Lillelord

Lillelord #1

by Johan Borgen

In Lillelord, Norway’s contemporary master Johan Borgen (1902-79) demonstrates his belief that our lives tend toward schizophrenia. Wilfred Sagen at fourteen is still a perfectly turned out, impeccably behaved "Little Lord Fauntleroy" to his family, but to his teachers he is a disruptive enigma and, to a pack of Oslo street urchins, an instigator of crime. In his often desperate search for emotional integration, Wilfred is hampered by an acute and introspective intelligence which only compounds his normal adolescent anxieties. Painfully aware of the split in his own personality, Wilfred longs for wholeness and harmony (personified by the young Jewish violinist, Miriam), but is torn by guilt and the realization that he cannot control either himself or the world.


By the time of his death, Johan Borgen was acclaimed as one of the major figures in twentieth-century Scandinavian literature. He is best known for his Lillelord Trilogy, which deals with the moral and physical degeneration of Wilfred Sagen over three decades. For Borgen, Wilfred’s loss of innocence and fractured existence had their counterparts in the cultural shock experienced by all of Norway through two world wars, the Nazi occupation, and explosive technological change. This English-language edition of Lillelord (1955), the first volume of the Lillelord Trilogy, has been translated by Elizabeth Brown Moen (in Oslo) and Ronald E. Peterson (at Occidental College in Los Angeles). Mr. Peterson has also edited the volume and provided an informative introduction.

Genres: Fiction, Classics, Novels, Scandinavian Literature, Historical Fiction, Childrens, Roman

322 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 1955

About the author

Norwegian author, journalist and critic. He was married to Annemarta Borgen. Under the pseudonym of Mumle Gåsegg (Mumble Goose-egg) he wrote shorter articles in the newspaper Dagbladet, particularly during World War II. His articles were ironic and derogatory of the Nazi government, and he kept this up for a long time before being found out. In the end though, he was caught and sent to the prison camp Grini. His best known work is the novel Lillelord (1955). Borgen was editor of the literary magazine Vinduet ("The Window") 1954-1959.

Reviews

[Jonathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This unjustly buried novel was published in 1955 and is considered Borgen's major work. We are firmly in the tradition of the bildungsroman here, with our young protagonist living in a bourgeois home in the 1910s in Oslo. Wilfred is a disturbed and disturbing little boy, damaged by his missing father, by what can only be described as a kind of bipolar disorder/schizophrenia, and by all the usual erotic tsunamis of puberty.

Much is made of the resonance between the bifurcation of Wilfred's psyche and of the dark and light sides of Old Christiania. Wilfred sneaks down to Grunerløkka, the poor district, dazzling street urchins with his electric torch and leading them to petty crimes. Little Lord learns to play roles, to withdraw into himself and observe, learns how easy it is to deceive and how prevalent such behavior is in the adult world. His façade of formal perfection hides his life of transgression and self hatred, a conflict which bubbles over into despair and moments of breakdown.

However, what really marks this book out as special is the quality of the prose (and the quality of the translation). Not a false note in it, and wonderfully evocative it is too.

Apparently it is a "set text" in Norway (can any of my Norwegian GR friends confirm this?) but, as is often the case with books forced on the young, much more sophisticated and nuanced than that may lead you to expect.

This novel is the first in a trilogy, and the rest have sadly not been translated. In the second volume, The dark sources(1956), Wilfred pops up in the war's final year, apparently still as charming and equally disturbing. The final book, We've got him now (1957), takes a leap forward in time from the first inter-war years to the last six months of the occupation. I can only hope someone translates these in my lifetime…

Heartily recommended.

[Andrius Ledas · Rating 5 out of 5]

If I ever was to choose a literary genius that went largely unnoticed he would be Johan Borgen. No other book so brilliantly explores the angels and demons each man has; perhaps only Kobo Abe in his "The Face of Another" was able to go so deeply into the destruction of the human soul caused by permanent pretending.

[Borealis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Now one of my all-time favorites, this book was a delightful surprise by an author I was unfamiliar with before. Lillelord is a poignant character study and at the same time a glimpse of Oslo, then still Christiania, on the threshold of WW I. Borgen's exploration of the human psyche and motivations are reminiscent of Zweig, except even more satisfying in a way I cannot quite pinpoint.

[Eileen Sainsbury · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is probably the fifth time I read this book (in Norwegian). It is just one of my all time favourites! Each time I find something new - it's quite amazing. And I never get tired of it.

[Sam · Rating 5 out of 5]

“[...] you surround the boy with an atmosphere of unreality, of longing for pleasure, yes, you'll have to forgive me now that I've gotten going; but the fact is that everyone loves him, we all think he's charming and gifted—and each and every one of us likes him because of our own special predispositions, but never just because he's Wilfred. One is almost tempted to ask: where is the boy himself, where is Wilfred beneath all this contenment, all this pleasure, these perfect social manners and the ability to adapt? Where is he? What is he? And what is perhaps more important: what will he be fit for?”

[Astrid Mordal Løvik · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐️

[Nils Stieng · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bokstavelig talt meg

[Maja Kåvik · Rating 5 out of 5]

Overaskende bra! Likte den veldig godt. Den var morsom og vittig og Wilfred er en morsom finuelig kar. Annbefales sterkt

[Dramatika · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing book! I wonder why it isn't more widely read. I think there are many levels here, more hidden meanings that I'm not ready to analyze yet. The incredible story of the boy leading essentually a double life. What led him to become that way? Strange circumstances surrounding the death of his father, his wonderful family themselves leading exceptional lives of the prosperous middle class all adds to the mystery of his perverted personality. Everybody lives several lives, playing different personas to some extent, at work, at home, with friends. Yet this is beyound the usual friendly open man changing to sour angry one at home. Wilfred probably was a sensitive boy growing up, who felt the false civility and pretentiousness of the social manners too much not to leave a disturbing effect. The story of the psyche that grew too conflicted and distorted, all with background of changes in Europe with the looming war ahead.

[Kitty Red-Eye · Rating 4 out of 5]

Litt langdryg i noen deler, men bortsett fra det helt forjævlig bra. Av en eller annen grunn leste vi aldri denne på skolen, kanskje like greit, jeg ville nok ikke skjønt særlig mye av boka da (om jeg gjør det nå er jo også et spørsmål!).

Antihelt-bok. Ganske koko, Lillelord. Ikke gjennomført ond, selv om jeg en god stund trodde det. Kapitlene tror jeg er cirka annenhvert «kjedelig» (introspeksjon, lange utledninger, halvkvedne viser) og action (spoilers! Men - ran, livredning, flysport, sex, død og grise-grise-grisebank, kan jeg vel si uten å være redd for å ødelegge for noen). Jeg likte kapitlene med action best, de var tidvis skikkelig spennende, og alltid særdeles godt skrevet. Introspeksjonen ble litt i meste laget, men det er en studie i Lillelord. Ta det som det er, for det er verdt det.

[Anne-Linn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had to read the first novel of the trilogy in my Norwegian class, and it's a very intriguing book about the young boy Lillelord, who is being raised by a single mother in the rich area of Oslo during the First World War. His life and childhood is developed in the first book, and offers quite a few surprises and develops Lillelord into a boy you love to hate.

[Miriam Eirin · Rating 5 out of 5]

deilig å lese om noen som er mer crazay enn en selv

[Kobe Bryant · Rating 3 out of 5]

You can't just make a child be really gifted and advanced so you can write him like an adult. Ahhhhh!!!

[Hans Markus · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book. It lays the foundation for good reflections about superficiality, psychology and human relations. Wilfred Sagen, nicknamed "Lillelord" by his mother, grows up in an Norwegian upper class home in the 1910's. Wilfred is a talented boy and does well both in school and with the piano. However, the upper class world in which Wilfred finds himself is both boring and superficial. Boring because Wilfred's life seems predestined; an endless cycle of dinner parties, small talk about this and that and avoid treading on anyone's toes; all encapsulated by his family's expectations towards him. This leads us in to into the superficial part of Wilfred's world, or rather the superficial relation between Wilfred and his family. You see, there is a code of conduct in a upper class 1910's Norwegian home. According to this everyone should pretend everything is perfectly fine at all time, one does not bring up unpleasant topics and everyone should be talented, if not in everything at least in something.

Everyone notices that Wilfred succeed in this world, but it is, however, a world in which the real Wilfred goes unnoticed. Even though Wilfred gets lots of compliments for his success, it's all a theater in which everyone plays the roles that is expected of them. No one, not even his own mother, knows, cares or notices the real Wilfred, or asks him what he really wants. This drives Wilfred to live in to worlds; the one his family expect he to live in, and one far more adventurous. In the latter, Wilfred goes with the boys on the eastern part of Oslo to rob a Tobacco shop and he hides in school to drink; he wants to see how far he can push the boundaries for his family to notice the real Wilfred. It's only a matter of time until the two worlds collide, and believe me they do.

[Terje · Rating 3 out of 5]

[3.5/5.0]

Lydbok, Cappelen 2012, lest av Ola B. Johannesen, Operasjon Hjernerystelse.

En psykologisk og eksistensiell roman fra den øvre delen av overklassen i Kristiania, i tida rett før første verdenskrig.

Wilfred Sagen er en utilpass vestkantgutt som strever med å finne identiteten sin i et strengt inndelt klassesamfunn der alle må spille rollen sin riktig. Borgen viser tydelig, ofte overtydelig, Wilfreds skadde psyke og kontrollerende væremåte. Mye av boka foregår i Wilfreds hode, der han og forfatteren psykoanalyserer ham til det kjedsommelige. Det blir litt for mye forklare istedenfor å vise.

Historien er allikevel spennende, og Borgens språk er flott. Spesielt avsnittene der Wilfred er hardt ute å kjøre, enten som følge av av nedkjøling, fyll eller stump vold, blir fortalt på en intens og engasjerende måte. Karakterene virker levende og ekte.

Innleser er Ola B. Johannesen. Han leser bra med god innlevelse. Dessverre lider lydboka av usedvanlig dårlig og varierende lydkvalitet. Noen ganger er det vanskelig å høre hva som blir lest. Dette gjelder både utgaven hos Nextory og BookBeat.

[Helen Hagon · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was mentioned in a different book that I was translating, and I wanted to find out more about it. It is an impeccably crafted, competently translated (it was originally written in Norwegian), and profound character study of Wilfred, an adolescent boy who is fascinated by his inner self. He pushes himself in order to find his emotional limits and tries to keep the two halves of his personality separate – his public self and his secret self – but they occasionally drift together and collide with disastrous consequences. It is also interesting on a historical level, as the approaching first world war provides a backdrop to the rest of the story.
Wilfred is intriguing, but I didn’t find him endearing, and on many occasions I wanted to tell his mother to open her eyes and try to understand her son a little better. For that reason, I found it a frustrating, perhaps even disturbing read, but I would imagine the author didn't intend it for relaxing light reading. It is meant to be uncomfortable, elicit reactions and give pause for thought.

[Torstein · Rating 3 out of 5]

Boken følger de tidlige etappene i livet til Wilfred, en lynende intelligent oslogutt av god herkomst. Leseren blir innvidd i Wilfreds utallige intriger og hans indre monologer. Mange av momentene i boken kommer igjen mot slutten i en forvirret beruselse/drømmetilstand uten den helt klare sammenheng eller betydningen skinner igjennom, som får det til å virke mer som en teknisk øvelse i skrivekunsten heller enn noe verdt videre ettertanke, som når en skriver et vers kun for rimets skyld.

Alt i alt en godt skrevet klassiker med et språk som fortsatt er mulig å lese. Den inneholder sex, vold og til tider en del spenning, samt mange stedskildringer fra et Oslo på tidlig 1900 tallet, men når jeg tenker tilbake på scener fra boken, er de dessverre alle grå og støvete i erindringen.

[Ida · Rating 3 out of 5]

Johan Borgen skriver godt, men Lillelord treffer meg ikke så godt som jeg håpet. Jeg liker rett og slett ingen i boka, ingen av karakterene er spesielt sympatiske eller likanes, og mulig at det er jeg som er treig, men jeg skulle gjerne hatt mer om faren til Lillelord. Mer tydelig. Det gjelder for så vidt hele boka. Jeg får følelsen av å ikke henge helt med, som kanskje er meningen med tanke på Lillelords psykiske sykdom. Jeg var heller ikke forberedt på bokens siste del, hvor det nesten blir på grensa til surrealistisk (uten å faktisk være det), hvor dette utfolder seg.

Jaja, kanskje roman-Borgen ikke er helt min greie. Novellene hans har jeg likt godt, det lille jeg har lest. Tror ikke jeg kommer til å lese mer om Lillelord.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had this book on my shelf for years and just read it, finally. By a Norwegian author with whom I was unfamiliar - though very well known in Norway none of his other books appear to have been translated into English. Lillelord is a spoiled boy from a wealthy family - he has barely any memories of his father who died when he was quite young. This is a beautifully written and engaging novel - we even have Freud turning up briefly. I would have liked to read the following two volumes of this trilogy but apparently not available in English.

[K · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lillelord is the story of a young boy/teenager in early 19th century Norway, who is growing up coddled by his mother, and mostly misunderstood and indulged by others due to his class. The author spends much time on Lillelord's psychology and apparent mental health issues in what seems to be an attempt to generalize all these as a intrinsic part of each human. Sadly, the result is overindulgent, and Lillelord becomes a manipulative and unlikeable character.

[Kristine Rustand · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ikke helt min type bok, men interessant konsept med tanke på tiden boken ble skrevet i. Mye fokus på psykisk helse og en gutt som sliter med å passe inn i en verden uten faren sin. En veldig kontrast mellom det som foregår inni hodet til hovedpersonen, det han tror han lar andre se og det som faktisk oppfattes av dem rundt ham. Kommer nok ikke til å lese de to neste bøkene grunnet skrivestilen, som ikke faller i smak hos meg personlig, men kan være interessant for andre.

[Dorthe Svendsen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Leseutfordringen 200årpå12bøker fra Deichman Torshov er nå kommet til 50-tallet og da tenkte jeg at jeg skulle få inn litt Lillelord. Har foreløpig lest bare bok en i serien, og den likte jeg godt. Driver å lurer litt på om andre bøker kan ha hatt den i mente når de ble skrevet, for det er en del kjente settinger fra nyere tekster. Spennende å få komme inn i tankene til en gutt som vokser opp på denne måten.

[Karoline · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hadde høye forhåpninger til denne "klassikeren", men den var virkelig ikke noe for meg! Jeg fordrar ikke å lese bøker eller se historier hvor du ikke får det minste senv av empati for karskteren. Selvmedlidende karakterer er det kjedeligste jeg vet om, og det var det eneste boka hadde å by på. Gikk ikke hjem her med andre ord.

[Anne Marte Jordet Stensrud · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wilfred Sagen, med kallenavnet Lillelord, har et spaltet sinn og en borgerlig fasade. Han er kompleks og usympatisk, men likevel vekker han innlevelse. Romanen er skrevet med en tredjepersonsforteller som går inn i hovedpersonens tanker og følelser. Romanen har psykologisk lag av manipulasjon, løgner, begjær, fryd, skam, instinkt og grensetesting. Lillelord er en intelligent gutt som også virker understimulert i sin jakt etter råskap og spenning. Særlig likte jeg Lillelords besøk på Grünerløkka med en skildring av forskjeller mellom øst og vest i Oslo tidlig på 1900-tallet. I tillegg tilfører Lillelords relasjon til tante Kristine et spennende lag til romanen.

[Trond · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lillelord/Wilfred er ein interessant figur å lesa om, og Borgen skriv godt. Eg var ikkje så glad i dei passasjane som stort sett gjekk føre seg i hovudet hans, men dei var ikkje så mange, og resten var spennande og jamt bra.

[Olaf Alexander Styrmoe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Merkelig, men interessant

[Kristin]

Husker ikke denne godt nok til å evaluere den. Lenge siden jeg leste den.

[Tine Sundal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Medrivende oppvekstskildring med samfunnskritikk

[b · Rating 2 out of 5]

little freakazoid

[Eddaoe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bra bok! Jeg liker veldig godt at den blander mellom psykologiske skildringer, samtidig som det skjer mye på et makronivå.