Per pettersons novel, out stealing horses, is set against the dramatic backdrop of norway, where young trond sander comes of age. The first four books ive read this year are translated works. For 2007, one of their selections was per pettersons out stealing horses. The rural lands of northern europe have had a long if spare human presence to which modern people feel akin. Seeing all the books i have yet to write something about is almost too stressful. Out stealing horses looks like a charming but modest chamberpiece. It was recommended to me by michael, with whom i shared a combination great bike ride and great discussion a couple of months ago. Per petterson is the author of books including in the wake, to siberia, and i curse the river of time. Buy out stealing horses by petterson, per, born, anne from amazons fiction books store. He moves to a solitary cabin in the deep woods of norway to get away from it all.
Out stealing horses by per petterson the new canon. A novel by per petterson and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. Theres not a single weak one among them and out stealing horses is among the strongest. Out stealing horses has been embraced across the world as a classic, a novel of universal relevance and power. Picador, the publisher of the edition of out stealing horses that i own, has a pdf file of study questions that they make available on their website. Out stealing horses by per petterson, translated by anne born, 264pp. Its a simple tale that doesnt do anything fancy, and had the feel of both being radiant like the sun high up in the sky and the echoing sadness of a dry riverbed. Tronds friend jon often appeared at his doorstep with an adventure in mind for the two of them. Out stealing horses, by per petterson posted on october 3, 2015 by schoultz why this book. Par peterson is an award winning norwegian writer who introduces the book that began. Of everything that stood out about the novel, heres what i remember.
There are bound to be people annoyed and disappointed by out stealing horses, as it is not the traditional narrative they may be used to. Enter your mobile number or email address below and well send you a link to download the free kindle app. Petterson knew from the age of 18 that he wanted to be a writer, but didnt embark on this career for many years his debut book, the short story collection aske i munnen, sand i skoa, ashes in the mouth, sand in the shoes was published 17 years later, when petterson was 35. Even the title, out stealing horses, serves as both the announcement of an adolescent prank and a password for the dangerous activity of the resistance. Much of the melancholy in per pettersons novel derives from the long shadow of men with guns. You dont put down norwegian per pettersons new novel, out stealing horses. His debut book was aske i munnen, sand i skoa 1987, a collection of short stories. The narrator of out stealing horses, sixtysevenyearold trond, is a man equally consumed by his past and his present. Out stealing horses the mookse and the gripes books.
Out stealing horses and in the wake by per petterson. With the use of stark, simple language, norwegian author per petterson tells the. Reading it now for the second time, i realise that run with the horses the british title is the quest is possibly one of the most dynamic and uplifting books ive ever read. Haunting, minimalist prose and expert pacing give this quiet story from norway native petterson in the wake, 2006, etc. Winner of the impac dublin literary award out stealing horses has been embraced across the world as a classic, a novel of universal relevance and power. When asked how did the nazi occupation of norway translate into the plot of your novel.
Casting his mind back to 1948, he recalls a horse stealing prank with his best friend that turned tragic and changed his life forever. Among other awards it won the 2007 dublin impac award, one of the richest literary prizes in the world. Out stealing horses is one of my favorite two or three new novels to appear this year. He wrote more than thirty books, including his widely acclaimed paraphrase of the bible the message. Apparently, i read this novel, out stealing horses, by per petterson sometime earlier this year. Edited by three distinguished norwegian critics, this book contains 28. Since the success of out stealing horses, petterson has been in demand at book festivals from israel to iceland, but he has found that the pressure of life outside his cosy work cabin, 50 metres. Out stealing horses and the norwegian feeling for real. When originally published, it picked up a handful of awards in norway and has since picked up more recognition and more awards in its english translation.
The truth that it would not make a good read for seniors anxious to live life rather than examine it. Horse training specializing in cutting, roping and colt starting. If there was any doubt i am enthralled with foreign fiction, it is totally erased. Out stealing horses by per petterson, anne born readings. Subtle prose and profound vision combine in an unforgettable novel an achingly good read. Instead of building toward a climactic finish, or revealing a fateful detail that ties together several unrelated events, out stealing horses is a dreamy recitation of memories and the present day, as experienced by an aging widower in rural norway. Panoramic and gripping, it tells the story of trond sander, a sixtyseven yearold man who has moved from the city to a remote, riverside cabin, only to have all the turbulence, grief, and overwhelming beauty of.
She retired to bainbridge island and later to the olympic peninsula where she and her present. In retrospectand this is a novel that strikes deep and lingers longit feels more like some shattering literary symphony. Early in the book, in the 1948 part, i let the two fathers of my main characters, jon and trond have a problem with looking at each other. She and her husband opened import stores in washington and canada. A bestseller in norway and germany and the winner of the irish impac award, out stealing horses was published in the usa in hardcover last year, and in paperback a couple of weeks ago. Multiple awardwinning author per petterson delivers an eloquent, meditative novel. In 1948, when he is fifteen, trond spends a summer in the country with his father. What began as a joy ride on borrowed horses ends with jon falling. Per petterson has written five novels, which have established his. Out stealing horses, by per petterson interpolations. Norwegian writer per petterson won the coveted impac dublin prize for fiction this year. Here, i would like to explore some of those questions. It was translated into english in 2005 by anne born, published in the uk that year, and in the us in 2007. Out stealing horses is a pure, poignant and luminous story that feels out of place in this modern and cluttered world.
