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Hunden
Var börjar en berättelse? Under en granrot kanske. Ja, under en granrot. Där låg en liten grå en. Han låg hopkrupen med nosen under svansen. En hund. Men det visste han inte. Han kunde inte minnas. Det var bara ett stort hål inuti honom, ett gnag, en hunger efter värmen och efter det starka ljumma som fyllde munnen och efter tikens bett i nackskinnet och slicken i mungipan när hon kom utifrån med främmande lukter i pälsen. Hur hade han kommit att hamna under granen? Det mindes han inte och inte hade han kunnat berätta. Men Kerstin Ekman har berättat hans historia: enkel, stark och fängslande i varje rad.
110 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1986
37 people are currently reading
907 people want to read
About the author
Kerstin Ekman
58 books265 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 172 reviews
February 3, 2024
2,5 Sterne
Eine schwedische Novelle über einen Hund, der als Welpe von zu Hause ausbricht und sich im Wald verirrt. Viel Natur, viel Töten und Fressen von Kleintieren, viel Kampf und Verletzungen. Ziemlich brutal und ohne echte Zusammenhang, nur die Jahreszeiten schreiten voran, alles andere bleibt eintönig gleich. Bis ganz am Ende die Jäger in den Wald kommen….
Liest sich schnell weg und der Hund wird nicht vermenschlicht. Trotz plastischer und realistischer Naturdarstellungen eine langweilige Geschichte. Nicht empfehlenswert.
Eine schwedische Novelle über einen Hund, der als Welpe von zu Hause ausbricht und sich im Wald verirrt. Viel Natur, viel Töten und Fressen von Kleintieren, viel Kampf und Verletzungen. Ziemlich brutal und ohne echte Zusammenhang, nur die Jahreszeiten schreiten voran, alles andere bleibt eintönig gleich. Bis ganz am Ende die Jäger in den Wald kommen….
Liest sich schnell weg und der Hund wird nicht vermenschlicht. Trotz plastischer und realistischer Naturdarstellungen eine langweilige Geschichte. Nicht empfehlenswert.
August 2, 2020
A man goes out of his house on some work, and his dog follows him. This dog has a puppy which follows her. But then it rains, there is a storm and the puppy gets lost in the forest. What happens to this puppy, as it navigates the hours, the days, the weeks on its own, is told in the rest of the story.
I have read many dog stories, but this is a story, the likes of which I've never read. Kristin Ekman tells us the story in the third person, but we are taken into the puppy's mind, into his heart, and we see things through his eyes, we smell the new smells he does, sense the dangers he feels, feel things through his skin, and before long it is us in the forest, feeling the cold and the hunger, and the danger. Ekman doesn't anthropomorphize the dog, doesn't make it human, but takes us into the dog's mind, into the dog's heart, and makes us see how the world looks from there. It is fascinating. From the first passage,
"When does something begin? It doesn’t begin. There’s always something else before it. It begins the way a stream starts as a rivulet and a rivulet starts as a trickle of water in the marsh. It’s the rain that makes the marsh water rise.
...
Where does a tale begin? Under the root of a spruce, perhaps. Yes, under the root of a spruce tree. A little grey fellow was lying there, all curled up, his muzzle tucked under his tail. A dog. But he didn’t know that."
the book grabs our attention, and refuses to let go till the end.
I loved 'The Dog'. It is one of my favourite dog novels, up there with 'Dogsbody' by Diana Wynne Jones, and 'The Poet's Dog' by Patricia McLachlan. I am glad I read it. I want to read more of Kerstin Ekman's books now. She is one of the great Swedish writers and I discovered that she has a long backlist. Hoping that more of her books are available in English translation.
Have you read this book? What do you think about it?
I have read many dog stories, but this is a story, the likes of which I've never read. Kristin Ekman tells us the story in the third person, but we are taken into the puppy's mind, into his heart, and we see things through his eyes, we smell the new smells he does, sense the dangers he feels, feel things through his skin, and before long it is us in the forest, feeling the cold and the hunger, and the danger. Ekman doesn't anthropomorphize the dog, doesn't make it human, but takes us into the dog's mind, into the dog's heart, and makes us see how the world looks from there. It is fascinating. From the first passage,
"When does something begin? It doesn’t begin. There’s always something else before it. It begins the way a stream starts as a rivulet and a rivulet starts as a trickle of water in the marsh. It’s the rain that makes the marsh water rise.
...
Where does a tale begin? Under the root of a spruce, perhaps. Yes, under the root of a spruce tree. A little grey fellow was lying there, all curled up, his muzzle tucked under his tail. A dog. But he didn’t know that."
the book grabs our attention, and refuses to let go till the end.
I loved 'The Dog'. It is one of my favourite dog novels, up there with 'Dogsbody' by Diana Wynne Jones, and 'The Poet's Dog' by Patricia McLachlan. I am glad I read it. I want to read more of Kerstin Ekman's books now. She is one of the great Swedish writers and I discovered that she has a long backlist. Hoping that more of her books are available in English translation.
Have you read this book? What do you think about it?
February 18, 2019
There was a dreamlike quality around this book. From the descriptions of idyllic scenery to the lack of dialogue, Ekman's book sent me right into a calmer state of mind than I have been in for a while. I loved the quiet beauty of the scenery next to the wiry strength of the dog. It was, in a way, a coming of age story. Ekman's writing is beautiful. Her prose have a warm, welcoming quality, and the dog's relationship with his human was sooo sweet (although maybe I'm biased because I was curled up with my dog as I read). The novel is a short and easy read, so relax with a cup of tea and enjoy.
February 26, 2022
This was an unexpected joy. A puppy gets lost in the snow in the wilds. It somehow manages to survive the winter by eating from a dead moose carcass and teaches itself to hunt in spring. It forget all about humans and survives by itself through the summer. Eventually a man finds it and has to teach it to trust another being. Told completely from the dog's perspective and with no humanisation, it is a simple story but beautifully written with a wild setting. Highly recommend.
May 27, 2024
❓Vai esi kādreiz, paskatoties uz savu četrkājaino mīluli, padomājis kā šo pasauli izjūt viņš?
📚Grāmata sevī paslēpusi sirsnīgu stāstu par kucēnu, kurš, sekojot līdzi savam saimniekam un vēl pēc piena smaržojošajai mammai,aizskrien no viņiem un apmaldās. Pasaule ārpus mammas siltā kažoka ir pavisam savādāka - skarba, uz izdzīvošanas instinktiem balstīta. Tā ziemas spelgonī mazais kucēns sāk spert savas ķepas pieaugšana virzienā, azotē glabājot siltas atmiņas par mājām. Bet negaidīts bises šāviens mežā reizēm signalizē par lielām briesmām, bet reizēm gluži pretēji - par atgriešanos mājās. Kas bija jāpiedzīvo kucēnam? Kā ir no jauna spēt uzticēties un mīlēt? To visu un vēl vairāk - lasi grāmatā!
💡Uzdūros šai grāmatai bibliotēkā, kas iesākumā apbūra ar savu vāka dizainu un arī šī brīža lasīšanas sausuma periodā iekrita acīs ar savu mazo formātu. Vienmēr arī ielūkojos Goodreads un tur pamanīju Artas izjusto atsauksmi - viss man šī grāmata ir jāizlasa. Bieži vien plānas grāmatas un īsi stāsti sevī spēj paslēpt lielas un skaistas sirdis - šī grāmata nav izņēmums.
Man patika, ka stāsts veidots no suņa skatu punkta. Mani apbūra autores spēja caur vārdiem uzgleznot šo stāstu tik dzīvu, ka es sajutos klātesoša visiem notikumiem kā ēna aiz kāda no mežā esošajiem kokiem.
Stāsta notikumi kā uz delnas tiek pasniegti jau pirmajās divās lapaspusēs, kas meistarīgi tiem samazina nozīmi, vairāk fokusējoties uz šo notikumu radītajām sajūtām - ilgām, instinktiem, izdzīvošanai, vientulībai, uzticēšanās mākslai un mīlestībai.
Šī brīža karstais laiks un bagātīgā kņada vasarnīcās ir laiks, kad daudzās ģimenēs caur mazo bērnu lūdzošajām acīm ienāk mazi kucēni/kaķēni, kas ir arī viens no skumjākajiem laikiem dzīvnieku patversmēs, jo bieži vien tieši pēc vasaras sezonas šie kucēni tiek pamesti vasarnīcās, tiek izmesti mežos vai arī ļoti agros rītos nolikti pie patversmes durvīm - šī iemesla dēļ iesaku šo grāmatu izlasīt VISIEM, kas jau tagad tur savā azotē mīļo mājdzīvnieku vai tikai vēl sapņo par viņu savās mājās, lai būtu atbildīgāki un izjustu kau mazu daļu no tā, ko mūsu mazais draugs izjūt, kad ir apmaldījies un viens.
📚Grāmata sevī paslēpusi sirsnīgu stāstu par kucēnu, kurš, sekojot līdzi savam saimniekam un vēl pēc piena smaržojošajai mammai,aizskrien no viņiem un apmaldās. Pasaule ārpus mammas siltā kažoka ir pavisam savādāka - skarba, uz izdzīvošanas instinktiem balstīta. Tā ziemas spelgonī mazais kucēns sāk spert savas ķepas pieaugšana virzienā, azotē glabājot siltas atmiņas par mājām. Bet negaidīts bises šāviens mežā reizēm signalizē par lielām briesmām, bet reizēm gluži pretēji - par atgriešanos mājās. Kas bija jāpiedzīvo kucēnam? Kā ir no jauna spēt uzticēties un mīlēt? To visu un vēl vairāk - lasi grāmatā!
💡Uzdūros šai grāmatai bibliotēkā, kas iesākumā apbūra ar savu vāka dizainu un arī šī brīža lasīšanas sausuma periodā iekrita acīs ar savu mazo formātu. Vienmēr arī ielūkojos Goodreads un tur pamanīju Artas izjusto atsauksmi - viss man šī grāmata ir jāizlasa. Bieži vien plānas grāmatas un īsi stāsti sevī spēj paslēpt lielas un skaistas sirdis - šī grāmata nav izņēmums.
Man patika, ka stāsts veidots no suņa skatu punkta. Mani apbūra autores spēja caur vārdiem uzgleznot šo stāstu tik dzīvu, ka es sajutos klātesoša visiem notikumiem kā ēna aiz kāda no mežā esošajiem kokiem.
Stāsta notikumi kā uz delnas tiek pasniegti jau pirmajās divās lapaspusēs, kas meistarīgi tiem samazina nozīmi, vairāk fokusējoties uz šo notikumu radītajām sajūtām - ilgām, instinktiem, izdzīvošanai, vientulībai, uzticēšanās mākslai un mīlestībai.
Šī brīža karstais laiks un bagātīgā kņada vasarnīcās ir laiks, kad daudzās ģimenēs caur mazo bērnu lūdzošajām acīm ienāk mazi kucēni/kaķēni, kas ir arī viens no skumjākajiem laikiem dzīvnieku patversmēs, jo bieži vien tieši pēc vasaras sezonas šie kucēni tiek pamesti vasarnīcās, tiek izmesti mežos vai arī ļoti agros rītos nolikti pie patversmes durvīm - šī iemesla dēļ iesaku šo grāmatu izlasīt VISIEM, kas jau tagad tur savā azotē mīļo mājdzīvnieku vai tikai vēl sapņo par viņu savās mājās, lai būtu atbildīgāki un izjustu kau mazu daļu no tā, ko mūsu mazais draugs izjūt, kad ir apmaldījies un viens.
February 2, 2016
This was a beautifully written story of a gray puppy who loses his way and has to learn to live on his own off the land in the Nordic forest until he is then found by a man after a long time and learns how to trust again. I loved this book.
The gray puppy is born at a farmhouse and gets lost in the snow and somehow survives. He is scared and alone and misses his mother and the warmth of the stove. He grows up living off the land and hunting on his own competing with a fox. After a while the human hunters come around and he is scared and hiding and dodging them until one day he is cornered in a hiding spot. The humans don't know he is there but one of their hunting dogs find the gray dog. The hunting dog attacks him and one of the humans stops the fight. He makes all the other humans and dogs leave and he stays just sitting quietly and whistling. The gray dog remembers the sound of the whistling. It makes him feel calm. When the human leaves he leaves some meat from their hunt that day wrapped in his jacket. Over the next few weeks the man comes back always speaking softly and whistling bringing food. Soon the gray dog looks forward to the man coming until one day he lets the man touch him and eventually he goes home with the man. The whistling reminds the gray dog of when he was a puppy on the farm and of the kindness of man. Once home with the man the gray dog becomes a loyal steadfast hunting dog. He never lets anyone but the man and the man's wife, who feeds him, touch him. He does not need a leash and likes to keep watch and stay outside but is loyal to the man who showed him kindness.
It was a simple story translated from Swedish. It is beautifully written and lately I have been loving stories told about the north. The descriptions of the forest and the dog were written so poetically.
"Finally he's standing on top of the snow, a frozen floor. He walks clumsily on big puppy paws. Yesterday the snow was wet and mushy. It caved in, dropping him into grey hollows where he couldn't keep his balance. Today it holds him. He barrels forward, steadier now."
The gray puppy is born at a farmhouse and gets lost in the snow and somehow survives. He is scared and alone and misses his mother and the warmth of the stove. He grows up living off the land and hunting on his own competing with a fox. After a while the human hunters come around and he is scared and hiding and dodging them until one day he is cornered in a hiding spot. The humans don't know he is there but one of their hunting dogs find the gray dog. The hunting dog attacks him and one of the humans stops the fight. He makes all the other humans and dogs leave and he stays just sitting quietly and whistling. The gray dog remembers the sound of the whistling. It makes him feel calm. When the human leaves he leaves some meat from their hunt that day wrapped in his jacket. Over the next few weeks the man comes back always speaking softly and whistling bringing food. Soon the gray dog looks forward to the man coming until one day he lets the man touch him and eventually he goes home with the man. The whistling reminds the gray dog of when he was a puppy on the farm and of the kindness of man. Once home with the man the gray dog becomes a loyal steadfast hunting dog. He never lets anyone but the man and the man's wife, who feeds him, touch him. He does not need a leash and likes to keep watch and stay outside but is loyal to the man who showed him kindness.
It was a simple story translated from Swedish. It is beautifully written and lately I have been loving stories told about the north. The descriptions of the forest and the dog were written so poetically.
"Finally he's standing on top of the snow, a frozen floor. He walks clumsily on big puppy paws. Yesterday the snow was wet and mushy. It caved in, dropping him into grey hollows where he couldn't keep his balance. Today it holds him. He barrels forward, steadier now."
May 13, 2023
Så fin! En hund och naturen, sen också en människa.
November 26, 2020
A puppy is lost in Northern Sweden, somewhere along the Norwegian border. We get to follow his struggle for survival, until he reconnects with humans again. The book is apparently based on a true story.
The story is written from the dog’s perspective entirely, which I found refreshing. No sentimentality whatsoever. I also liked the slow pace narrative style. It’s an unusual book, that will put you in a meditative state of mind while reading it. I’ll give it an extra star, just because I’m a dog person.
The story is written from the dog’s perspective entirely, which I found refreshing. No sentimentality whatsoever. I also liked the slow pace narrative style. It’s an unusual book, that will put you in a meditative state of mind while reading it. I’ll give it an extra star, just because I’m a dog person.
April 17, 2018
Continuing my dog themed reading for 2018 - Year of the Dog.
April 19, 2021
I Hunden är det just en liten grå en, som skildras inifrån. Som valp kommer den bort från sin mamma och sitt hem, och tvingas leva ensam i naturen. Det är svårt för en hund, som ju faktiskt är människans bästa vän. Den är mycket välskriven och poetisk med fantastiska naturbeskrivningar av den norrländska kalla skogen. Ganska fint och berörande faktiskt.
Tyvärr bleknar den lite jämfört med Jon Fosses Hundmanuskripten, som i och för sig var helt annorlunda i sin antropomorfa stil. Ekman låter hunden vara just hund. Jag tror inte det finns så mycket att fundera på eller analysera här, utan bara njuta av Ekmans vackra språk. En långsam bok att koppla av till.
Tyvärr bleknar den lite jämfört med Jon Fosses Hundmanuskripten, som i och för sig var helt annorlunda i sin antropomorfa stil. Ekman låter hunden vara just hund. Jag tror inte det finns så mycket att fundera på eller analysera här, utan bara njuta av Ekmans vackra språk. En långsam bok att koppla av till.
July 20, 2025
otroligt vackert språk genom hela boken, så fint att läsa om natur och skog på ett sätt som inte beskriver det antingen helt brutalt eller romantiserande. Det är liksom bara ett berättande och beskrivande som är neutralt men helt genuint. I den allra sista delen blev jag helt öm i hjärtat och gjorde boken värdig ett ordentligt högt betyg. herregud så fint😭
April 13, 2019
A beautiful book, meditative and moving. I was utterly engaged.
August 29, 2024
Būšu ļoti neobjektīva: man ir suns, kuru es dievinu un kura ļoti mīl arī mani, tāpēc man nevarētu ļaut izteikties par grāmatu, kuras nosaukumā ir “suns”. Taču to darīšu, aicinot ikvienu, arī “kaķu cilvēkus”, izlasīt bezgala poētisku, valodas ziņā krāšņu, bet sižetiski arī skarbu stāstu. Kā mazs kucēns ziemas laikā, sekojot savai mammai, kura savukārt seko savam saimniekam, mežā paliek viens un iemācās izdzīvot. Un seko laiks, kurā nu jau pieaugušais suns atkal sarod ar cilvēku. No sirds iesaku izlasīt ikvienam, lai izbaudītu nedaudz citādāku stāstu.
August 26, 2025
2.5 ☆
January 11, 2017
En mycket mysig berättelse om en hundvalp som försöker överleva i vildmarken. Eller mysig är väl kanske fler ord då hans upplevelse är allt annat än mysig men jag lämnar ändå boken med en trevlig känsla i magen. Ekmans språk är väldigt vacker, om än lite väl filosofiskt ibland för min smak vilket gör att hon tappar mig då och då. Men trots det så tyckte jag ändå om boken.
March 9, 2017
A strong beginning and ending. This is no The Call of the Wild. Nicely written but just doesn't get into the mind of the dog.
September 19, 2020
Really a good book about a dog. I didn't think I would like it but I did. As a young dog he comes astray during late winter in northern Sweden but...read it yourself to find out the end!
It is translated to English: The dog; from Swedish by Linda Schenck and Rochelle Wright.
133 pages.
It is translated to English: The dog; from Swedish by Linda Schenck and Rochelle Wright.
133 pages.
July 28, 2019
Man ļoti. Tik ļoti, ka dikti dikti. Bet par visu dažos teikumos (lejpusē): https://gramatfoto.blogspot.com/2019/...
May 29, 2020
Viegla un ātri var izlasīt, bet visa grāmata ir aprakstošā formātā, kas nebija īsti manā gaumē, taču ja ir vēlme iejusties suņa ādā un izskrieties pa mežu, tad grāmata būs īstā.
February 5, 2023
One of the most beautifully and skillfully written books I've read in ages. Yes, it's told from the dog's perspective, but it's absolutely not "that kind" of a dog POV. A young dog gets lost in the Swedish wilderness. He fights to survive, learns how to eat and drink. He is both of nature and also experiences the harshness of nature's impersonal cruelty. The end is happy, but there is no moral to the story per se. It's simultaneously a meditation on independence and dependence, yet also feels completely "real" in terms of documenting how the dog sees the world.
August 7, 2025
En hund springer bort och vi får i sidor läsa om hur han överlever - utifrån hundens perspektiv. Intressant premiss men tyvärr ingen superhöjdare.
(Skolverkets och Kulturrådets läslistor för förskolan och skolan – Gymnasiet)
(Skolverkets och Kulturrådets läslistor för förskolan och skolan – Gymnasiet)
July 25, 2025
En særdeles fin fortelling om natur og kjærlighet. Språket er så klokt løst og jeg falt virkelig for siste setningen i boken. Nøyaktig hva jeg trengte, her jeg sitter på et forsinket tog med en svett tysker ved siden av meg
August 14, 2025
I've never read a book that manages to capture the voice and experience of an animal such as this one. A fantastic achievement!
July 4, 2024
Jeg gjør Anne B. Ragdes ord til mine: «Dypt rørende og uendelig vakker».
November 3, 2025
Så fin bok
Read
August 1, 2024En jättefin kort historia om en hund som tappat bort sig och naturen han lever i. Någon skrev att hon störde sig på det lyckliga slutet där hunden får en människa men jag känner att jag inte klarat av att ha det på något annat sätt i den här berättelsen.
June 1, 2021
Uppfriskande kortroman helt berättat ur en hunds perspektiv. Charmig, stundtals drabbande men känns som att något saknas. Eller kanske är det bara det (eventuellt? öppet för tolkning) lyckliga slutet som stör mig?
December 6, 2014
One day, in the depths of a Swedish winter, a little grey puppy gets lost in the woods. He had followed his mother as she followed the snow ski, but he couldn’t keep up. The owners searched for him. But they didn’t find him, and gave up, believing that he couldn’t have survived a night in the snow.
