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Glahn
Boka er en omskrevet versjon av Knut Hamsuns roman Pan der handlingen foregår i Oslo og Asker på 1980-tallet.
- GenresFiction
258 pages
First published January 1, 1985
3 people are currently reading
28 people want to read
About the author
Knut Faldbakken
41 books19 followersFaldbakken studied psychology at Oslo University, and then worked as a journalist. He visited a number of countries, working variously as a bookkeeper, sailor, and factory worker, and began writing books in 1967 while living in Paris.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
April 10, 2021
I bought this in a second hand shop, and had never heard about the author. The text on the back cover caught my attention and for that I am happy. This is a gem of a novel. It is the love story between a teenage girl and a mature man. My first thoughts went to 'Lolita' by Vladimir Nabokov, but it is a totally different book. The story turns out to be a re-writing of the novel Pan by Knut Hamsun.
Thomas Glahn is a man seemingly roaming around without a goal. He meets and old friend, Mack, and his teenage daughter Edvarda. He is totally smitten by her from the first sight. Glahn is drawn into Mack's family life, with its mysterious relationships. Glahn has difficulties interpreting the relationship between Mack and his wife Eva. Although Glahn realises it is best to stay away from the family, it is like a magnet is drawing him in.
Glahn and Edvarda start a relationship which is not consummated until much later. Both are afraid to commit, and when they do, their commitments come at different times. Jealousy is a constant undercurrent. Although Glahn, at a first glance, seems to be a man rather sure of himself, he is lost in his feelings for Edvarda, and his own sexuality. Always looking for love, without really finding it.
Simultaneously, we understand that Glahn is in therapy. His psychiatrist encourages him to write down his thoughts and actions, and these talks interlopes with the ongoing story. It is only when we reach the end that we realise that things are not what they seem to be.
I learned, after reading the book, that Knut Faldbakken studied psychology at Oslo University. That is well visible in the construction of the novel, where he goes into the psyche of his characters, primarily Glahn and Mack. The ending, which came as a total surprise to me, gives another dimension to the love story and the actions of the main characters.
It is a novel to enjoy, partly due to the psychological delusions. However, you don't really realise the scope of the story until you have finished reading. It is not a difficult read, on the contrary. Although given the emotional depths with which it deals, it is a comparably easy read.
Thomas Glahn is a man seemingly roaming around without a goal. He meets and old friend, Mack, and his teenage daughter Edvarda. He is totally smitten by her from the first sight. Glahn is drawn into Mack's family life, with its mysterious relationships. Glahn has difficulties interpreting the relationship between Mack and his wife Eva. Although Glahn realises it is best to stay away from the family, it is like a magnet is drawing him in.
Glahn and Edvarda start a relationship which is not consummated until much later. Both are afraid to commit, and when they do, their commitments come at different times. Jealousy is a constant undercurrent. Although Glahn, at a first glance, seems to be a man rather sure of himself, he is lost in his feelings for Edvarda, and his own sexuality. Always looking for love, without really finding it.
Simultaneously, we understand that Glahn is in therapy. His psychiatrist encourages him to write down his thoughts and actions, and these talks interlopes with the ongoing story. It is only when we reach the end that we realise that things are not what they seem to be.
I learned, after reading the book, that Knut Faldbakken studied psychology at Oslo University. That is well visible in the construction of the novel, where he goes into the psyche of his characters, primarily Glahn and Mack. The ending, which came as a total surprise to me, gives another dimension to the love story and the actions of the main characters.
It is a novel to enjoy, partly due to the psychological delusions. However, you don't really realise the scope of the story until you have finished reading. It is not a difficult read, on the contrary. Although given the emotional depths with which it deals, it is a comparably easy read.
May 15, 2017
Erotic? I don't think so. All I found in this book was romaticised promiscuity paired with a touch of insanity. Repetetive motives, metaphors and patterns of behaviour (mostly sexual) of the anti-hero Thomas Glahn made it impossible for me to really get caught in the story. One good thing about it, though, was that it's a really fast read (exactly what I want from course literature). I might try another book by Faldbakken some day, but this one? Not quite my cup of tea.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews