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Syndere i sommersol/Jeg er blitt glad i en annen #1
Sinners in Summertime
Originally published in English in 1930, Sinners in Summertime takes a satirical look at sex, psychoanalysis, and the arrogance of youth. A group of students spend the summer along the Norwegian coast, determined to be honest about the nature of sex, in order to avoid the self-delusions they feel have plagued previous generations. What follows is a complete undermining of all their "enlightened" values, as they find themselves ensnared by romantic mischief. A novel of manners in an era when standards where about to break down, Sinners exposes the folly of youthful intellectualism, while also demonstrating the connections that bind all generations. Sigurd Hoel was one of the leading literary and cultural voices of Norway in the first half of the twentieth century.
208 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1927
12 people are currently reading
275 people want to read
About the author
Sigurd Hoel
42 books14 followersSigurd Hoel was a Norwegian author and publishing consultant.
His literary career began with the short story «Idioten» («the Idiot») from 1918, when he won a writing contest. The same year he became an employee of «Socialdemokraten» («The Social Democrat», a newspaper) as a literature and theater critic.
In 1924 he traveled to Berlin to study socialism, and there he wrote his first novel, «Syvstjernen» (The Seven Star), before moving to Paris for a short time.
During the war Hoel and his wife went back to Odalen. He participated in the Resistance, and wrote articles for the Resistance press. In 1943 he was forced to flee to Sweden.
Hoel had a short connection to the landsmål movement, but later played an active part in the riksmål campaign. He was among the founders of the Author's Association of 1952 and was the chairman of the Riksmålsforbundet from 1956 to 1959.
As the main consultant for Norwegian and translated literature for Gyldendal publishing, Hoel made an impression on a whole generation of Norwegian literature. From 1929-1959 Hoel was the editor of the publisher's «Gold Series», where he introduced a number of foreign authors, often with an astounding foresight for which works would remain. The series comprised 101 books—among others, works from authors such as Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald and Franz Kafka. Hoel wrote prefaces for all of the books.
His literary career began with the short story «Idioten» («the Idiot») from 1918, when he won a writing contest. The same year he became an employee of «Socialdemokraten» («The Social Democrat», a newspaper) as a literature and theater critic.
In 1924 he traveled to Berlin to study socialism, and there he wrote his first novel, «Syvstjernen» (The Seven Star), before moving to Paris for a short time.
During the war Hoel and his wife went back to Odalen. He participated in the Resistance, and wrote articles for the Resistance press. In 1943 he was forced to flee to Sweden.
Hoel had a short connection to the landsmål movement, but later played an active part in the riksmål campaign. He was among the founders of the Author's Association of 1952 and was the chairman of the Riksmålsforbundet from 1956 to 1959.
As the main consultant for Norwegian and translated literature for Gyldendal publishing, Hoel made an impression on a whole generation of Norwegian literature. From 1929-1959 Hoel was the editor of the publisher's «Gold Series», where he introduced a number of foreign authors, often with an astounding foresight for which works would remain. The series comprised 101 books—among others, works from authors such as Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald and Franz Kafka. Hoel wrote prefaces for all of the books.
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
November 10, 2022
Jeg ble litt ekstra glad i å leve, etter å ha lest denne
May 2, 2024
Søt bok, litt sånn typisk stemning over handling, selvom handlingen heller ikke var dårlig. Også gøy å se hvor like, men samtidig vilt forskjellige vi er nå ifht hundre år siden (ganske nøyaktig snart). Gøy sommerlesning!
June 2, 2025
Morsom bok å lese! Lot meg underholde av parallellene mellom denne gjengen for 100 år siden og årets sesong love Island på tv. Og drømte meg bort til sommerferie, skjærgård, morgenbad før frokost og lange sommernetter
May 20, 2008
It’s 1930, and enlightened modernism has come to Norway in the form of Freudian psychology, sexual revolution and general intellectual progressivism. In summertime, nine coeds decide to vacation together on a small island, certain that their freethinking idealism will keep them unsullied by low scandal, petty jealousies and sentimental attachments. Of course, they do not succeed in achieving any of this, and the first line of the novel becomes the touchstone for the story’s themes: “You are a self-deceiver and as such belong to the last generation.”
