only Americans write these days. It is part Bildungsroman — depicting the coming of age of a writer — part a Ulysses
for Oslo, whose snowy parks and shadowy churches are vividly rendered." Woodward also wrote: "The pace slackens at times, particularly towards the end but, for the most part, the language has enough energy and inventiveness to carry us along. A big, rewarding read."
for Fiction for Adults. It won the Norwegian Booksellers' Prize
for best book of the year; Saabye Christensen thereby became the first author to receive this prize twice, as he also had won in 1990 for the novel Bly. The Half Brother received the Nordic Council Literature Prize in 2002. The Adjudicating Committee described the winner as a "richly nuanced novel", with a story that has "a keynote of distance, loss and grief but has a redeeming feature of humour, friendship and black hope."
Lars Saabye Christensen
Lars Saabye Christensen, born 21 September 1953 in Oslo, is a Norwegian author.Saabye Christensen was raised in the Skillebekk neighbourhood of Oslo, but lived for many years in Sortland in northern Norway; both places play a major role in his work...
. The story follows a man who grows up in Oslo after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, with his mother, grandmother, great grandmother and half brother. The novel was published in Norwegian by Cappelen
J.W. Cappelens Forlag
J.W. Cappelens Forlag, usually referred to as Cappelen, was one of the oldest publishing houses of Norway. J.W. Cappelens Forlag was founded in 1829 by Jørgen Wright Cappelen, of the distinguished Cappelen family. Torger Baardseth was the director of Cappelen between 1904 and 1943. JW Cappelens...
in 2001, and in English for the first time in 2003. It received the Brage Prize
Brage Prize
The Brage Prize is a Norwegian literature prize that is awarded annually by the Norwegian Book Prize foundation...
and the Nordic Council Literature Prize. A television series based on the novel is scheduled for 2012.
Plot
Vera Jebsen is raped in FagerborgFagerborg
Fagerborg is a neighbourhood in the St. Hanshaugen borough in Oslo, Norway. Located at the northwestern end of the borough, it is bounded by Majorstua in Frogner in the west, by Marienlyst in the north, by Adamstuen and Bolteløkka in the east, and by Bislett in the south.-Architechture:The...
in Oslo, on liberation day 8 May 1945. She does not say a word during the entire pregnancy, not until she gives birth in a taxi. She names the child Fred.
Arnold Nilsen from Røst
Røst
Røst is a municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is part of the Lofoten traditional region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Røst. Røst was separated from the municipality of Værøy on 1 July 1928.- Environment :...
in Lofoten
Lofoten
Lofoten is an archipelago and a traditional district in the county of Nordland, Norway. Though lying within the Arctic Circle, the archipelago experiences one of the world's largest elevated temperature anomalies relative to its high latitude.-Etymology:...
, a circus artist and salesman, known as "The Wheel" after rolling spectacularly down a slope as a child, is allowed to move in with Jebsen's family, thanks to his self-confidence and his yellow Buick
Buick
Buick is a premium brand of General Motors . Buick models are sold in the United States, Canada, Mexico, China, Taiwan, and Israel, with China being its largest market. Buick holds the distinction as the oldest active American make...
. Other than Vera and Fred, the family consists of Vera's mother, Boletta, and grandmother, known as The Old One; all in all four generations. Soon Vera has another child, whom they name Barnum Nilsen, after the master scam artist P. T. Barnum
P. T. Barnum
Phineas Taylor Barnum was an American showman, businessman, scam artist and entertainer, remembered for promoting celebrated hoaxes and for founding the circus that became the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus....
.
Barnum is sharp but very short and therefore lacks confidence. He is impressed by Fred's rebellious attitude. He attends a dance class where he meets Peder and Vivian. After being sent out from the first lesson, the three meet and hang out every time their parents thing they are dancing. The three become close friends and stay by themselves for the most time. Vivian becomes a kind of girlfriend for both of the boys.
Fred and Barnum share the same bedroom. They often have confidential talks at night. Fred tries to influence Bernum to become tougher and go his own way. He hates Arnold, the stepfather, and tells Barnum that he rather would have been Barnum's father. Once, The Old One received a letter from Wilhelm, her fiancé, who disappeared while hunting in the Arctic Ocean and Greenland. The letter means a lot for everybody in the family. Barnum often reads it to Fred, who is dyslexic. Fred begins to show more respect for Barnum and his ability to write down his dreams, and gives him a typewriter as a birthday gift. Fred's recognition means a lot to Barnum. Fred attempts at a career as a boxer. Barnum adopts a motto from his father: "The important is not what you see, but what you think you see".
Barnum wins a writing competition in school which stimulates his desire to write. After coming in contact with the production of the film Hunger
Hunger (1966 film)
Hunger , is a 1966 black-and-white drama film directed by Denmark's Henning Carlsen, starring Swedish actor Per Oscarsson, and based upon the novel Hunger by Norwegian Nobel Prize-winning author Knut Hamsun...
, based on Knut Hamsun
Knut Hamsun
Knut Hamsun was a Norwegian author, who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1920. He was praised by King Haakon VII of Norway as Norway's soul....
's novel with the same title
Hunger (novel)
Hunger is a novel by the Norwegian author Knut Hamsun and was published in its final form in 1890. Parts of it had been published anonymously in the Danish magazine Ny Jord in 1888. The novel has been hailed as the literary opening of the 20th century and an outstanding example of modern,...
, Barnum decides to become a scriptwriter for film. Peder becomes his agent after returning from the United States. As a consequence of his grandmother's drinking habits, he develops an uncritical attitude to alcohol, which eventually leads to alcoholism.
Publication
The novel was published in Norway on 4 September 2001 through CappelenJ.W. Cappelens Forlag
J.W. Cappelens Forlag, usually referred to as Cappelen, was one of the oldest publishing houses of Norway. J.W. Cappelens Forlag was founded in 1829 by Jørgen Wright Cappelen, of the distinguished Cappelen family. Torger Baardseth was the director of Cappelen between 1904 and 1943. JW Cappelens...
. In August 2002 it had sold 226,000 copies in Norway. It was translated to English by Kenneth Steven. Arcadia Books published it in the United Kingdom in 2003, and Arcade Publishing
Arcade Publishing
Arcade Publishing is an independent trade publishing company that started in 1988 in New York, USA. They are publishers of American and world fiction and non-fiction...
in the United States in 2004.
Critical response
Øystein RottemØystein Rottem
Øystein Rottem was a Norwegian philologist, literary historian and literary critic.He was born in Heim, and graduated from the University of Oslo in 1976 with the cand.philol. degree...
of Dagbladet
Dagbladet
Dagbladet is Norway's second largest tabloid newspaper, and the third largest newspaper overall with a circulation of 105,255 copies in 2009, 18,128 papers less than in 2008. The editor in chief is Lars Helle....
made comparisons between the novel and the works of Knut Hamsun
Knut Hamsun
Knut Hamsun was a Norwegian author, who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1920. He was praised by King Haakon VII of Norway as Norway's soul....
, Göran Tunström
Göran Tunström
Göran Tunström was a Swedish author. He grew up in Sunne, Värmland County. Tunström's style is personal and intimate, and has a clear autobiographical tone...
and John Irving
John Irving
John Winslow Irving is an American novelist and Academy Award-winning screenwriter.Irving achieved critical and popular acclaim after the international success of The World According to Garp in 1978...
, but also called it "a true Saabye novel. Here he offers himself at full, puts his whole previous authorship at stake, in a single gigantic bet where he has raised the pot with everything from shelved five-øre
Øre
Øre is the centesimal subdivision of the Norwegian and Danish krones. The Faroese division is called the oyra, but is equal in value to the Danish coin. Before their discontinuation, the corresponding divisions of the Swedish krona and the Icelandic króna were the öre and the eyrir...
coins to newly printed 1000-kroner
Norwegian krone
The krone is the currency of Norway and its dependent territories. The plural form is kroner . It is subdivided into 100 øre. The ISO 4217 code is NOK, although the common local abbreviation is kr. The name translates into English as "crown"...
bills, everyday memory glimpses and brightly polished metaphors." He wrote that while there might be some longueurs which could have been trimmed, it is nothing that prevents the work from "pulling up, high up", and "give the readers a wealth of sparkling moments".
Paul Binding of The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
described The Half Brother as a "phenomenally successful novel". Regarding the structure, he wrote that the author uses time and peripheral characters to "creatively disturb any conventional narrative forward motion", and that "Mystery is of the book's very essence, for all the clarity, the realism of the presentation." Binding wrote: "The Half Brother - translated into compulsively readable prose by writer Kenneth Steven - is no mere interesting example of contemporary Scandinavian writing; it's a deeply felt, intricately worked and intellectually searching work of absolutely international importance." Gerard Woodward
Gerard Woodward
Gerard Woodward is an award-winning British novelist, poet and short story writer, best known for his trilogy of novels concerning the troubled Jones family, the second of which, I'll Go To Bed at Noon, was shortlisted for the 2004 Man-Booker Prize.He was born in London and briefly studied...
wrote in The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
: "The Half Brother is the kind of big, ambitious, panoramic novel of the sort we tend to think only Americans write these days. It is part Bildungsroman — depicting the coming of age of a writer — part a Ulysses
Ulysses (novel)
Ulysses is a novel by the Irish author James Joyce. It was first serialised in parts in the American journal The Little Review from March 1918 to December 1920, and then published in its entirety by Sylvia Beach on 2 February 1922, in Paris. One of the most important works of Modernist literature,...
for Oslo, whose snowy parks and shadowy churches are vividly rendered." Woodward also wrote: "The pace slackens at times, particularly towards the end but, for the most part, the language has enough energy and inventiveness to carry us along. A big, rewarding read."
Accolades
The novel received the Brage PrizeBrage Prize
The Brage Prize is a Norwegian literature prize that is awarded annually by the Norwegian Book Prize foundation...
for Fiction for Adults. It won the Norwegian Booksellers' Prize
Norwegian Booksellers' Prize
The Norwegian Booksellers' Prize is a literature prize was awarded by the Norwegian Booksellers Association. It was initiated in 1948, then did not return until 1961...
for best book of the year; Saabye Christensen thereby became the first author to receive this prize twice, as he also had won in 1990 for the novel Bly. The Half Brother received the Nordic Council Literature Prize in 2002. The Adjudicating Committee described the winner as a "richly nuanced novel", with a story that has "a keynote of distance, loss and grief but has a redeeming feature of humour, friendship and black hope."
Adaptation
Formal talks about an adaptation for Norwegian television started in 2002, and the project was presented in 2010. Produced for NRK by the production company Monster, the series will consist of eight 50-minute episodes directed by Per-Olav Sørensen. It is scheduled to premiere in 2012.External links
- The Half Brother at the publisher's website