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Rövarna i Skuleskogen
Han heter Skörd och han kommer från skogen. Är han en människa? Knappast. En del använder ett annat ord, ett som han inte tycker om. Han vandrar långt under sin levnad och ser andra länder och folk. Men han kommer alltid tillbaka till skogen under Skuleberget. Långa tider hör han till rövarbandet. Han lever fort och, ibland ont och han råkar mycket illa ut. Stegar brakar, åskan slår ner, hus brinner upp. Skörd blir hängd upp och ner i ena foten. Själv säger han att det finns två slags äventyr i världen. Han påstår sig föredra den andra och mer tankeväckande sorten. Den som försiggår i andens och tankens världar. Han påstår också att han har gjort guld. Och till Xenia, den bortförda och bittert främmande, säger han: - Jag vill hellre dö än skiljas från dig. Då har han fått en själ. Finns det själar? Ja. Själar är som målar i kärret om sommarnatten. Hittar de en kropp att bo i så lyser de upp den inifrån som palten i en hornlykta. Skörds själ hittar honom till slut. Då har han levt i femhundra år ? bland människor.
434 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1988
42 people are currently reading
1482 people want to read
About the author
Kerstin Ekman
58 books259 followersKerstin Lillemor Ekman is a Swedish novelist.
She began her career with a string of successful detective novels (among others De tre små mästarna ("The Three Little Masters") and Dödsklockan ("The Death Clock")) but later went on to persue psychological and social themes. Among her later works are Mörker och blåbärsris ("Darkness and Blueberries"), set in northern Sweden, and Händelser vid vatten (translated as Blackwater), in which she returned to the form of the detective novel.
Ekman was elected a member of the Swedish Academy in 1978, but left the Academy in 1989, together with Lars Gyllensten and Werner Aspenström, due to the debate following death threats posed to Salman Rushdie. According to the rules of the Academy, however, she will remain a passive member for the entirety of her life.
She began her career with a string of successful detective novels (among others De tre små mästarna ("The Three Little Masters") and Dödsklockan ("The Death Clock")) but later went on to persue psychological and social themes. Among her later works are Mörker och blåbärsris ("Darkness and Blueberries"), set in northern Sweden, and Händelser vid vatten (translated as Blackwater), in which she returned to the form of the detective novel.
Ekman was elected a member of the Swedish Academy in 1978, but left the Academy in 1989, together with Lars Gyllensten and Werner Aspenström, due to the debate following death threats posed to Salman Rushdie. According to the rules of the Academy, however, she will remain a passive member for the entirety of her life.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 52 reviews
April 21, 2014
It was a scrawny little troll, unknowing and guileless, and not much given to thinking at all. There was little more than fluttering, like the wings of jays, going on under that tussock of hair.
Skord is a creature of the forest – not a troll as I thought of trolls, and not very fantastic except that he has the gift, shaman-wise, of sending his consciousness into other beings (which he does by habit just for the trip), and he lives for the five hundred years of the novel. There are giants in the forest too: these are slow-lived and eon-slow of thought. Like Skord, they are more likely to be victims of humans, as humans develop from medieval to the industrial age. The forest is that of Sweden’s wild Skule, and as much a presence in the book as the sea in Moby Dick – both the real-as-real depiction and getting metaphysical about it too.
Skord, who cannot help but mimic what he hears and sees, learns from humans, interacts with them and slips into their world. This is the story of his knowledge gained of that world, his corruption by it, his possible escape from it and salvation? It’s the alien eye turned on us and on our history. The book is dark and grim, with gentle gleams. Skord is more acted upon than acting; he witnesses how strange we are, without any concern to judge us – he can be disturbingly detached, at our abysmal behaviour. Yet it is his empathy with vulnerable things, often animals or children, lives he can identify with, that is his grace. I experienced this as an anti-human book. Whether it is or not I don’t know, it remains enigmatic to me. It is a creatures’ book, however.
It has been translated into drop-dead gorgeous English. The translator, Anna Paterson, must have brought such art to it herself, even if the Swedish is this lovely.
In the end it may be too dark for me or for my comfort, but after two reads now this has got to be one of my most-admired books, certainly of recent ones. The woman is a genius. I’ll have to try her crime novel, Blackwater, that is above and beyond your usual crime novel, they say. Alas with a different translator, but again, a remote forest setting.
#
Review when I'm competent. But they can bury me with this one.
Skord is a creature of the forest – not a troll as I thought of trolls, and not very fantastic except that he has the gift, shaman-wise, of sending his consciousness into other beings (which he does by habit just for the trip), and he lives for the five hundred years of the novel. There are giants in the forest too: these are slow-lived and eon-slow of thought. Like Skord, they are more likely to be victims of humans, as humans develop from medieval to the industrial age. The forest is that of Sweden’s wild Skule, and as much a presence in the book as the sea in Moby Dick – both the real-as-real depiction and getting metaphysical about it too.
