Den första stenen

by Carsten Jensen, Fredrik Ekelund (Translator)

Den första stenen är en roman om människor fångade i kriget, om förlust och död, om kärlek, vänskap, förräderi och katastrof.

Journalisten och författaren Carsten Jensen slog igenom på 90-talet som reseskildrare, bland annat från Afghanistan som han besökte första gången 1988 och som han sedan återvänt till under fyra decennier. Sina erfarenheter och upplevelser i detta land – drabbat av ett krig som aldrig tycks ta slut – har han omvandlat till en mäktig och tankeväckande roman om krigets många ansikten och framför allt om vad kriget gör med de människor som deltar i det med sina egna kroppar.

I centrum för berättelsen står en grupp unga män och kvinnor som anmält sig till att delta i kriget i Afghanistan, drivna av ett behov av att utmana sig själva under extrema förhållanden. Men snart står de inför prövningar som ingen militär träning har förberett dem på, och överlevnad mot alla odds blir deras enda uppdrag. Avskurna från omvärlden och förlorade i okänt territorium, är de på jakt efter en övermäktig fiende. Rollerna som förföljare och förföljda skiftar oavbrutet, tills de inte längre kan skilja gott från ont, vän från fiende, verklighet från fantasi. Den slutliga uppgörelsen tvingar dem till en uppgörelse också med sig själva.

Genres: Fiction, War, Historical Fiction, Danish, Denmark, Military Fiction, Contemporary

653 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2015

About the author

Carsten Jensen was born 1952. He first made his name as a columnist and literary critic for the Copenhagen daily Politiken, and has written novels, essays and travel books.

Jensen was awarded the Golden Laurels for "I Have Seen the World Begin" and the Danske Banks Litteraturpris, Denmark’s most prestigious literary award, for "We, the Drowned."

Reviews

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding tale about the moral corruption of war as told from the perspective of a Danish platoon in the Afghanistan War. The soldiers are green, eager to prove themselves in battle or to make a difference, but they lack family models for military prowess given that for over 100 years the only combat the Danes had as a nation was a resistance to Hitler’s invasions that lasted only a few days. They are in a forward camp with Brits in the Hellmand Province around 2009, a time when the so-called Petraeus Doctrine was in play, which featured counterinsurgency and nation-building work to garner “Hearts and Minds” of the Afghan people (e.g. support of infrastructure, schools and clinics). As covered in the Brad Pitt movie about field commander General McKrystal, “War Machine”, the soldiers were constrained to firing only in defense and only against armed opponents, a hard policy to follow in the face of IEDs, sniper fire, and Taliban mixing with the civilian population.

Jensen’s four main voices in his story come from ordinary walks of life—the private, Hannah, who comes from an aimless life pursuing weightlifting and rollerblading and inhabits a tough persona undermined by feelings inadequacy; the medic, Simon, a pragmatic but selfless butcher’s son, who thrives on a sense of family among the platoon’s “band of brothers”; the sergeant Schroder, who was a video game designer and now applies relevant experience of team leadership and problem-solving strategies; and the colonel and platoon leader Steffensen, whose background as a city councilor gives him confidence in balancing military and political agendas. Other main characters include a chaplain who pumps up the spirit of his soldier flock with a religious and romantic blend of memes resembling that of the Crusades, an educated Afghan woman refugee seeking a son being brainwashed by the Taliban into jihad, and a CIA operative working undercover as made possible from his background as a Afghan immigrant to the U.S. as a child.

This is not a typical combat situation against soldiers, such as that portrayed in Junger’s nonfiction account “War”, about American troops at the remote “tip of the spear” outpost in the mountainous northeast. Here military patrols to take out Taliban insurgents are a sideline to attempts by the occupying forces to stabilize relations and support for town governments and independent warlords and their militia. The fictional plot is mostly about how good intentions go awry due to ignorant self-righteousness and poor understanding of a culture used as a pawn in the conflicts of powerful nations for centuries. For example, Steffenson works to place a cooperative man as a town’s chief of police and contracts with a warlord to secure checkpoints around their base. The Afghans can only see these efforts as typical gamesmanship in the context of the corruption endemic in their society. A simple breech in relations between Steffensen and the police chief leads to the warlord addressing the problem by directing the latter’s assassination. These and other misunderstandings with the warlord escalate out of control and end up in an airstrike on his compound, killing many children and women in the process.

The major thread of the novel has to do with one man of the platoon collaborating with the Taliban on an ambush that takes out most of the platoon and the capture of the handful of survivors. The fate of the captives makes for a compelling tale, bringing out the humanity of all players and the tough moral dilemmas faced by participants and bystanders in this long and brutal war. I found the novel well crafted and on the same level of satisfaction and impact as Marlantes’ novel on the Vietnam War, “Matterhorn.” The experience made me interested in pursuing Jensen’s well received prior novel, “We, the Drowned”.

I now share some sample quotes to convey some of the power of Jensen’s prose. The first captures why one platoon private, Adrian (aka Sidekick), has taken up the task of documenting as much as possible of the platoon’s activities on a video camera:
He knows firsthand how therapeutic it is to hold an automatic rifle in your hands—a profane feeling of immortality. As if the rifle guarantees that what happens to others will never happen to you. The world can’t kill you. You’re deaths equal. Maybe a camera makes you feel the same way.

In the following sample, Sergeant Schroeder lets his hair down a bit after a lover’s tryst with Hannah:
No one can stand it that their death or survival might be determined by chance. But that’s all that life is. People with vison and talent don’t need luck. Only the incompetent do. An idiot once wrote that everyone in the trenches ends up believing in God. … No one gets religion in the trenches. They become superstitious, which is something entirely different. …We worship luck to hide shame in our own inadequacy.

Simon, the medic, here pauses while desperately attending to wounded but strangely quiet civilians after an airstrike to feel the big picture:
He can’t endure their silence. …It’s like watching the surf silently pound the coast, or a seabed exposed for inexplicable reasons, perhaps to warn of an impending tsunami. That’s Afghanistan—an exposed seabed of wounded bodies—a country stretching in all directions like an endless plain of suffering.

In my final example, certain tragic events experienced by the platoon members have led the chaplain to changed his style of homily from bucking them up on their mission as defense of family and goodness to an Old Testament kind of message:
Today you have witnessed the Lord’s wrath. He has shown us what Judgment Day means to him. Not the day when the sheep are separated from the goats, or the just from the unjust, but the day when he slaughters as he pleases. …The all powerful executioner awaits all of you, turning the world to one big execution. Today, the Lord has let his mask fall, revealing his hatred to the very world he breathed life into.

This book was provided for review by the publisher through the Netgalley program.

[Tanja Berg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating 4* out of 5, "really liked it". Well. I'm not sure that's the right word. I admire the author and the book was absolutely an earth-shattering experience. But like? This was not an enjoyable book to read. I felt like a frog in a pan of water set to boil, becoming more and more uncomfortable but not realizing that perhaps it was time to jump out. So now I'm a bloated frog, floating belly-up.

This book, "the first stone", directly translated, is an extremely well-written book about Danish sodiers in Afghanistan. It follows a troop from arrival, to a few failed expeditions, to betrayal and utter catastrophy. It depicts the war in the most unglamorous fashion. There are guts and gore galore. No one can win. There is no right and wrong, only human misery moving in a landscape of ash gray. The depictions of the lives of women and children is skilfully drawn. There is a plot and a purpose, none of which I ever guessed at. Brilliantly terrible. I will remember this book.

[Dax · Rating 3 out of 5]

Modern warfare novels are not my favorite. They tend to have bad dialogue and suffer from cliches. Jensen’s novel avoids both for the most part, and you can recognize the good writing that was on display with ‘We, the Drowned’. I also appreciate how much of the novel is focused on his characters’ interior struggles, rather than concentrating on the bullets, blood and guts (although there is plenty of that as well). The novel also benefits from Jensen’s four decades spent in and around Afghanistan. His familiarity with the region is obvious.

That being said, the plot is ridiculous. The first half is your typical war novel, and then we are given a twist that makes you sit up with anticipation. This could be something fresh. And it is certainly a unique storyline, but the second half strays off target with the Dark Sky episode and the who’s on whose side bit.

An up and down novel. That being said, go read Jensen’s ‘We, the Drowned’ asap. He is a tremendously talented writer, this story just wasn’t my favorite. I can call it good, but it’s a low three stars.

[Calzean · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a hard book to rate. At times the storyline seemed a bit silly, too concocted, a bit far fetched. Then there were times when the horror of the war in Afghanistan was told in the most brutal, but probably realistic, manner. The stupidity of war, the impact on the Afghan people, the harshness of blood leads to more blood, the confusion of the Danes, the aggression of the US forces and the question of why are all included.
The tale revolves around a platoon of Danish soldiers who are unknowingly lead by a rogue officer. They find in the end they can only trust themselves as they witness and undergo massacres, duplicity, attacks by US forces and a trial by the Taliban.

[☘Misericordia☘ ⚡ϟ⚡⛈⚡☁ ❇️❤❣ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Intriguing war propaganda.

Q:
“You can’t decide whether or not you’re going to sweat,” says the platoon leader. “Just like you can’t choose whether you’ll be constipated or have the runs. Your body is like a car with no steering wheel. There’s no gear stick, clutch, brakes, or gas pedal. You’re passengers in a vehicle you have no control over.” (c)
Q:
He calls Denmark the White Zone: a place where hearts beat in lazy, measured harmony, sixty to eighty times a minute, where life is lived half asleep, satisfied and defenseless. You face an armed man and beg for your life instead of smashing his larynx. The White Zone is for sheep. (c)
Q:
When you can taste blood and hear your heart pounding in your ears—that’s when you’ll know you’re finished. (с)
Q:
They’re all winners. That’s how they think of themselves—not because they expect to win a war that’s already lasted so many years. They’re winners because they’ve made it this far. (с)
Q:
The Afghans seem biblical to them, like survivors from another age, possessed of a stubbornness that’s difficult to distinguish from hostility. (c)
Q:
“I’m here to make a difference.” There’s just enough irony in Schrøder’s voice to indicate that they shouldn’t take his answer too seriously. (c)
Q:
Personally, she thinks a well-toned body is usually a sign of loneliness. (c)
Q:
That’s how she got hers before becoming a soldier: rollerblading alone on steep ramps, wearing a heavy pair of Aggressive Inliners; alone on the edge that second before jumping down the vert ramp’s five-meter-high, almost vertical side; alone with torn ligaments, aching knees, twisted ankles; and alone with the triumph when completing a full 720 degrees in the air. (c)
Q:
There was discipline, but as long as she understood its necessity, she didn’t mind. (c)
Q:
“Seriously.” Hannah is smiling. “Do you guys have happy hour over there in the container? Are you all jerking off together?” (c)
Q:
“I was tired of shooter games with bald psychopaths. I wanted to do something big—like World of Warcraft or Halo. A game that would make you feel you’re part of something bigger than yourself. You know what I mean?” (c)
Q:
Having spent two years as a member of the Sirius Patrol in Northeast Greenland, he looks like a polar scientist—and polar scientists from another century with heavily bearded faces framed by sealskin caps appear on the covers of the pile of books he keeps beside his bed. There’s a quality of reticence about him, as if he has imbibed the silence of the icy wasteland. (c)
Q:
“I’m afraid you’re going to have to give our local idiot here an extra lesson in first aid.”
“Why not just give him a ticket home? (c)
Q:
In such a lawless land, every agreement is, by nature, informal. It involves faith and mutual benefit, along with an unsentimental assessment of the other party’s strengths and weaknesses. No one is either weak or strong. All people are complex, and so their destinies are entwined. (c)
Q:
“Yes,” says the warlord, “we all support democracy here in Afghanistan. Democracy is the best form of government.” (c)
Q:
“Being a warlord is over. It’s a word the West doesn’t like. They think you’re a wild man, running all over the desert with a bunch of armed bandits. We have to find words they know and value in the West. I suggest we call you ‘director’ and rename your militia a ‘security firm.’ If you agree, we just have to find a name for the firm so we can register it. I can help with the paperwork.” (c)
Q:
Outsourcing is the magic answer every time a problem demands a new solution. It means a reduction in costs, a transfer of responsibility, and most importantly—when policy is most effective—opaqueness. You start by turning the cleaning of a nursing home over to a private cleaning company, and you end by privatizing the entire nursing home. If something goes wrong, it’s the firm’s fault—not the city council’s.
Now he’s outsourcing the war to his friend Naib Atmar and his militia. (c)

[Nene La Beet · Rating 5 out of 5]

Det her er uden tvivl det bedste, Carsten Jensen har skrevet. Altså, jeg har jo ikke læst ALT, hvad han har skrevet, men nok til, at jeg friskt tør påstå det. Jeg var ikke overdrevent vild med hans forrige skønlitterære værk, Vi, De Druknede, som jeg fandt en anelse langtrukken, men denne er, på trods af sin murstensstørrelse (624 s), ikke det mindste langtrukken. Jeg læste den som e-bog, så tænkte ikke så meget over størrelsen, før jeg stod med den i hånden hos boghandleren, fordi jeg købte den som gave til en ven efter at have læst den færdig.

Krigen i Afghanistan kan der faktisk ikke skrives nok om. Da slet ikke efter, at vores begavede regering har aflyst undersøgelseskommissionen, som ikke bare kritiske forfattere, men også soldater fra alle rangklasser ellers efterlyser. Og Jensen skriver her, som havde han djævlen i hælene – hvilket han på sin vis selv føler, at han har, fordi det er så sindssygt vigtigt at få fortalt, hvordan moderne krigsførelse egentlig foregår.

Det, der gør denne bog til et slag midt mellem øjnene på Jensens mange kritikere, er, at han er 100% solidarisk med de soldater, han beskriver. Også dem, der gør dumme ting. Som krigsmodstander hører man ofte, at man “forråder” de danske soldater, når man kritiserer krigsførelsen. Men nu er det jo sådan, at soldaterne derude i ørkenen, enten gør, hvad de har fået besked på, eller det, som de opfatter som underforstået. Begge dele fører helt til toppen, i dette tilfælde til det danske Folketing, der har sendt dem i krig i fjerne lande.

Tilbage til bogen: Den er velskrevet, veldokumenteret og med en spændingskurve, der tager pusten fra de fleste kriminalromaner. Altså, en roman om vores krigsførelse i Afghanistan, der er åndeløst spændende!

Det er ikke en hemmelighed, at jeg ikke kan tåle Weekend-Avisens litteratur-anmelder Lars Bukdahl. Og nu mindre end nogensinde. Det er da okay, hvis man ikke kan lide Jensens bog, men Bukdahl kalder den fx for “kunstnerisk armodig”, forævlet og konservativ. Og, dette er et citat, “Jensen skriver som en brækket arm”. Enhver som nogensinde har læst et essay eller et andet avisindlæg af Jensen ved jo, at det ikke er sandt. Jeg har da læst romaner, der var mere elegante i deres sprogbrug, men kun sjældent på dansk. Og skal man skrive poetisk og elegant om død og ødelæggelse? Eller skal man skrive i et sprog, der passer til handlingen?

Noget tyder på, at Den Første Sten (en usædvanlig rammende titel på flere niveauer) kommer til at ligge under mange juletræer. Det er godt.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Den første sten er en udholdenhedskonkurrence. Hvis det lykkes én at komme igennem den, har man intet valg end at sige, at man godt kunne lide den. Ellers er man nødt til at forholde sig til, at man har spildt flere uger af sit liv." (lettere omskrevet citat fra The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry) Carsten Jensens bog er simpelthen alt, alt for lang, og den er et klokkeklart bevis på, at kvantitet ikke er lig med kvalitet. Der er ingen tvivl om, at Jensen har ønsket at skrive bogen om krig, men det er ikke lykkedes ham. Måske fordi han selv synes at være så forhippet på at få det til at gå i opfyldelse.

[Keith · Rating 5 out of 5]

The First Stone is a story of the Afghani war. It centers around a platoon of Danish NATO troops with a point to make – they are soldiers like every other soldier in Afghanistan. Denmark is a country that lost the war to Germany in 4 hours. They are on a mission to prove themselves and their country.

The story is fictional, but the conditions are real. Afghanistan is real. The tribal factions, the open and sever misogyny, the cruelty, the religious fanaticism, and the willingness to die -- are all real. The country is real and unforgiving. So is Helmand and Camp Price, where the story begins.

The (Danish) writer is a journalist that has made many trips to Afghanistan and spent time in those places and writes from the position of any eyewitness to all that Afghanistan ever was and ever will be.

The story is complicated, tragic and graphic. The soldiers begin tentatively, then they have casualties. Death of their brothers in arms is something they are not prepared to accept. They came to help, but it now they find themselves facing death. They are afraid, as is everyone in war. But they continue on.

Through much of the first part of the book, there is a build up of tension as the commander of the Danes meets with, and tries to understand and guide, the local power structure -- including the leaders in the city and the warlord that control much of the area. He fails and is rejected. Because of his failure and being shamed, he exacts horrible revenge against those that embarrassed him. His actions cause the deaths of many innocents and sets in motion the improbable narrative that follows through the rest of the book.

Events following that action lead to the betrayal and loss of many solders. Worse, they were betrayed by one of their own. The survivors spend much of the remaining story tracking down the one that betrayed them. In doing so, they enter a world they can scarcely understand and are required to make sacrifices of themselves and their core beliefs in order to survive. The cost of revenge is high, and, more importantly, would it be worth it?

My takeaway is that there are no winners. None. This is one of the few books that kept me thinking for days.

[Ulla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another stellar and intriguing novel from Carsten Jensen's hand. Not quite as good as We, the Drowned, but still an excellent read. The story is fast-paced, unpredictable and at times shocking - certainly a bit too bloody for my taste. But then it is ultimately a book about war; a war story that takes some very unexpected turns along the way, and leaves you worried about the human race.

[Agnieszka Hofmann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ein Buch, das einen erschüttert, ermüdet und etwas ratlos zurücklässt. Das jedoch, was von der Qualität dieses Buches zeugt, sind nicht all die drastischen Beschreibungen von abgetrennten Körperteilen, heulenden Frauen, Staub und Wüste, sondern Gespräche mit den Afghani, die einen Einblick in deren Mentalität geben, sowie die Frage nach Schuld und Sühne in dieser Welt, in der die Gewaltspirale nie endet.
Ich bin froh, dass ich die Lektüre dieses Buches endlich hinter mir habe, aber ich bin auch froh, es gelesen zu haben.

[Captain Sir Roddy, R.N. (Ret.) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having family that have served in Afghanistan several times now, I read this novel with interest. First, it gives an American reader a perspective of the War on Terror from a European context, specifically that of Denmark. This is a brutal look at war, and the Afghanistan war in particular. There are no winners, only losers. I remember reading Jake Tapper's non-fiction account, "The Outpost" a few years ago, and being left with the same feeling--these wars in the Middle East, fought on purely western terms and conditions cannot end well, either for those in the region or in meeting American national security objectives. Jensen's novel only reinforces this feeling for me.

[Simen Sletsjøe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Helt rå bok. Spesielt i lys av USA/NATOs katastrofale tilbaketrekningen sommeren 2021, som sannsynligvis skjedde nær 20 år for sent.
Boka er Le Bureau møter Carsten Jensens reisereportasjer; fortalt på en måte som ligner mer på The Wire enn Homeland; protagonisten er den danske troppen og antagonisten er selve den vestlige krigsinnsatsen personifisert gjennom en helt vill danske. Med det premisset er boka enn herlig fortelling om en mislykket krig, at det blir konvensjonell thriller med ganske enkle karakterer mot slutten gjør derfor ikke så mye, også fordi det er sykt spennende.

Neste bok ut i Afgansk måned er «Bokhandleren fra Kabul» og deretter Khalid Nawisa «Den andre siden av verden».

[Tore Olsen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Veldig sterk historie fra Afghanistan om en dansk militærtropp. Den inneholder det meste, riktignok ingen bok for sarte sjeler, men den overrasker og overgår egne forventninger hva gjelder spenning, plott og de indre samtalene som skjer kontinuerlig. Du tror det er over lenge før det egentlig er over. Vil lese mer av denne forfatteren!

[Havers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Im Januar 2002 beschliesst das Dänische Parlament die Beteiligung an der Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. Erster Einsatzort der Soldaten ist Kabul, später kommt eine weitere Einheit im Nordosten des Landes dazu, und ab 2006 sind dänische Streitkräfte auch in der Unruheprovinz Helmand an der Grenze zu Pakistan stationiert. Offiziell beendet wird der Einsatz der Dänen Mitte 2013.

