Already on the first page of “Night School”, the main character tells that he intends to take his own life. He is in deep sorrow. Lonely. Everything seems hopeless. Dark. Nevertheless, he will try to tell. What has happened? Why is he so despondent? Interest is effectively piqued. The story that answers the question makes up the largest part of Karl Ove Knausgård’s newest novel. It is a good book. Also in Knausgård scale. The “Knausgård” “Night School” is actually a good place to start for anyone who has not read Knausgård before. The book deals with many interesting themes that have been important in the authorship right from the start: Interest in death. For art. Thoughts about the family you were born into, and about the family itself. The course of history. The mysterious, inexplicable, perhaps divine – measured against knowledge, facts, science. CAN STAND FOR ITSELF: “Night School” is the fourth volume in the “Morgenstjerne” series, which started with “Morgenstjernen” in 2020, which he held in his hands in the picture. But the book can easily be read independently, because it is only the themes – death, art and the occult – that bind them together. Not the personal gallery or the environment. Photo: Johan Bull / news What works better here than in several other of Knausgård’s many books is that in “Night School” he also tells an interesting story. Here, none of the often a little too dry, theory-heavy passages. At the same time, “Night School” shows what is “typically Knausgården” in the writing style: the wealth of words. The detailed descriptions of everyday things. Knausgård writes about major themes. But he also writes about how a good cup of coffee should be prepared. About what the foliage in a park looks like. The big mixes with the small, in “Night School” as in all his books. It may require patience, but it also gives a lot. That’s life. Such is the weekday. Young artist After the short introduction where the narrator says that he wants to die, we jump back in time. It will be about the artist as a young man. The year is 1985. Kristian is twenty years old and attends photography school in London. He is a mediocre student. Neither the teachers nor the fellow students are impressed by the photograph the Norwegian takes. That does not prevent Kristian from having big, grandiose thoughts about himself and his art. A little because he is young and immature. Just as much because he doesn’t exactly excel with self-awareness in general. Kristian has a tendency to place himself in the centre, and to a small extent see what others are struggling with. Right here – in the discrepancy between how Kristian sees himself, and how the reader perceives him – small glimpses of humor also arise. Unusual for Knausgård, and small glimmers of light in what is otherwise a dark theme. “Min kamp” consists of six books and can be briefly summed up with the word broccoli. Get to know the book series effectively in just four minutes: The Myth of Faustus One of the few people Kristian meets in London is a mysterious guy who introduces him to the author Christopher Marlowe (1564-1593). Marlowe was part of a group that was later called The School of Night. The poets and scientists in this group were atheists and occultists, which means that they were interested in mysterious and unknown forces in nature and in humans, but were skeptical of Christian teachings. Also in the “Night School” Knausgård describes, mysterious and unknown forces are central. Marlowe is also important because he wrote the play “Doctor Faustus”, which is a clear red thread throughout the novel. It is about a man who sells his soul to the Devil, in exchange for knowledge, power and wealth. The myth of Faustus colors “The Night School” in ways that become increasingly clear throughout the nearly 500 pages. Sudden death A sudden and violent death becomes a drastic turning point for Kristian. Not only does he have to think about guilt and responsibility. He also, in an inexplicable and strange way, becomes a better artist from the dramatic things he experiences. How did it happen, asks the novel. What exactly makes one photograph art, and another absolutely not? Solid red thread Kristian bases a lot on such questions, as Knausgård does in many of his books. What elevates “Night School” is that this time the question is explored through a story with good dramatic drive that shows what they are actually about. Rissa Knausgård gives of London in the 1980s and other places at other times, are fine. This is also a novel with a clear soundtrack, where the music also helps to say something about Kristian as a type. As is often the case with Knausgård, there may be too many words at times. But it is easy to forgive, when the common thread throughout the novel is clearer and stronger than he often lets on. “Night School” is a dark story about the artist as a young – and gradually mature – man. The book shows what life costs. And for what it’s worth. news reviews Illustration: Forlaget oktober Title: “Night School” Author: Karl Ove Knausgård Series: “Morgenstjernen” Number of pages: 484 Publisher: Forlaget oktober Published: 20 October 2023 ISBN: 9788249526963 Hi! I am a literary critic at news, with a particular interest in Norwegian and translated fiction. Feel free to read my message about the historical novels “Xiania” by Lotta Elstad and “Skråpånatta” by Lars Mytting, or “Unwanted behavior” by Olaug Nilssen. Feel free to write to me! The address is [email protected]
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“The Night School” by Karl Ove Knausgård – Reviews and recommendations