Skord, who cannot help but mimic what he hears and sees, learns from humans, interacts with them and slips into their world. This is the story of his knowledge gained of that world, his corruption by it, his possible escape from it and salvation? It’s the alien eye turned on us and on our history. The book is dark and grim, with gentle gleams. Skord is more acted upon than acting; he witnesses how strange we are, without any concern to judge us – he can be disturbingly detached, at our abysmal behaviour. Yet it is his empathy with vulnerable things, often animals or children, lives he can identify with, that is his grace. I experienced this as an anti-human book. Whether it is or not I don’t know, it remains enigmatic to me. It is a creatures’ book, however.
It has been translated into drop-dead gorgeous English. The translator, Anna Paterson, must have brought such art to it herself, even if the Swedish is this lovely.
In the end it may be too dark for me or for my comfort, but after two reads now this has got to be one of my most-admired books, certainly of recent ones. The woman is a genius. I’ll have to try her crime novel, Blackwater, that is above and beyond your usual crime novel, they say. Alas with a different translator, but again, a remote forest setting.
#
Review when I'm competent. But they can bury me with this one.
October 17, 2016
Very engaging start & before you know it yer near 100 pages in & totally absorbed by the ruminations of a Troll, called Skord, about the humans he encounters on his wanderings in the forest & their peculiarities and abuses of nature/humans. Its very cleverly written & as ive said engaging as you view us (destructive) humans through the ages.
The tale starts in the dark ages with man having basic shelter then swiftly into a feudal age at a time when Christianity is beginning to evolve & take hold in the region. During this period humans interact with Skord, a mystical Troll like creature which is oft mistook for a small unkempt child, treated as such, to be misused & abused by adults. At first Skord is very much of the forest & the life therein but over the period he begins to befriend certain humans, mostly children as they treat him as an equal & he learns the ways, peculiarities & language of humans. Its this initial contact & interaction I enjoyed the most, the ideas/concepts are brilliantly related, the writing flows & the story enchanting in its telling. You learn about the period too through the eyes of the people he encounters, be it peasant, Lord, priest or bandit & it all adds to the story. This part of the story is a clear 5 stars.
In the middle ages (Alchemy) when he resides in the towns/cities, Skord has outgrown his wild youth & his nature changes as innocence is lost, shown through his actions & dedication to the development of science....... the simple life that Skord has come from has been forgotten, the forest & nature left far behind. Then comes the age of Musket, Cannon & imperial warfare, the story is interesting in a historical fiction content but it’s no longer playful as the younger Skord was with his ruminations, in fact at times its very dark & brutal...... the later stages (late 1800’s) sees a more philosophical read & truth be told I was a little bored at times by this stage as the action had dissipated & although the writing was still clever I did find it a little hard to follow..... far too clever for the likes of me perhaps.
But thats the story of a life span isn’t it....? The youthful innocence of play, the adolescent trying to find his way, the wild adventures of a confident immortal young man, a committed middle aged professional, a reflective & philosophical old man who reminisces about his lost childhood...... this is what I believe I have read about (in conjunction with mans destructive nature) coming to the end of this book, all as seen & lived through the eyes of a Forest Troll. It’s definitely a book to make you think as it changes its tact throughout. In a ways its also a collection of small stories told through one character but at different stages of his development as well as different times in our history. Beautifully crafted & for the most part I was engaged although at times it did loose me in terms of attention span as well as intellectually especially in the later quarter.........
Recommended for those who want to try something thought provoking & a little deeper, I think you will be surprised by this, delightfully so.
A difficult book to grade as It did scale of for me as the book wore on but I still would finish it with a 3.5 marks rounded upto 4
The tale starts in the dark ages with man having basic shelter then swiftly into a feudal age at a time when Christianity is beginning to evolve & take hold in the region. During this period humans interact with Skord, a mystical Troll like creature which is oft mistook for a small unkempt child, treated as such, to be misused & abused by adults. At first Skord is very much of the forest & the life therein but over the period he begins to befriend certain humans, mostly children as they treat him as an equal & he learns the ways, peculiarities & language of humans. Its this initial contact & interaction I enjoyed the most, the ideas/concepts are brilliantly related, the writing flows & the story enchanting in its telling. You learn about the period too through the eyes of the people he encounters, be it peasant, Lord, priest or bandit & it all adds to the story. This part of the story is a clear 5 stars.
In the middle ages (Alchemy) when he resides in the towns/cities, Skord has outgrown his wild youth & his nature changes as innocence is lost, shown through his actions & dedication to the development of science....... the simple life that Skord has come from has been forgotten, the forest & nature left far behind. Then comes the age of Musket, Cannon & imperial warfare, the story is interesting in a historical fiction content but it’s no longer playful as the younger Skord was with his ruminations, in fact at times its very dark & brutal...... the later stages (late 1800’s) sees a more philosophical read & truth be told I was a little bored at times by this stage as the action had dissipated & although the writing was still clever I did find it a little hard to follow..... far too clever for the likes of me perhaps.