In Sinners in Summertime, Sigurd Hoel demonstrates a mastery of both vivid characterization and deft, graceful prose. And throughout the novel, he balances serious insights with sophisticated humor. The novel ends in tragicomedy, in a kind of serious farce. Finally, the male viewpoint character lashes out in exasperation at all this regressive progress, saying to a heartsick feminist: “You have been awakened intellectually, and you use intellect only as a new means of enjoyment. You have obtained sexual freedom and are proceeding to make yourselves the slaves of sex.” In the novel’s denouement, Hoel seems to aim a knowing wink at the reader, a conspiratorial look that says: We all know we’ll never transcend our basic human nature, and only fools take this idea of “progress” among the sexes too seriously.
In Sinners in Summertime, Sigurd Hoel demonstrates a mastery of both vivid characterization and deft, graceful prose. And throughout the novel, he balances serious insights with sophisticated humor. The novel ends in tragicomedy, in a kind of serious farce. Finally, the male viewpoint character lashes out in exasperation at all this regressive progress, saying to a heartsick feminist: “You have been awakened intellectually, and you use intellect only as a new means of enjoyment. You have obtained sexual freedom and are proceeding to make yourselves the slaves of sex.” In the novel’s denouement, Hoel seems to aim a knowing wink at the reader, a conspiratorial look that says: We all know we’ll never transcend our basic human nature, and only fools take this idea of “progress” among the sexes too seriously.
August 24, 2018
"Er det noen jordisk glede sterkere og renere enn frokostgleden, når en er vel utsovet og nybadet, med smaken av salt og jod på kroppen, og er sulten og hul som en ulv innvendig?"
July 12, 2025
Fin bok for sommeren og Erik er 😍 hadde gitt 5 hvis Hoel unnlot bruken av slurs
September 16, 2025
Roligt skriven
June 3, 2016
En kort anmeldelse skal jeg koste på meg. Dette er første og muligens siste bok av Sigurd Hoel jeg leser. Jeg liker ham ikke. Han er kunstig. Han er åpenbart fascinert av tidens trender blant den intellektuelle klasse, og han kaster seg usjenert ut i dansen. Imidlertid mangler han helt sjel og en identitet trygg i seg selv. Greit nok, det gjør også personene i romanen, men jeg tror ikke et øyeblikk på at forfatteren selv besitter noe mer oversiktlig eller dypere perspektiv på de temaene han lar romanens karakterer inngi seg på. Tvert om oppfatter jeg ham som en posør og sjarlatan som konkret ikke har integrert den psykologiske materien som var i skuddet blant intelligentsiaen og som han ytterligere inhyllet seg i i det reichske miljøet han vanket i seinere på 30-tallet. Han spekulerer dermed i at hans lesere heller ikke besitter en reell forståelse utover å ha lært seg en del imponerende fremmedord og evnen til å flette disse inn i overfladiske kafébords- og nachspiel-samtaler.
Jeg hadde forventninger til at denne boka skulle være emosjonelt og psykologisk spenstig. Det var den ikke, der falt den fullstendig igjennom. Isteden var den kunstig. Riktignok ikke urealistisk nødvendigvis, for det kan godt tenkes at et miljø av personer med samme mangel på integritet som forfatteren kunne ha boltret seg slik vi får det framstilt i romanen.
Jeg hadde forventninger til at denne boka skulle være emosjonelt og psykologisk spenstig. Det var den ikke, der falt den fullstendig igjennom. Isteden var den kunstig. Riktignok ikke urealistisk nødvendigvis, for det kan godt tenkes at et miljø av personer med samme mangel på integritet som forfatteren kunne ha boltret seg slik vi får det framstilt i romanen.
April 11, 2025
Sinners in Summersun by Sigurd Hoel is nearly a century old, but the depiction of the youth is like a timeless snapchot - just as true then as now. Oh, how I love being young with my whole life ahead of me.
Hoel’s characters? Well, they’re exactly like me and my friends—on the brink of adulthood, full of that special mix of confidence and cluelessness. We’re all freethinkers, open-minded, and definitely too emotionally intelligent to let silly little things like jealousy or sentimental attachment cloud our oh-so-sophisticated decisions (wink wink).
Four stars. It didn't rock my world, I probably wont bother reading it again, but by all menas: It was cute and I had fun reading it.
Hoel’s characters? Well, they’re exactly like me and my friends—on the brink of adulthood, full of that special mix of confidence and cluelessness. We’re all freethinkers, open-minded, and definitely too emotionally intelligent to let silly little things like jealousy or sentimental attachment cloud our oh-so-sophisticated decisions (wink wink).
Four stars. It didn't rock my world, I probably wont bother reading it again, but by all menas: It was cute and I had fun reading it.
November 5, 2023
''Er det noen jordisk glede sterkere og renere enn frokostgleden, når en er vel utsovet og nybadet, med smaken av salt og jod på kroppen, og er sulten og hul som en ulv innvendig?'' Yesss, takk for bokgaven Kyrre!
En helt nydelig bok rent språklig og også filosofisk, men handlingen blir tidvis kjedelig. Det er vanskelig å bli revet med av en seksuell frigjøringsbok fra 1927 når man selv har brukt hele livet på internett. Man skal allikevel prissette de som trampet opp veien. Jeg tror flere av dere, mine nØrde lesevenner, kan like denne!
En helt nydelig bok rent språklig og også filosofisk, men handlingen blir tidvis kjedelig. Det er vanskelig å bli revet med av en seksuell frigjøringsbok fra 1927 når man selv har brukt hele livet på internett. Man skal allikevel prissette de som trampet opp veien. Jeg tror flere av dere, mine nØrde lesevenner, kan like denne!
March 3, 2024
Fasinerande korleis ein snart 100 år gamal roman kan lesast nærast som ein samtidsroman. Rammene er kanskje litt annleis, og avstandskommunikasjonen tok lengre tid (men nå er eg av den personlege oppfatning at eg skulle ønske me skreiv meir brev og brukte telefonen mindre) - men kjenslene, relasjonane og tankane er akkurat dei same som me lev og strevar med i dag. Likar i tillegg dei filosofiske indre monologane som er gjennomgåande.
March 28, 2025
Som en lærerkollega sa til meg, 20 år etter å ha lest den: «Den er grei, men ikke noe jeg går rundt å husker så godt.»
Syns hun oppsummerte det ganske bra. Til tider flatt og kjedelig beskrevet, og neste øyeblikk interessant og humoristisk. Tok meg selv i å fnise et par ganger i løpet av boka.
Vi blir ikke kjempegodt kjent med persongalleriet, og de blir for meg litt vel todimensjonale.
Svak 3-er.
Syns hun oppsummerte det ganske bra. Til tider flatt og kjedelig beskrevet, og neste øyeblikk interessant og humoristisk. Tok meg selv i å fnise et par ganger i løpet av boka.
Vi blir ikke kjempegodt kjent med persongalleriet, og de blir for meg litt vel todimensjonale.
Svak 3-er.
Read
June 9, 2023Ikke fullstendig det forføreriske begjærkaoset jeg hadde håpet på. Begjæret og kaoset er der i bøttevis, men stilen er for "imponerende intellektualisert" til å bli forførerisk sommerlesing. Men mistenker at bildet av boken etter å ha lest den blir bedre enn selve leseopplevelsen.
July 16, 2023
En fin sommertradisjon å lese denne klassikeren. En kan irritere seg over enkelte gammelmodige beskrivelser av kvinner, eller glede seg over de mange liberale holdninger, som både var, og fortsatt er, svært moderne.
July 15, 2022
Grei nok å lese. Lett stil.
July 19, 2022
Kom for snusket, ble for dramaet💁♀️
September 6, 2013
Was geschieht, wenn man eine Gruppe junger Frauen und Männer auf eine Insel steckt? Genau, die Vorsätze zu arbeiten und ja nicht wie die ältere Generation mögliche erotische Abenteuer kompliziert anzugehen, sondern alles ganz locker zu sehen und eine gute Zeit zu haben, stoßen schnell gegen die Realität und müssen Streitereien, Vorurteilen, Schlägereien und einem beinahe Todesfall weichen. So sind wir eben. Fredrik, Johan und die anderen erleben das in den 1920ern, aber die Geschichte könnte genauso auch heute noch passieren. Zwischenmenschliche Beziehungen können verstrickt sein, wir alle sind ein wenig kompliziert und haben Fehler, doch das Gute am Menschsein ist, dass wir irgendwann darüber lachen können und zu lachen ist sehr wichtig.
Der Autor hat einen wundervollen Stil, nachdenklich, philosophisch und doch auf den Punkt und mit einer gehörigen Portion bissigem Humor, toll!
Der Autor hat einen wundervollen Stil, nachdenklich, philosophisch und doch auf den Punkt und mit einer gehörigen Portion bissigem Humor, toll!
March 31, 2010
What more can one say than: “You are a self-deceiver and as such belong to the last generation.” Prose, magnificent, themes, Freudian pessimism, result; fabulous literature.
June 27, 2016
Even though this was set in 1930s Norway, nothing has changed about the human condition. I love reading books set in different places and/or time periods and realizing we're all basically the same.
October 21, 2016
Really enjoyed it! It is fantastically ironic and seems to be realstic. A lot of fun reading that one!
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews