Benjamin Dove

by Fridrik Erlings, Fridrik Erlings

As an adult, Benjamin Dove looks back on a childhood summer that changed his life forever. A summer when his new friend Roland, seemingly descended from the knights of the past, encouraged him to stand up for himself and for those he loves. It was a summer when he and his friends formed the Order of the Red Dragon that gave them a sense of identity and purpose in their turbulent world; a summer when innocent childhood games were torn apart by an almost inevitable tragedy. Benjamin Dove is a brilliantly conceived work of fiction, tinged with both light and dark humor. Disturbing themes are explored, from bullying to child abuse to rivalry, yet there is always a sense of a child's unbreakable spirit. Published to acclaim in 1992, Benjamin Dove has won several book awards, including the International Board on Books for Young People Award (the IBBY), The Icelandic Children's Book Award, and the Reykjavik City Children's Book Award. It has also been made into a feature length film of the same name, that went on to win awards at eight international film festivals. Benjamin Dove is a timeless story that explores such perennial and poignant themes that it is sure to become a modern-day classic. The New York Times calls it a ""best-selling, distinguished children's book.""

Genres: Coming Of Age, Young Adult, Middle Grade, Childrens, Realistic Fiction, Friendship

208 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1992

About the author

Friðrik Erlingsson

Fridrik Erlings was born in Reykjavik in 1962. From 1980 - '90 he worked as a graphic designer and illustrator. He was a guitar player and songwriter in two Icelandic rock bands; Purrkur Pillnik from '81-'83 and in '86 he founded the alternative rock band The Sugarcubes with Einar Orn and Bjork before leaving music to pursue writing.

Fridrik is the author of several novels, both Fiction and Young Adult novels. He's written numerous lyrics for contemporary pop and rock artists; he has written screenplays for film and television, the most recent the screenplay for 'Thor - Legends of Valhalla', the first feature length 3D-animation film made in Iceland. He has also lectured screenwriting at The Icelandic Film School.

Fridrik has written the libretto of a historical opera, 'Ragnheidur' composed by Iceland's musical legend Gunnar Thordarson.

Fridrik lives with his family in a small village in South-Iceland, right next to the volcano with the unpronounceable name, Eyjafjallajökull.

Reviews

[Ermocolle · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Prima di iniziare a leggere la storia che ho promesso di raccontarti, devi sapere che io mi sono chiesto se a te o ad altri ragazzi sarebbe piaciuto conoscere una storia ambientata nella realtà. La realtà è diversa da un racconto d'avventura. Nella realtà le cose accadono inaspettatamente: alcune sono belle e piacevoli, altre sono brutte e tragiche. Forse è per questo che mi ricordo così bene questa storia."

Un vecchio diario consunto, un papà che promette di raccontare una storia...
È così che si impara la vita.

[Katrín Möller Magnúsdóttir · Rating 5 out of 5]

Þessi bók á svo stóran stað í hjarta mínu, ég mun lesa hana oft í gegnum lífið

[Þóra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eyðilögð eftir endinn!!!

[Magnús Jochum Pálsson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Einfalt og kraftmikið.

[Stephen Hayes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Benjamin Dove and his friends Jeff and Manny meet Roland, a newcomer to their neighbourhood who inspires them with stories of knights and orders of chivalry to form the Order of the Red Dragon. They put down bullies and help people. Then a rival Order is formed, and loyalty and friendship are tested.

One thing that impressed me about it is that in many books in which children are shown with a close-knit group of friends, the protagonist group is good and it is up against the "bad guys", but in this one there are strains in the friendship, and people are shown as having mixed motives, and the "good buys" sometimes do bad things, and the "bad guys" sometimes do good things.

The author is Icelandic, but the setting seems English, and I wonder if it was adapted, rather than just translated, and made to fit into an English setting different from the original.

[Kirjasieppo · Rating 4 out of 5]

i've read this book twice aloud for my students, aged 12-13. Both times it left a lasting impact. It's a story that teaches hard lessons through seemingly meaningless incidents. The book creates good opportunities for discussion on choices and decisions and their effect our our own lives and those of others. I liked the fact that the book is easy to read, almost naive at times: this way it's not too hard for young readers to follow even the deeper themes.

[Haley Craig · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another thrift shop find for 20p.. I found it in the young adult/childrens section and knew I had to have it from reading the blurb..

Three time award winning book.. i can definitely see why as I was captivated from the first page. At only 212 pages in length it is relatively short but it gives just enough detail at the same time..

There is definitely a few side stories within the book, Howie's and Jeff's are interesting as is Grandma Dell's but the main story of the 4 boys is beautiful although tragic.. i would recommend this book but not for children as it was written.. some of the events are definitely more suited to a more mature audience.

[Pia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Noin kahdeksan vuotta sitten laitoin tämän kirjan lukulistalleni. Kannen ja kuvauksen perusteella mie ootin poikamaista seikkailua Islannissa, mutta sain sen lisäksi myös rankan ja väkivaltaisenkin tarinan siitä, miten tärkeää joukkoon kuuluminen ja hyväksytyksi tuleminen onkaan - ja miten kehnot pelikortit osalla meistä on.

Ritari Benjamin Kyyhkynen kuvaa mielettömän hienovireisesti poikaporukan dynamiikkaa. On kesä ja naapurustoon on muuttanut uusi poika, jonka myötä ystävykset perustavat ritarikunnan miekkoineen ja kilpineen. Tässä kehys tarinaan, joka kuvaa erityisen hienosti poikien päänsisäistä elämää. Huh, en muista hetkeen lukeneeni näin vaikuttavaa lanu-kirjaa.

[Sara Hlín · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lesin vegna ritgerðaskrifa sonarins. Falleg bók með góðan boðskap.

[Guðjón Bragason · Rating 5 out of 5]

Algerlega frábær bók fyrir unga sem aldna. Skil ekkert í mér að hafa ekki lesið hana fyrr.

[Rochy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Es la historia más tierna que he leído en lo que va del año.

[Eyrún Baldursdóttir · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alveg jafn góð og í minningunni

[Cory · Rating 5 out of 5]

NOT ony for young adults; in fact, ought to be considered mandatory reading for everybody! Excellent messages on life, love, death and God. It doesn't get deeper than this.

[boe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Still as magical and heartbreaking as ever x

[Margrét Birgisdóttir · Rating 5 out of 5]

Grét í 10 mínútur eftir að ég kláraði hana...er 24 ára gömul, þessi bók er frábær

[Emma Viktorsdóttir · Rating 4 out of 5]

Skemmtileg, spennandi, tilfinningarík, erfið og segir frá mismunandi fjölskyldumynstri. Góð bók til kennslu.

[Dabbi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Algjör klassík þessi geðveikt þema og drama!

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Benjamin, Jeff, and their somewhat younger friend Manny all live in the same ordinary neighborhood. Together they play ordinary games and try to avoid ordinary bullies, until a new friend moves to town: a Scottish boy named Roland, who doesn't care about football or other sports, but who inspires them with an interest in chivalry. The boys invent their own order of knighthood, fit themselves with appropriate costumes, and begin practicing swordplay in the park with wooden weapons and shields painted with their own heraldic devices - a two-headed eagle for Jeff, a lion for Roland, a unicorn for Manny, and yes, a dove for Benjamin.

Then their harmless little gang gets into trouble with a not-so-harmless one. A bully named Howie the Hood takes offense at them, commits an act of sickening cruelty, and suffers the vengeance of the young knights. Things don't get really confusing, though, until Howie the Hood risks his life to save Granny Adele, who is like a grandma to everyone in the neighborhood. While Howie rethinks his way of life and the other boys start a good-works campaign to benefit Granny Adele, a quarrel between the boys and a power vacuum in the bully's gang lead to the founding of a rival order of knights. When the Order of the Black Feather challenges Benjamin and his friends to a rumble, the weaknesses in even the best of boys combine to turn a well-intended game of make-believe into a vehicle for tragedy.

I could feel the heartbreak coming from a long way off, but the eloquently simple writing of this beautiful story pulled me along until its shape was revealed. My only quibble is that I thought the ending may be too abrupt, letting the main character get off too easily. It would have been interesting to see the consequences of the tragic climax explored in more detail. But maybe I'm a glutton for punishment.

This gentle, intriguingly structured story, written partly in Benjamin's first-person voice and partly in the third person, is the work of an Icelandic author sometimes cited as Fridrik Erlingsson. I think he writes primarily in Icelandic, but I could find no information about who (other than the author himself) might have translated this book into English. All I know about Erlingsson is that he used to play in a band featuring Bjork, that he writes screenplays for the Icelandic film industry, and that two more of his books are available in English: Fish in the Sky and Boy on the Edge.

[Shelley · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a really enjoyable easy read. It bought back fond childhood memories, playing make believe with my friends. Its a very thought provoking book and touches on a lot of subjects, mainly focusing on how people treat each other and the emotions it evokes from a child's point of view.

There's a really uplifting part where the children club together and get the community to help grandma Dell who's like the mother hen of the community. It was really refreshing to read, the power people have when they group together is very touching.

This book would have got a 4 because I really enjoyed reading it and I picked it up every night without fail and sailed through the chapters however the very sudden sad ending left a bit of a bitter taste with me. It was all going so nicely then all of a sudden something very tragic happens and the books over. It felt too rushed and left me with too many questions for it to warrant a 4/5. Its still worth the read if you fancy a nostalgic childhood feeling though.

[penelopewanders]

This was sent to me piggy back with another book from a bookcrossing friend. RABCKs are always such fun. This friend also knew that I teach, and thought this might be a good book to do with a class. I certainly appreciate that, and could imagine using it, although some of the language might be difficult for my EFL classes. The story itself was good - almost like a fairy tale - with evil characters as well, although I'll avoid creating a spoiler and not say more on that count. At one point I did have to put the book down as what I as reading then was a bit too depressing for an end of school year stressful week. Fortunately the story moves on.

[Reetta Saine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Taidan olla maailman ainoa lastenkirjastoihminen, joka ei muista lukeneensa tätä kirjaa. Lätkin itseäni päähän, koska tämä olisi ollut hurjaakin hurjempaa vinkkauskamaa kuutos-seiskoillekin.

Aloin lukemaan kertomusta ystävyydestä ja tarkoitus oli pistää kirja pohdittavaksi nelosille. En kyllä uskalla. Niin rankkaa kiusaamista ja monentasoista pahoinpitelyä vanhemman ja lapsen, ihmisen ja eläimen sekä lapsien välillä esiintyy. Pahinta on kuitenkin se, kuinka lukija päästetään kurkistamaan henkilöiden pään sisään, ja kuinka paljon pimeyttä, epä- ja toivoa, yritystä ja epäonnistumista sekä turhautumista ja pelkoa sieltä löytyy.

Yksi vaikuttavimmista lukemistani kirjoista ikinä. Huh!

[Georgia-Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was given this book by one of my Mams friends at a time when I was struggling, she said it would help me "understand". I kind of shrugged that off and left it unread for a substantial period of time before I finally picked it up.
It was light but it was beautiful. Specific quotes stick in my mind and the story feels raw in a certain respect. I think the thing I took away from this book the most was the importance of not dismissing people as "evil" or "bad", I loved the play on that towards the end. The idea of not being judgemental even when it's hard not to be is important and its stunningly conveyed in Benjamin Dove.

[Leslee · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn't really like this book...it was reviewed well and received the International Board on Books for Young People Award...so I kept reading it, hoping to "get to the good part." I never did. The author's writing style is not conducive to an immersive reading experience, he switches form first to third person and the shifts in perspective are jarring and pull me out of the narrative. Additionally, I was left with many unanswered questions when I closed the book.

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book as a prize at an English Festival I attended. I wasn't sure what to expect when I started it. It's different than what I normally read, but I decided to give it a shot anyway. I was pleased with the book. It's about a group of boys, but I still found it interesting because the characters' emotions were explained. Overall I'd give it a 3. I liked it. It wasn't bad, just wasn't quite my cup of tea.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can't remember what made me pick up this book, but I'm really glad I did. The only thing I didn't like was the sudden sad ending.

Four friends form the Order of the Red Dragon and imagine themselves to be knights on a quest to do good. Despite bullies and internal fighting, the Order really does make a difference in their neighborhood.

[Simone Vinson · Rating 1 out of 5]

I read this book a few years ago and I honestly did not like it at all. Though it probably meant to leave the reader feeling hopeful, all I felt was the exact opposite. To me, the story seemed unrealistic and needlessly depressing. I don't think it lacked potential- but in my opinion, it never followed through.

[Marya DeVoto · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this up at the library mostly because the Icelandic author is also a member of the Sugar Cubes, but it is pretty solid, readable YA boy's fiction of the kind that believes in pure hearts and redemption. The ending's a bit Terabithian.

[Jessica · Rating 2 out of 5]

At first I was enamored with the quaint language and sprightly characters in the book. But the way the text jumps back and forth between a third and first person is jarring and took me out of the story at times. Overall, it's a mystical fable that boys especially may enjoy.

[Sylvia · Rating 5 out of 5]

New boy on the block befriends 3 boys and they form a group of pretend knights fighting for justice and against injustice. A careful look at human nature and why people behave the way they do. A serious book - sad at the end.

[Milla · Rating 3 out of 5]

We read this in primary school, aged 11 or 12. That's more than ten years ago now so you can see what a lasting impact the story left. It's at times quite brutal, Ritari Benjamin Kyyhkynen (the Finnish title) must have been the most shocking book I had read so far and I read a lot as a child, too.