But thats the story of a life span isn’t it....? The youthful innocence of play, the adolescent trying to find his way, the wild adventures of a confident immortal young man, a committed middle aged professional, a reflective & philosophical old man who reminisces about his lost childhood...... this is what I believe I have read about (in conjunction with mans destructive nature) coming to the end of this book, all as seen & lived through the eyes of a Forest Troll. It’s definitely a book to make you think as it changes its tact throughout. In a ways its also a collection of small stories told through one character but at different stages of his development as well as different times in our history. Beautifully crafted & for the most part I was engaged although at times it did loose me in terms of attention span as well as intellectually especially in the later quarter.........
Recommended for those who want to try something thought provoking & a little deeper, I think you will be surprised by this, delightfully so.
A difficult book to grade as It did scale of for me as the book wore on but I still would finish it with a 3.5 marks rounded upto 4
May 11, 2014
This book leaves white hot trails over my soul. I love it. Having read it in both Swedish and English, I must say that the English translation is a masterpiece!
September 7, 2011
I have no complaints. This is beautiful and thought provoking all the way through. The use of scandinavian mythology intertwined with historically accurate medival scandinavia so well, that I would personally call this a historical fiction as much as a fantasy. Though the story spans from the medival to the top-hat and steam engine times, no part of the historical facts were mundane. Forests feature strongly and the writing is so rich and sense awakening that I feel like I've visited all those places myself.
I look forward to reading other works by this author.
February 26, 2008
Kind of like "Pilgrim" in that this book follows the main character through decades of life in the northern lands of Europe. Historical research must be a favourite past-time of Kerstin, because the detail is amazing. The main character is weird, enlightening, debased, motivated, cruel, loving, intelligent and, above all, chilling. It is a HUGE philosophical pondering on living culture and ancestral imagination and mythology. Crazy shit. If you can get past the "fantasy" aspects of the story, its a rewarding look at philosophy, space/time, and subjective human experience.
That's me, trying to intellectualise an entertaining read.
That's me, trying to intellectualise an entertaining read.
June 24, 2024
Det är 20 år sedan jag läste den här boken, och trots att mitt minne av den hade vissa frågetecken (och en rad minnesluckor gjort mig osäker) - inser jag att den är lysande. Höjer till 5 stjärnor!
Även om det går att läsa den som ett sagoäventyr, med trollet Skord som huvudperson, en nästan odödlig shamanliknande figur, så är Ekmans text som alltid en lök att skala lager för lager. Mångtydig, full av filosofiska tanketrådar, men lika mycket en lek, med tendenser till skröna.
Efter att under 1970-talet fram till 1983, ha fördjupat sig i de fyra romanerna om 'Kvinnorna och Staden', kvinnors väg från 1800-talets patriarkat via järnvägen in i modernismen fram till New Age-psykologi, tycks hon här ha gått varvet helt runt, och i 'Rövarna i Skuleskogen' återgått till naturen, den stora Ångermanländska skogen, gränslandet mellan Natur & Civilisation, frågar sig vad en Människa är, hur stor betydelse språk, ord, namn, bilder, Tidsuppfattning, har för en mänsklig livskänsla. Var går gränsen mellan djur och människa?
Det är verkligen en huvudstupa djupdykning i naturen, som börjar långt bort i den mörka medeltid, men som snart fastnar i mörkt våld och hierarkier, en civilisation framburen av kvinnors pannkakor och männens alkemiska filosoferande för att skapa sig rikedom och ställning. Men allt är nedbäddat i en allerstädes närvarande natur, växter och djur, som människorna tar steg på steg bort ifrån, fram till tidigt 1800-tal med politikernas dröm om järnrälsvägar.
Där dyker även en skröna upp om hur ryska trupper kan transporteras till Sverige under havet! Enligt politikern redan verklighet (1860-tal?) - Är du säker på att det inte är 'sälar' de sett??!
Nå, romanen är främst en lyrisk djupdykning ner i naturkänslan, utan att någonsin bli romantisk. En pikaresk genom svensk historia, men där texten är fylld av växter, och djur. Naturen är evigt liv, själslig - men människor skiljer ut sig, namnger allt omkring sig. Medan Naturen andas långsamt, rusar människan iväg. Ändå är det alltid i naturen människans strävan kommer att förmultna, och spåren suddas ut.
Men som sagt, det finns mängder av lager att lösgöra, referenser att botanisera i. Mot slutet blir även några kvinnor mer närvarande. Däribland Xenia, flickan som varit försvunnen i 12 år, bortrövad? Referenser till 'Prins Hatt under jorden' finns, vilket var på väg att gå illa, men liksom den sagan jämförs med Amor och Psyche, är det skadligt för Xenias psyke, hon riskerar att hamna på dårhuset, när hon där förlorat sin mänskliga tidskänsla och språk, och blivit mer ande, närmast djurisk.
Till skillnad från hennes relation till Skord, där hon uppnår jämlikhet. 'Xenia' är tydligen ett antikt grekiskt begrepp för et jämlika vänskapliga relationen mellan Gäst och Värd, vid utövandet av Gästfrihet, ett sorts 'Gästvänlighet' - har jag läst mig till. Så i Kerstin Ekmans texter kan man, om man vill, vara säker på att hitta gömda referenser i minsta ord-namn-händelse.
