TRILOGY by Jon Fosse
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- čas přidán 17. 11. 2022
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Translated by May-Brit Akerholt
Paperback, 147 pages
Published 2016 by Dalkey Archive Press (first published 2014)
Original Title: Trilogien
#leafbyleaf #bookreview #jonfosse #trilogy
Will you ever say anything substantive about any of the books you "review," or is pseudo-intellectual posturing your metier?
It may well turn out that, by the end of my life, I never do manage to say anything substantive about the books I "review"--but I won't stop trying.
@@LeafbyLeaf absolutely roasted
@LeafbyLeaf
@@LeafbyLeaf Great response, you're an inspiration. : )
Today he won the Nobel Prize,a living legend!
gratulera til Jon Fosse!
Woohoo!
Jon Fosse is one of the very best! I loved hearing your thoughts on Trilogy. That was my introduction to Fosse and since then he's become one of my all-time favorites. Completely agree that the word "magical" simply summarizes it. His prose style is so unique and so powerful. Thanks for this!
I can already tell he's in my elite pantheon. What a treat to have writers like Fosse!
😠 Correction: ‘unique’ cannot be quantified. Therefore ‘so unique’ is meaningless. Free tutorial from a retired English teacher.
@@sirmeowthelibrarycat As a current university English teacher, I apologize for using colloquial English here.
I often find myself using “so true” colloquially, and I always think to myself-George Bool is turning in his grave. 😜
I'm thrilled to hear all this, because it means that my English versions are successfully reproducing his original writings in another language. It means a lot to a translator to know that.
I am from Norway, and this man tells the exact same thing as fully understanding norwegians are about Jon Fosses work. In fact, Norway has two written languages, Fosses being a minority. And I worry about loss of meaning in translation. But this man is fully calming me. He understands Fosse just right. I pause in awe! Thank you!
Tusen takk ! :)
It's taken me a long time to write a comment on this video.
Jon Fosse has been a force in my life since I discovered him, he's completely altered what I look for in art. He writes of the unexplainable and the wonderful so perfectly that I don't really know what can be said about the work, other than, I hope people pick him up and enjoy it.
A great review.
Similarly, I found it challenging to convert the thoughts and emotions this book stirred in me into a coherent "review" on video. Tarjei Vesaas, another Norwegian, has made a similar impact on me. I cannot wait to read Fosse's _Septology_ this year!
Very close to finishing Septology (up to final volume). It is a masterwork. Stunning. Trilogy is on my To Read list!
I can't wait to read _Septology_ !
Thank you! There are many book reviewers out there, but few go into details as you did here about the quality and writing style of the author. Anyone can read what the story is about on the back cover of the book, or from Amazon, but to go into the specific characteristics of the author’s writing style is what makes your reviews unique. Keep up the good work. Loved it! On to read Jon Fosse, who just apparently very deservingly received the Noble Prize in Literature!
Thank you so much for these kind, generous words! It's my pleasure to share these things here! Fosse is definitely deserving of the award. I need to get some more of his work on the channel now!
I love the way you describe that effect that you can get from books. I often get that from non-fictions about life, human relations or minds, or space-related stuff. Existence is an incredible thing, and like you said, it's so nice to bask in it before you analyze it. Even better are the times that feeling is enhanced with analysis. I call this the "wow" factor. This is what makes me such a page junkie. Great video.
"Page junkie"--I like this term! I, too, get the same satisfaction out of certain non-fiction I read. The work of Douglas R. Hofstadter has been a constant revelation. Same with Stephen Hawking, Daniel Dennett, and Edward O. Wilson, to name a few. Books about space and time and minds are fascinating, and some thinkers have an incredible ability to articulate their findings and thoughts in a manner that is, well, art!
I bought the first Septology book on a whim but was completely blown away by the writing.. the following two books in that series were pre-ordered as soon as I possibly could do so. I think he is absolutely brilliant. I saw your video and have just got Trilogy too. I am not sure why this author is not being raved about everywhere.
Thank you for your video
"The good life:
The goal of Plato’s Republic is to answer the question ‘What is justice?’ Proposing that justice in an individual person is parallel to justice in the state, Socrates sets out to describe an ideal city - a republic.
Plato’s republic consists of three castes: the producers, the soldiers and the rulers (or ‘guardians’). Through a universal education system, each citizen is assigned to the caste to which he or she is naturally fitted.
To prevent the citizens from trying to change castes, the guardians propagate the myth that every human being is made of one of three metals. Those made of bronze are born to be producers, those made of silver are born to be soldiers, and those made of gold are born to be guardians.
Plato justifies this deception by virtue of its service to the greater good of the city, a strategy ever since dubbed the ‘noble lie’.
To maintain order in the republic, the soldiers enforce the guardians’ laws. Music, poetry and theatre, which promote the love of sights and sounds, are banned. The family unit is dissolved. The best men breed with the best women and the children are raised in a communal fashion. Those who show greatest promise in recollecting the Forms, whether male or female, become the philosopher-kings.
In Plato’s view, the only way to secure the good life for everyone is to restructure society as a whole.
Love:
Just as the state must be properly ordered, so, too, must the individual soul. Metaphorically speaking, each one of us has a ruler, a soldier and a producer within us. In order to function well, we must ensure that each does its job and stays free of corrosive influences.
Plato famously describes the threefold structure of the soul through an analogy. The soul is like a chariot driven by two steeds. The charioteer represents reason (the ruler), one steed represents noble passions (the soldier), while the other represents base passions (the producer). The charioteer guides the chariot, trying to keep the horses from pulling in different directions.
Recall that Plato named himself, not a seeker or a finder, but a lover of wisdom. Love plays an important role in inspiring one towards the good life. We must fall in love with wisdom, and we can use our worldly experience with falling in love as a model.
For Plato, the crucial point is that reason stays in control, taking you ever further away from this world into a state of perpetual spiritual connection with the transcendent realm. To this extent, Plato’s philosophy has a strongly mystical side. Perhaps this is why so many elements of Platonism were incorporated into Christianity during its development in the Middle Ages.
Justice?:
In The Republic, Plato undertakes to find out what justice is. Thrasymachus insists that there is no such thing as justice and Socrates sets out to prove him wrong.
His investigation, however, brings him full circle - back to Thrasymachus, in a way. For he discovers that justice is a concept that arises only in dysfunctional circumstances. The ideal state, just like the ideal soul, is perfectly ordered. Therefore it has no need for justice. Obeying reason, everyone knows their place, and there is no conflict.
No wonder there are so many competing definitions of justice, and no wonder none of them is adequate. The very spectre of justice indicates deep structural flaws. Once proper order is established, questions about justice should no longer arise.
Plato’s vision in The Republic is beautiful and yet also terrifying. On the one hand, it would be wonderful to live in an orderly society where everyone does as they should. On the other hand, achieving this order may require the most tyrannical of totalitarian regimes. In fact, totalitarian leaders such as Joseph Stalin have been greatly inspired by Plato.
Plato’s critics crystallize its greatest challenge in a single, disturbing question: Who will guard the guardians?"
-Sharon Kaye
I picked up Septology last year after hearing buzz on fosse and was knocked away by the beauty of his writing. Can't wait to pick up trilogy
Hear, hear!
I read the Trilogy last year. Still hoping to pick up more Fosse! One of my best recent reading experiences.
Hear, hear!
"There are more commas in life than periods." I'll be stealing that, thanks very much. 👍😄😸
😁😁😁
What a wonderful way to put i!
🙏
I'm watching this one again. Thanks for the in-depth review!
My pleasure!
The Ice Palace of Tarjei Vesaas - is also fantastic!
It’s on my list!
I was just learning & reading about Jon Fosse the other day! Very serendipitous to see you review his trilogy today. I've added this and the Septology to my TBR. I'm nearly done reading Ducks, Newburyport so very much in a paratactical state of mind these days... this trilogy could be a nice follow-up if I can track it down soon!
You won’t be disappointed!
After just finishing this book I was happy to see you reviewed it as well. I had the same if not a similar thought - that the lack of punctuations fits perfectly with the disjoint of any pause in what's going on within and between these novellas or even life! It's certainly a story I'll reread as there are threads of repetition I've failed to pick up on (the blue/yellow pearl bracelet and the use of glittering as a descriptor) to examine further. There are patterns present that are certainly worth review. Can't wait a few weeks later to see how my thoughts develop. The use of identity is fascinating - does he become Olav when he becomes a father or when he sells the fiddle? Is he someone else for a bit truly or is it just incognito?
You can certainly feel Beckett's influence - short tidy sentences.
Great Video.
I resonate with all of your comments here! And--you've made me want to reread this one now!
I've probably read everything Jon Fosse has written, and translated quite a lot of it to English, especially his drama. Some of it is published, two novels and several volumes of drama, and what's rarely mentioned, a volume of essays. In a detailed analysis of Fosse’s play Winter (Vinter), Nils Lehmann claims that Fosse's characters may be placed between those of Chekhov and Beckett; in his eyes, “the difference between Beckett’s tramps and Chekhov’s nostalgians”. Yes, there is a Fosse style, and unfortunately, it's not quite what English-speaking theatres, and to a lesser degree readers, are comfortable with. His drama is rarely produced by English-speaking theatres. There is a sense of 'otherness' in his drama that appeals more to European directors, such as the French Patrice Chéreau, who directed "I Am the Wind" at the Young Vic. But his latest plays are more mysterious, more exploring another world, quite different from Trilogy, which is a kind of 'summing up' of many aspects of Jon Fosse's authorship.
I meant to say thank you to Leaf by Leaf for the wonderful review of Trilogy, as the translator of the three stories. It's so good to know that it is being read by people with such love for literature..
May Brit Akerholt! Oh, my--allow me to gather and posture myself to a degree that befits speaking with a translator! Thank you for sharing your insight and your kind words here. But thank you exceedingly more for your hard work in translating such great literature so it can be available to someone like me. I cherish the work of translators. You literally open doors that bring cultures and people closer together. All my very best to you and yours!
Thank you for translating his work. You have done a phenomenal job
Agreed! 👏👏👏
Chris, currently reading Fosse…..inspiring review, linking reading the sublime and physiological dopaminergic reward….we need to understand that reading about something that may involve tragedy can lead to the sublime, and that is perhaps the ultimate good and best reward for the work of reading . Yes good point about mirroring or echoing life in its style , syntax and content. So as you say, there must be commas and “ands”. Thank you for this rv!
“There are typically more commas in life than there are periods or full stops” Ain’t that the truth!
Hey! Are you ever planning on doing a full tour of your library? I saw the couple of videos you did a while ago and would love to see the rest. Probably very hard to do now considering it’s sheer magnitude lol.
Bookshelf tours, including a full tour, are definitely on my radar. For now, I've been avoiding it because I don't like the shakiness of the camera. But I'll figure something out.
Great discussion. I am intrigued by this.
I just finished reading the three volumes of Septology back to back and it was such an unusual reading experience. The way he writes shouldn't work for me (Septology is one long sentence) but Fosse makes it work. Would recommend trying Septology if you haven't read it already.
I've got _Septology_ on the docket for this year!
I loved the one-sentence novels when they're done well:
- some of Thomas Bernhard
- Mathias Enard's _Zone_
- Lucy Ellmann's _Ducks, Newburyport_
@@LeafbyLeaf Thanks so much for the recommendations! I'm going to retry Ducks, Newburyport soon and I've read Compass by Enard but not Zone.
_Compass_ was such a wonderful read! 🙌
Definitely another one to add to the TBR list though in the UK in the moment the price for what is a relatively slim volume is pretty crazy so I may have to wait a while 🙂
Thanks for the fascinating analysis as always.
My pleasure! Hope you come across an affordable copy soon!
Hello, I am in the U.K. and got it on Blackwells at an ok price if you are still looking.
This is so impressive! This guy must have a hell of a litterature knowledge!
I have a particular social disorder, yes. :P
Serendipitously, I just purchased this book from Dalkey and was wondering if you had touched on it or any of the Septology books. Look forward to watching this once I have finished the novel.
Here’s to the pleasure of serendipity!
You are a genious, person behind Leaf by Leaf.
Very, very kind of you to say!
Our little tribe has always been and always be untill the end.
Aliss by the fire was great too
It's on my list!
Hi. I spoke to you under my old channel. Now that I'm a big youtube book reviewer myself, I wanted to come by, sub and tell you I really like your channel, and your shelves make me feel like I'm experiencing some kind of wish fulfillment day reverie.
Thanks so much for your kind words. I have subbed your channel as well. It terrifies me to think of posting an unedited video: I spend quite a bit of time silently thinking of how I want to articulate my thought; also stuttering, spouting formulations that I shove aside, etc. Editing is exhausting. The equivalent of multiple drafts of written work. All my best to you!
@@LeafbyLeaf thanks man. Yeah I get that. I could never do these videos without writing out what I'm going to say first. One of the reasons I'm doing this is to exercise my love for writing. I really appreciate your sub and correspondence!
Thank you! Greetings from Norway
Hej hej!
Over the past year, the name of Jon Fosse seems to keep coming up again and again in my endless research on what i call "Western Canon, Part Two". I guess it's time to spend some time with his works.
Did you read Holzfällen-Woodcutters? Fosse's use of repetition you mentioned is making me think of Thomas Bernhard's- but probably the similarities stop there . . . .
I still have yet to read Woodcutters. Really, I've only read The Loser. Amazing book, that. I need to get Bernhard on the channel. Tell me more about this research you've been doing.
@@LeafbyLeaf oh, i mean exactly what i wrote: which writers should be included in a potential second part of Bloom's Western Canon? Truth be told, sometimes i think it's time to give up, but your channel is of great help and your enthusiasm and passion for literature is strongly motivating me to keep searching- although, admittedly, it's hard to find Great Authors born from the 1970s onwards. Are we still carrying the fire?
In parallel with that, since at the moment i'm stationed in Asia, i keep dreaming (sometimes quite literally) of an Eastern Canon, as well. . . .
Have you read Demons by Dostoevsky? I'm not sure if I should read it or just go straight to Brothers Karamazov.
I think I've read all of Dostoyevsky's work in English. For what it's worth, I started with C&P and BK. Of course, I can understand not wanting to commit to those longer works right off the bat. Take a toe-dip into his prose and see how you like it. There are not rules!
@@LeafbyLeaf Thanka for answering! The thing is I've already read notes from Underground and C&P and liked them. But I'm not sure if Demons depicts new themes and if it's really worth going through.
Its been a long time since I commented. Is there a Leaf by Leaf Discord?
Not that I know of. :)
For someone who works in the IT field, I'm woefully behind the times, it seems.
Excellent
Thanks, Rick!
Do you mention how you came across this one in your video? 🤔 🧐…. Dalkey Archive 📚 that’s the publishing company that did Flan O’Briens, “the third policemen?” Kafka-esque t shirt? I must admit I don’t get it. 🤨=definition of Kafkaesque 📖
Hey, James! I came across Jon Fosse by reading Karl Ove Knausgård. Talked to a friend who has read most of Fosse and asked where to start. He said Trilogy. Yep, Dalkey brought us Flann O’Brien, and the press has been resurrected by Deep Vellum. Kafkaesque describes anything that has the strange, nightmarish feel that his writing does. This t-shirt celebrates Kafka’s best known story The Metamorphosis.
Man, are you in for a treat with Septology. Much of the same writing style, just more existential and suggestive.
Sounds delicious!
Hi, Chris! This trilogy seems awesome. I'm rushing to buy it on Amazon! Thank you very much for your advice! Ps. Your t-shirt is amazing!
Grazie grazie! Do you have any option other than Amazon? 😁
The T-shirt is available at www.outofprint.com - it’s one of my favorites!
@@LeafbyLeaf thank you very much!!
A rather unfair question perhaps but based on your reading, if you could only recommend one author - Fosse or Cartarescu?
(I understand the answer to this is "impossible")😄
Now that I’ve read _Solenoid_ I can firmly say Cartarescu. But it must be stated that Fosse and Cartarescu, to me, are engaged in two totally different literary endeavors. 😁
@@LeafbyLeaf That’s fair, thank you so much for being so sporting about it.
[My choice is Cartarescu as well, I wish I could read Romanian - that is how much Solenoid moved me. Huge huge praise for Sean Cotter and Deep Vellum Press for doing this 🙏🏽]
I have being asking people this question but I am not getting any answers. At all. Please help. I have read Septology and I rather enjoyed it. Not so much the christian parts. My question is: are the other books by Fosse so full of christian parts as Septology is ?
Nobel Prize
Woohoo!
gm
Good morning!
@@LeafbyLeaf Great review. Fosse is truly one of the great talents of European arts & letters. Have you read A Bended Circuity by Robert S. Stickley and published by Corona Samizdat? Really enjoyed your review of America and the Cult of the Cactus Boots by the same press and really hope you could review this exceptional novel as well. Highly recommended.
@Sunny Cheong - I am in touch with the author and plan to read his book in its forthcoming new edition next year!
I managed to read about 100 pages of it and to be honest: I don´t like it at all. It doesn´t touch me in any way, neither the language, nor the story or the melody of his wrtiting. Incredibly boring.
I could definitely see that. Perhaps, one day, something you read will bubble up and catch your fancy. If not, well, there are plenty of books out there. Cheers!
@@LeafbyLeaf True that. Cheers, mate!