But he did. And although it was touch and go he survived the winter too.
This is the story of his life by himself and how he finally found his way home. I know, that could be a spoiler, but I know there are plenty of people who won’t read an animal book if they think it’ll end badly for the poor dog. So now you can feel safe and pick this one up.
Not that it is easy for the puppy of course. He must learn how to fend for himself. How to keep the fox neighbours from stealing his food. And he, in the course of surviving, picks up knocks and injuries.
It is a short book. Less than a hundred and fifty pages, and supposedly a classic in Sweden. I’m not Swedish, so I can’t comment on that.
But it is a lovely little story that is well worth reading. And for those of you who might be worried that it is overly sentimental, it isn’t. And there is no animal-thoughts, apart from the narrator telling the reader that the puppy felt hungry or angry, or what have you.
It certainly isn’t one I’d recommend to everyone, but at the same time I think that if you gave it a chance, anyone could enjoy it.
But he did. And although it was touch and go he survived the winter too.
This is the story of his life by himself and how he finally found his way home. I know, that could be a spoiler, but I know there are plenty of people who won’t read an animal book if they think it’ll end badly for the poor dog. So now you can feel safe and pick this one up.
Not that it is easy for the puppy of course. He must learn how to fend for himself. How to keep the fox neighbours from stealing his food. And he, in the course of surviving, picks up knocks and injuries.
It is a short book. Less than a hundred and fifty pages, and supposedly a classic in Sweden. I’m not Swedish, so I can’t comment on that.
But it is a lovely little story that is well worth reading. And for those of you who might be worried that it is overly sentimental, it isn’t. And there is no animal-thoughts, apart from the narrator telling the reader that the puppy felt hungry or angry, or what have you.
It certainly isn’t one I’d recommend to everyone, but at the same time I think that if you gave it a chance, anyone could enjoy it.
February 19, 2018
'When does something begin?'
'It doesn't begin. There's always something else before it.'
One of the finest opening sentences of a novel I have had the privilege of reading. The beginning of Kerstin Ekman's brilliant novella, 'The Dog.' A fable in which Ekman explores the nonpareil affinity between a man and a once domesticated dog that through, unfortunate circumstances whilst a pup, had over time, turned feral.
Ekman's novella is a unique and intelligent observation of loss, survival and ultimately salvation, seen through the eyes of a dog. Ekman's epicurean prose epitimises a writing style that lends itself perfectly in a unequivocal unification of fact and fable.
In summary, a piquant story encompassing how trust, respect and friendship must be earned and nurtured between both man and animal for mutual support and survival; against the biggest enemy--the harsh and unforgiving environment.
A wonderfull read, highly recommended.
'It doesn't begin. There's always something else before it.'
One of the finest opening sentences of a novel I have had the privilege of reading. The beginning of Kerstin Ekman's brilliant novella, 'The Dog.' A fable in which Ekman explores the nonpareil affinity between a man and a once domesticated dog that through, unfortunate circumstances whilst a pup, had over time, turned feral.
Ekman's novella is a unique and intelligent observation of loss, survival and ultimately salvation, seen through the eyes of a dog. Ekman's epicurean prose epitimises a writing style that lends itself perfectly in a unequivocal unification of fact and fable.
In summary, a piquant story encompassing how trust, respect and friendship must be earned and nurtured between both man and animal for mutual support and survival; against the biggest enemy--the harsh and unforgiving environment.
A wonderfull read, highly recommended.
August 19, 2021
I greatly enjoyed Ekman's prose. She writes in a sentimental yet fluid manner, which can be tricky to pull off -- sometimes it can end up boring, but I don't think that occurs here. This book reminded me a lot of White Fang but shorter and without the pain and cruelty. The story here follows an unnamed Norwegian Elkhound puppy who becomes separated from his mother and their owner while attempting to go hunting with them. Instead, he ends up stuck outside during a winter storm and must survive in the wild amongst other Scandinavian wildlife. The majority of the novel is about the puppy's survival, but he becomes re-domesticated when his owner finds him as an older dog. It seems very realistic insomuch as a human can tell the tale of a dog's thoughts and emotions.
The best part is, the dog lives at the end 🤗
The best part is, the dog lives at the end 🤗
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