Väl värd att läsas flera gånger!
Även om det går att läsa den som ett sagoäventyr, med trollet Skord som huvudperson, en nästan odödlig shamanliknande figur, så är Ekmans text som alltid en lök att skala lager för lager. Mångtydig, full av filosofiska tanketrådar, men lika mycket en lek, med tendenser till skröna.
Efter att under 1970-talet fram till 1983, ha fördjupat sig i de fyra romanerna om 'Kvinnorna och Staden', kvinnors väg från 1800-talets patriarkat via järnvägen in i modernismen fram till New Age-psykologi, tycks hon här ha gått varvet helt runt, och i 'Rövarna i Skuleskogen' återgått till naturen, den stora Ångermanländska skogen, gränslandet mellan Natur & Civilisation, frågar sig vad en Människa är, hur stor betydelse språk, ord, namn, bilder, Tidsuppfattning, har för en mänsklig livskänsla. Var går gränsen mellan djur och människa?
Det är verkligen en huvudstupa djupdykning i naturen, som börjar långt bort i den mörka medeltid, men som snart fastnar i mörkt våld och hierarkier, en civilisation framburen av kvinnors pannkakor och männens alkemiska filosoferande för att skapa sig rikedom och ställning. Men allt är nedbäddat i en allerstädes närvarande natur, växter och djur, som människorna tar steg på steg bort ifrån, fram till tidigt 1800-tal med politikernas dröm om järnrälsvägar.
Där dyker även en skröna upp om hur ryska trupper kan transporteras till Sverige under havet! Enligt politikern redan verklighet (1860-tal?) - Är du säker på att det inte är 'sälar' de sett??!
Nå, romanen är främst en lyrisk djupdykning ner i naturkänslan, utan att någonsin bli romantisk. En pikaresk genom svensk historia, men där texten är fylld av växter, och djur. Naturen är evigt liv, själslig - men människor skiljer ut sig, namnger allt omkring sig. Medan Naturen andas långsamt, rusar människan iväg. Ändå är det alltid i naturen människans strävan kommer att förmultna, och spåren suddas ut.
Men som sagt, det finns mängder av lager att lösgöra, referenser att botanisera i. Mot slutet blir även några kvinnor mer närvarande. Däribland Xenia, flickan som varit försvunnen i 12 år, bortrövad? Referenser till 'Prins Hatt under jorden' finns, vilket var på väg att gå illa, men liksom den sagan jämförs med Amor och Psyche, är det skadligt för Xenias psyke, hon riskerar att hamna på dårhuset, när hon där förlorat sin mänskliga tidskänsla och språk, och blivit mer ande, närmast djurisk.
Till skillnad från hennes relation till Skord, där hon uppnår jämlikhet. 'Xenia' är tydligen ett antikt grekiskt begrepp för et jämlika vänskapliga relationen mellan Gäst och Värd, vid utövandet av Gästfrihet, ett sorts 'Gästvänlighet' - har jag läst mig till. Så i Kerstin Ekmans texter kan man, om man vill, vara säker på att hitta gömda referenser i minsta ord-namn-händelse.
Väl värd att läsas flera gånger!
October 11, 2011
I've read this magical, beautifully written novel nearly 20 years ago, and have reread it since several times ... the imaginative story of the troll Skord, steeped in Scandinavia's nature and history, is not an easy read, but highly recommended. Kerstin Ekman is a much acclaimed author in her homeland Sweden, and deservedly so. This book is translated as "Les brigands de la foret de Skule" in French, and as "De dwaas" in Dutch.
January 21, 2018
Tried to read and enjoy, but couldn't get in to it, so will leave and pretend we didn't meet and end so disappointingly
January 27, 2020
This is a review of the Swedish original.
Jag hade glömt hur fantastisk den här boken är! En enormt välskriven, språkligt fulländad, färgsprakande och myrdoftande berättelse om mänskligheten, sedd under sex århundraden ur trollet Skords ögon, från det att han bara är ett litet namnlöst skogsväsen utan språk och tanke, till en lärd och luttrad man, men alltid avskild från de mänskliga skeenden han trots allt befinner sig mitt uppe i. Det är något mycket tilltalande med Skord, även när han tagit till sig mänsklighetens sämre sidor, eller misslyckas med att ta till sig de bättre, kanske just för att han inte riktigt någonsin passar in, trots sin läraktighet och sitt rörliga intellekt. Han är både mer och mindre än de människor som han omges av, och han måste alltid dölja sin verkliga natur, kanske till och med för sig själv. Man kan säga att han blir till genom att tumlas i den mänskliga tillvaron, han tar form mot dess konturer, dess kanter och hålrum, tar färg av den, men lever i luckorna, gliporna däremellan.