Out stealing horses won the impac dublin literary award, the independent foreign fiction prize and the norwegian booksellers prize. A staff pick by michael mcgriff out stealing horses by per petterson picador, 2005 availabe both new and used at tsunami for me theres really only one metric for determining a book recommendation, and its this question. Per pettersons out stealing horses is both full of irony and truth about living and observing life. It is yet one more reason why i need to quit limiting my. Out stealing horses, by per petterson translated by anne born, begins with trond sander, a 67yearold man living in a small secluded cabin on the swedish border. No television because with it time passes only when others do the moving. Petterson knew from the age of 18 that he wanted to be a writer, but didnt embark on this career for many years his debut book, the short story collection aske i munnen, sand i skoa, ashes in the mouth, sand in the shoes.
Among other awards it won the 2007 dublin impac award, one of the richest literary prizes in the world out stealing horses has double meanings and two sets of twins. Everyday low prices on a huge range of new releases and classic fiction. Out stealing horses, by per petterson 2in peterson, per. A site dedicated to book lovers providing a forum to discover and share commentary about the books and authors they enjoy. It spread from the trackside to the river, it filled the air and drifted across the water and penetrated everything everywhere and made me numb and dizzy. Do i buy a used copy of this book every time i see it and drop it in the. The novel that brought peterson that prize is called out stealing horses. Benjamin lytal, the new york sun among the agreeable surprises of per pettersons novel is the misleading suggestion that the modesty of his narrators voice foretells a tale of minor events, an account of the sort of photorealism that prevents. Though he has lived most of his life in the city, he began life in a small place not unlike the one he is now in. Peterson 19322018 was a pastor, scholar, author, and poet. An early morning adventure out stealing horses leads to the tragic death of one boy and a resulting lifetime of guilt and isolation for his friend, in this moving tale about the painful loss of innocence and of traditional ways of life that are gone forever. Perhaps, petterson suggests, the mystery of fathers isnt one that needs solving after all. A novel and millions of other books are available for instant access.
To siberia 1996, set in the second world war, was published in english in 1998 and nominated for the nordic councils literature prize. That was what he said, standing at the door to the cabin where i was spending the summer with my father. Per petterson born 18 july 1952 in oslo is a norwegian novelist. Petterson responded well, like i said, i do not plan, so. The events the accidental death of a child, his best friends feelings of guilt and eventual disappearance, his fathers decision to leave the family for another woman will change his life forever. Out stealing horses has double meanings and two sets of twins. Even the narrator echoes hemingways narrators, saying at one point, no one can touch you unless you. Per petterson, author, anne born, translator, trans. Content includes books from bestselling, midlist and debut authors. In per pettersons awardwinning out stealing horses, the protagonist, trond sanders, is 67 years old he is not quite old but pretty much retiring from life after losing his beloved wife and sister.
They may both be scandinavian, but pettersons books are as quiet and. Peterson was born in salt lake city, utah but lived much of her life in seattle, washington where she attended school, married and raised four daughters. Set in the east of norway on the border of sweden map of norway, the story opens in 1999 with 67. In per pettersons out stealing horses sixtyseven year old trond sander is profoundly drawn to such a place. Sixtysevenyearold trond sander lives secluded in a far corner of norway. Previously he had worked for years in a factory as an unskilled labourer, as his parents had done before him. In per pettersons novel, as in many of hemingways, characters lives like real lives are deeply rooted in the physical world. Out stealing horses by per petterson the greatest books. Then you can start reading kindle books on your smartphone, tablet, or computer no kindle device required. Steinbeck, berry, and hemingway, and its emotional. A fairly short novel with a timescape of half a century that seems to have left out nothing important is a bit of a miracle. A family approach to fiction lets get one thing straight.
He even learns that the phrase out stealing horses, which he had tossed around casually with his friend, has a meaning that reaches beyond their childhood pranks. Well, sometimes you do, because you have to, like when youre heading to the bathroom or to a sale at the container store. Its early november, says trond, the first sentence of the book. The play part gives the book its title, out stealing horses, as trond. The novel that garnered him the prize is called out stealing horses. Out stealing horses is a 2003 norwegian novel by per petterson. This balancing act between the reflectiveness of age and the action of youth gives structure to per pettersons affecting fifth novel, his second to be published in translation in the united states and the winner of the 2006 independent.
Recently, while rereading out stealing horses, i also happened to be rereading hemingway, and it occurred to me that the two are similar. Its about living life, the godlife, to the fullest persuing it with excellence, running with the horses. Ian thomson finds ironclad and chill fjords in a fine anthology of norwegian fiction and per pettersons latest novel, out stealing horses ian thomson sat 17 dec 2005 10. I have a hit and miss relationship with the new york times best books of the year list. Another good list of discussion questions ive found is at norwegian researchers and teachers association of north america. The bible in contemporary language, his memoir, the pastor, and the bestselling spiritual formation classic a long obedience in the same direction peterson was founding pastor of christ our king. With this maturity, he comes to experience another side of his father, and the world, that he never realized existed. The winner of last years impac dublin literary award, out stealing horses is deserving of nearly every superlative lavished upon it. Norwegian author per petterson is not stieg larsson.