Skords evolution under berättelsens lopp är fascinerande och hans erfarenheter av både högt och lågt ger en mångbottnad skildring av vår historia och vår skiftande mänskliga identitet. Skord rör sig bland de mest förborgade hemligheterna och de mest högstående filosoferna, men hamnar ändå med jämna mellanrum på den mänskliga bottnen, hos de eviga rövarbanden i Skuleskogen. Han driver genom sitt livsöde utan egentlig makt över det. Flera gånger försöker han fly tillbaka in i urskogen igen, men språket har fördärvat honom samtidigt som det öppnat upp honom -- det mänskliga har trängt in i honom och slagit rot, och han kan inte göra sig fri, inte hitta tillbaka till ordlösheten.
Själva läsupplevelsen är en ren njutning där Ekmans språk klingar och knastrar och målar upp allt från den ångermanländska urskogen till blodiga slagfält på kontinenten så det känns som att man är där, känner dofterna och stanken, yvs och kväljs och älskar och gråter. Det är ingen fin och upplyft bild av mänskligheten vi får genom Skords blick, men vi får ändå glimtar av storhet och godhet mitt i sörjan, själar vars ljus lyser extra starkt för Skords inre, men även sorgen över deras förgänglighet. Gång på gång lämnas han ensam, genom svek eller olycka eller sin egen livslängd. Gång på gång lämnar han också andra. Livet kokar och sprudlar, men allt dör, allt är förgängligt. Till slut även Skord själv, oundvikligt och bitterljuvt. Bara den mänskliga naturen består, och den djupa skogen under Skuleberget.
Med detta sagt, så märks det att boken är skrivet på 80-talet. Skord, så annorlunda han är, beter sig som vilken karlslok som helst när han väl uppnår mannaålder -- han insuper den patriarkala synen på kvinnor lika automatiskt som han insuper allt mänskligt, och även om han inte låter sig låsas när det gäller sexualitet så gör han det ganska rejält när det gäller könsroller. Alla kvinnor i berättelsen är antingen små helgon eller kärleksobjekt, och med ett par enstaka undantag -- den första och den sista -- mest bakgrundsgestalter utan egen karaktär eller agens. Det avsnitt som berör människor med annan hudfärg är också ganska obehagligt. Skord är en opportunist, och när han suger i sig den mänskliga kolonialismens attityder (trots sin annars ganska rebelliska själ) blir det rent osmakligt. Boken är som sagt över trettio år gammal, och idag hade man kanske velat ha lite mer diversitet och nyansering, lite mer eftertanke.
Jag hade glömt hur fantastisk den här boken är! En enormt välskriven, språkligt fulländad, färgsprakande och myrdoftande berättelse om mänskligheten, sedd under sex århundraden ur trollet Skords ögon, från det att han bara är ett litet namnlöst skogsväsen utan språk och tanke, till en lärd och luttrad man, men alltid avskild från de mänskliga skeenden han trots allt befinner sig mitt uppe i. Det är något mycket tilltalande med Skord, även när han tagit till sig mänsklighetens sämre sidor, eller misslyckas med att ta till sig de bättre, kanske just för att han inte riktigt någonsin passar in, trots sin läraktighet och sitt rörliga intellekt. Han är både mer och mindre än de människor som han omges av, och han måste alltid dölja sin verkliga natur, kanske till och med för sig själv. Man kan säga att han blir till genom att tumlas i den mänskliga tillvaron, han tar form mot dess konturer, dess kanter och hålrum, tar färg av den, men lever i luckorna, gliporna däremellan.
Skords evolution under berättelsens lopp är fascinerande och hans erfarenheter av både högt och lågt ger en mångbottnad skildring av vår historia och vår skiftande mänskliga identitet. Skord rör sig bland de mest förborgade hemligheterna och de mest högstående filosoferna, men hamnar ändå med jämna mellanrum på den mänskliga bottnen, hos de eviga rövarbanden i Skuleskogen. Han driver genom sitt livsöde utan egentlig makt över det. Flera gånger försöker han fly tillbaka in i urskogen igen, men språket har fördärvat honom samtidigt som det öppnat upp honom -- det mänskliga har trängt in i honom och slagit rot, och han kan inte göra sig fri, inte hitta tillbaka till ordlösheten.
Själva läsupplevelsen är en ren njutning där Ekmans språk klingar och knastrar och målar upp allt från den ångermanländska urskogen till blodiga slagfält på kontinenten så det känns som att man är där, känner dofterna och stanken, yvs och kväljs och älskar och gråter. Det är ingen fin och upplyft bild av mänskligheten vi får genom Skords blick, men vi får ändå glimtar av storhet och godhet mitt i sörjan, själar vars ljus lyser extra starkt för Skords inre, men även sorgen över deras förgänglighet. Gång på gång lämnas han ensam, genom svek eller olycka eller sin egen livslängd. Gång på gång lämnar han också andra. Livet kokar och sprudlar, men allt dör, allt är förgängligt. Till slut även Skord själv, oundvikligt och bitterljuvt. Bara den mänskliga naturen består, och den djupa skogen under Skuleberget.
Med detta sagt, så märks det att boken är skrivet på 80-talet. Skord, så annorlunda han är, beter sig som vilken karlslok som helst när han väl uppnår mannaålder -- han insuper den patriarkala synen på kvinnor lika automatiskt som han insuper allt mänskligt, och även om han inte låter sig låsas när det gäller sexualitet så gör han det ganska rejält när det gäller könsroller. Alla kvinnor i berättelsen är antingen små helgon eller kärleksobjekt, och med ett par enstaka undantag -- den första och den sista -- mest bakgrundsgestalter utan egen karaktär eller agens. Det avsnitt som berör människor med annan hudfärg är också ganska obehagligt. Skord är en opportunist, och när han suger i sig den mänskliga kolonialismens attityder (trots sin annars ganska rebelliska själ) blir det rent osmakligt. Boken är som sagt över trettio år gammal, och idag hade man kanske velat ha lite mer diversitet och nyansering, lite mer eftertanke.
May 19, 2019
This is no ordinary fantasy book. If you expect something like Harry Potter or even Lord of The Rings, this is not a good reading for you.
The Forest of Hours is dense and sometimes dark. Even in its fluent reading (the English translation is superb!), it is difficult. I have rarely seen something more profound about human nature than this.
When the story begins, Skord, a young troll, has the childish naivity of a magical young creature. As he grows older, he becomes more and more humanized, passing through experiences which are strange and, often, grottesque. One might think “of course they are grottesque! He’s a troll, after all!” But it’s not thay easy: although these events seem like something spooky or supernatural, their uncanniness comes precisely because they are profoundly, bizarrely human. And human nature, at its deepest core, can be as dark as the most terrible monsters we can imagine.
It is curious to realise that he starts to lose his magical troll naivity as soon as he is initiated in human language. I’m not speaking only of the idiom here - he learns how to talk, as well as how to behave, to wash himself, to eat meat and have his meals sitting by a table; then, he studies Latin, alchemy, science and medicine. I think Barthes would agree that language is what encapsulates us as humans. In Skord’s disavendtures, to become human seems to have a terrible consequence: the distance between himself and the Forest grows.
Throughout the story, we are presented to many different types of charachters, each one of them is a particular piece in the story puzzle. These creatures, mostly humans, come and go during Skord's life as friends, lovers or are even just part of stories told to the troll by someone else. But everything is meaninful, and the plot shows us that this connectiveness between things and beings have a reason, although this is never fully explained. The main story unfolds to so many other ones, and also vice-versa... some people might think this can be a bit confusing, but I found it a brilliant way to show us how diferent beings can intertwine in this big mysterious web which is Life itself.
I believe The Forest of Hours was one of the best books I’ve ever read. It’s hard to believe it was only published in English once or twice, more than 15 years ago, and never in Portuguese (I’m from Brasil). Hope someday it will be able to find its place amongst other masterpieces.
The Forest of Hours is dense and sometimes dark. Even in its fluent reading (the English translation is superb!), it is difficult. I have rarely seen something more profound about human nature than this.
When the story begins, Skord, a young troll, has the childish naivity of a magical young creature. As he grows older, he becomes more and more humanized, passing through experiences which are strange and, often, grottesque. One might think “of course they are grottesque! He’s a troll, after all!” But it’s not thay easy: although these events seem like something spooky or supernatural, their uncanniness comes precisely because they are profoundly, bizarrely human. And human nature, at its deepest core, can be as dark as the most terrible monsters we can imagine.
It is curious to realise that he starts to lose his magical troll naivity as soon as he is initiated in human language. I’m not speaking only of the idiom here - he learns how to talk, as well as how to behave, to wash himself, to eat meat and have his meals sitting by a table; then, he studies Latin, alchemy, science and medicine. I think Barthes would agree that language is what encapsulates us as humans. In Skord’s disavendtures, to become human seems to have a terrible consequence: the distance between himself and the Forest grows.
Throughout the story, we are presented to many different types of charachters, each one of them is a particular piece in the story puzzle. These creatures, mostly humans, come and go during Skord's life as friends, lovers or are even just part of stories told to the troll by someone else. But everything is meaninful, and the plot shows us that this connectiveness between things and beings have a reason, although this is never fully explained. The main story unfolds to so many other ones, and also vice-versa... some people might think this can be a bit confusing, but I found it a brilliant way to show us how diferent beings can intertwine in this big mysterious web which is Life itself.
I believe The Forest of Hours was one of the best books I’ve ever read. It’s hard to believe it was only published in English once or twice, more than 15 years ago, and never in Portuguese (I’m from Brasil). Hope someday it will be able to find its place amongst other masterpieces.
January 13, 2015
This began promisingly: in the Middle Ages a troll, Skord, meets children who teach him about houses and fire. They teach him to talk; he can already talk with the animals and birds. This and several chapters thereafter were like folktales: Skord, in the forest of Skule, starts interaction with humans and wants to be more like them. Then, as centuries pass, Skord moves from the forest, has more dealings with humans: experiences war and imprisonment, an outlaw band, is an apprentice doctor and apprentice alchemist, and finally meets a young girl with whom he has conversations about life. He returns to the forest, which is like a continuing character all through the novel. As the novel progressed to the 19th century, I didn't understand it. It was certainly original and creative, but eventually over my head.
February 5, 2017
As vividly imagined as any book I've read. A slow, beautifully written, measured novel that is shot through with pathos and raw insights about humanity. The translation maintains the beauty and peculiarities of the Swedish language and it feels like reading for the first time. Feels very much in a company with Gormenghast.
November 6, 2012
Purely epic!
December 26, 2014
One of the most fantastical and fascinating books I've ever read.
June 6, 2023
Har läst nästan halva boken nu. Ger upp. Den tilltalar mig inte tillräckligt och känns mer som pliktläsning.
Så ska det inte kännas så jag väljer att lägga min lästid på något som ger mig större läslust.
Så ska det inte kännas så jag väljer att lägga min lästid på något som ger mig större läslust.
January 21, 2025
This is a favorite book of mine. The writing is absolutely brilliant. It's thought provoking, funny, sad, emotional, exciting, and enlightening. Just about every feeling that you can have while reading a book you will get, it is about an entire LIFE of Skord. It's an unusual premises, being the main character is a troll like , nature creature who is mistaken for a child at the beginning.
His travels, his meeting of eccentric characters, his thoughts. It's just a beautiful book. I haven't came across anything like it.
It will take you time to get through this one..it's not a fast read even if you're at it all day. Sometimes I would stop, close the book and my eyes, and just think a bit about what I just read.
It was an experience for me.
This author is amazing and I could find more fantasy type/ magical realism books by her.
His travels, his meeting of eccentric characters, his thoughts. It's just a beautiful book. I haven't came across anything like it.
It will take you time to get through this one..it's not a fast read even if you're at it all day. Sometimes I would stop, close the book and my eyes, and just think a bit about what I just read.
It was an experience for me.
This author is amazing and I could find more fantasy type/ magical realism books by her.
February 6, 2017
In fact, I have two ratings for this book. The first is for the Swedish original, a mesmerising, magical tale transporting the reader from early medieval Sweden through seven or so centuries, all shared through the education of Skord, a troll, and his journey from a time of few words through to more sophistication and understanding of human life an society. Ekman's thrilling language evolves with the centuries and realities of the times. Some of her writing on nature, human interaction, love, are the best I have ever read.
My second rating, if it were possible, would be for the breathtaking English translation, beautiful and evocative and retaining all those elements that made the original book such a wonder to read.
My second rating, if it were possible, would be for the breathtaking English translation, beautiful and evocative and retaining all those elements that made the original book such a wonder to read.
June 7, 2018
Reads like a cross between the Tolkien trilogy, an Ingmar Bergman film, a James Michener novel and David Abrams's "Spell of the Sensuous." Sank into its deepening melancholy and mysterious and ambiguous sense of time, space and nature of being over the 500-year life of its protagonist. Breath is suspended while life throbs on--trudging, gliding, crawling, cartwheeling moment to moment. The deeply personal in a third person narrative. Enter only if you have a great deal time on your hands and the emotional stability to NOT have your deepest questions answered. Please do not attempt to speed read or you will completely miss the point. Now, what was that point?
February 8, 2009
A very mysterious book, from the author of Blackwater (which it pre-dates). A kind of history of Sweden, through the eyes of a troll, who, passing for a somewhat mis-shapen human, experiences the humans' world from the early middle ages through to the Renaissance, by virtue of a much longer than human life span. Fascinating, but oh so bleak.
April 5, 2017
This is possibly the best Swedish novel I know. I read it over and over. I want this magic and curiosity of the forests of my home. If I am to try to find a parallel to another novel, the closest I get is maybe Virginia Wolf's Orlando, but here taking off deep in the woods instead of a frozen London, centuries ago. Swirling through time and identities, we can become or do anything
July 30, 2022
Very strange, yet also mesmerizing. Travelling through the centuries by means of the author's amazingly detailed descriptions - I was continually awestruck by the intricate world she had created.
Yes, it was often hard going - but worth it just to immerse myself in the many worlds and layers, and the sheer power of her writing.
Yes, it was often hard going - but worth it just to immerse myself in the many worlds and layers, and the sheer power of her writing.
January 15, 2024
This was something else! I can’t believe I’ve never heard about this book until recently. What a wonderful first experience of Kerstin Ekman's writing! I’m a bit taken by the writing to be honest, so unique. A fantastic mix between historical fiction and fantasy - recommend!
May 16, 2016
It took a long time to get through, didn't think giants lived so long. Skord was a neat character.
September 26, 2016
I bit of a slog but with some interesting bits. Just enough to keep me reading but nothing more.
November 24, 2022
This is a difficult book to rate, because it contains some of the most satisfying writing I've ever encountered. Certainly the translation is a glittering marvel. And yet, I do not love the book.
What I do love are the immersive, informative, elegant descriptions of nature and people's hard, hard lives in this vaguely defined time period in Sweden.* The scenes between the Bishop of Linköping and his cousin, and between Skord and the farmers' families, are some of the most slyly crafted expositions of human behavior I have ever read. I love how Karin Ekman lets you see for yourself, instead of spelling things out for the reader and moralizing.
What I do not love is the crudeness (sexuality, diseases, general dirt and grossness; harsh treatment of others from neglect and scheming to outright violence; scatological and religious affairs). I'm not squeamish and much/most/all? of this was appropriate to the time and setting. But I'm just not in the mood for this sort of thing right now. I found myself wanting to just get on with it and skip parts. But when a book is as beautifully written as this one, I want to be able to enjoy every word of it, and to let the story unfold at its own pace. So with this constant conflict of wanting to savor the telling of things that ultimately repulsed me, I never managed to really give myself over to this book, and decided it was time to move on.
However, before giving up on the book, I flipped through the rest of it and ended up reading the entire final chapter. Which was lyrical and touching and so, so worth my time. Just beautiful.
* I think it's meant to be the 14th or 15th century, for the part I read -- I stopped just short of page 100. And I was surprised, because from the descriptions of the landscape and rural life, I would have thought this took place centuries earlier. However, the historical figures did allow me to date the story to within a couple centuries, with a bit of googling. Not that I'm an expert on Swedish history! Interesting how very raw life was, still, in this time and place when contrasted with city life elsewhere in Europe.
What I do love are the immersive, informative, elegant descriptions of nature and people's hard, hard lives in this vaguely defined time period in Sweden.* The scenes between the Bishop of Linköping and his cousin, and between Skord and the farmers' families, are some of the most slyly crafted expositions of human behavior I have ever read. I love how Karin Ekman lets you see for yourself, instead of spelling things out for the reader and moralizing.
What I do not love is the crudeness (sexuality, diseases, general dirt and grossness; harsh treatment of others from neglect and scheming to outright violence; scatological and religious affairs). I'm not squeamish and much/most/all? of this was appropriate to the time and setting. But I'm just not in the mood for this sort of thing right now. I found myself wanting to just get on with it and skip parts. But when a book is as beautifully written as this one, I want to be able to enjoy every word of it, and to let the story unfold at its own pace. So with this constant conflict of wanting to savor the telling of things that ultimately repulsed me, I never managed to really give myself over to this book, and decided it was time to move on.
However, before giving up on the book, I flipped through the rest of it and ended up reading the entire final chapter. Which was lyrical and touching and so, so worth my time. Just beautiful.
* I think it's meant to be the 14th or 15th century, for the part I read -- I stopped just short of page 100. And I was surprised, because from the descriptions of the landscape and rural life, I would have thought this took place centuries earlier. However, the historical figures did allow me to date the story to within a couple centuries, with a bit of googling. Not that I'm an expert on Swedish history! Interesting how very raw life was, still, in this time and place when contrasted with city life elsewhere in Europe.
October 21, 2024
A fairytale?
Historical fiction?
A love story?
Existential literature?
Whatever this was, it was hypnotisingly good!
The troll Skord appears in the ancient Skuleskogen, and then matures with time. His clock ticks differently than human clocks though, so he lives and learns through the history of civilization, seeing human beings be born, live and die in a long succession. His own needs and longings mirror those of humans, but his longevity puts other values into focus. What is love if you live through centuries? What is war? Peace? Science? Hatred? Violence? If you have time to outlive it over and over again?
Scary, beautiful, thought-provoking!
Historical fiction?
A love story?
Existential literature?
Whatever this was, it was hypnotisingly good!
The troll Skord appears in the ancient Skuleskogen, and then matures with time. His clock ticks differently than human clocks though, so he lives and learns through the history of civilization, seeing human beings be born, live and die in a long succession. His own needs and longings mirror those of humans, but his longevity puts other values into focus. What is love if you live through centuries? What is war? Peace? Science? Hatred? Violence? If you have time to outlive it over and over again?
Scary, beautiful, thought-provoking!
December 13, 2017
Finally finished. This and Mythago Wood by Robert Holdstock were given as favourite books by Robert Macfarlane in a newspaper article. Couldn't stomach Mythago Wood but I did finish The Forest of Hours - and enjoyed quite a lot of it - but I'm left wondering what the point of it is. Didn't really teach me anything, no arc of plot, a very faint emotional journey. So in the future I shall stick to reading Rob Macfarlane's own books which are wonderful.
June 23, 2024
Is was a journey to read, from beautiful spiritual observations of the world around the protagonist to writen out gruesome acts of bandits. It has a nice poetic flow. I enjoyed the growth of the protaganist from innocent slow childlike curiosity to well established medical doctor and more! It is my favorite book right now and I found it by coincidence, but it didnt feel like it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 31, 2025
This a very frustrating book. It’s well researched, well imagined and written with great care… but in the end it was SO BORING. I didn’t even bother with the last 80 pages. I just lost interest and didn’t care to finish it. It started very interestingly - hence the second star - but I felt no affinity to Skord and his life, or his story. Don’t recommend
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