Carsten Jensen, Autor, politischer Journalist und Professor für Kulturanalyse, steht diesem militärischen Engagement des Westens von Beginn an sehr kritisch gegenüber, hat er sich doch bei zahlreichen Reisen nach Afghanistan vor Ort von dessen Sinnlosigkeit überzeugen können. In seinem mehrfach ausgezeichneten neuen Roman „Der erste Stein“ packt er seine Eindrücke sowie die Reflexionen dazu in 638 Seiten, in denen er das Leben einer 26-köpfigen Gruppe von Soldaten, 25 Männer und eine Frau, während ihres Einsatzes im Süden Afghanistans beschreibt.

Jede/r hat nicht nur ihre/seine eigene Geschichte mit ins Camp gebracht, sondern auch ihre/seine Vorstellung von Krieg. Für die eine/n ist es ein „Ballerspiel“ wie es Rasmus Schrøder, der charismatische Leader, in seinem früheren Leben entwickelt hat. Für andere wiederum ist das Soldat sein ein Job wie jeder andere, und wenn die Mission erfüllt oder die Zeit abgeleistet ist, ziehen sie die Uniform aus und kehren zurück in die Heimat. Illusorisch zu glauben, sie könnten ihr altes Leben wieder aufnehmen als ob nichts geschehen wäre.

Die Tage schleichen dahin, Monotonie bestimmt den Alltag, Spannung liegt in der Luft. Warten auf den Krieg, der in seiner Unbarmherzigkeit schneller zuschlägt als gedacht. Zwei Kameraden sterben, und von da an scheint es, als ob ein Schalter umgelegt worden wäre. Gewalt greift um sich, die Moral bleibt auf der Strecke, die Beziehungen untereinander verändern sich. Empathie und Nähe scheinen Fremdwörter zu sein. Das Beste und/oder das Schlechteste von jedem einzelnen kommt zum Vorschein. Niemand ist frei von Schuld und jeder nimmt Schaden an seiner Seele.

Der Autor richtet den Blick weniger auf die äußeren Ereignisse als vielmehr auf die Auswirkungen, die diese auf das Verhalten des Einzelnen haben. Wobei natürlich sowohl Jensen als auch dem Leser bewusst ist, dass heutige Kriege nicht mehr Mann gegen Mann sondern durch den Einsatz von Drohnen eher in Computerspielmanier geführt werden.

Mit „Der erste Stein“ ist Carsten Jensen ein beeindruckender Antikriegsroman gelungen, in dem Helden keinen Platz haben. Vergleichbar mit Erich Maria Remarques „Im Westen nichts Neues“, für mich noch immer das Maß aller Dinge, was dieses Genre angeht. Nachdrückliche Leseempfehlung!

[Mandy · Rating 2 out of 5]

It’s easy to overlook the fact, here in the UK, that other nations have fought in Afghanistan as well, and that Denmark too was one of those who joined the coalition to secure the country from the Taliban. In this novel we see the conflict from the Danish perspective, although in war nationality matters little – the effects and consequences on the combatants are always the same. We are introduced to members of a platoon stationed in Helmand Province, a group of young people, and we are graphically reminded of what war does to combatants and civilians alike, what happens to people in extreme situations. So far so good – I have no reason to think this is anything other than a realistic and faithful depiction. However, I simply couldn’t engage with the book. For a start the protagonists seem types rather than fully-rounded characters. They are all overly articulate and speak in long speeches and clichés. The description of the Afghans seemed stereotypical and their savagery seemed to know no bounds. I found there was just too much violence overall and the descriptions unnecessarily graphic. There was also too much exposition, with every abbreviation spelt out even when the meaning was clear. Too many subplots dilute the narrative and in the end I lost interest. Just not one for me, this tale of brutality and war, and I gained little from it.

[Jørgen Pedersen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Første 2/3 af bogen er virkelig fremragende. Et sublimt indtryk af Afganistan-krigens absurditet / herunder det danske militærs tilstedeværelse - formålsløst . Dette får på bedste måde kød og blod i fortællingen
Sidste 1/3 bliver - meget irriterende - for meget
Som om forfatteren - opfyldt af sin succes med første 2/3 - rendyrker absurditeten - og så bliver det for meget / for sort / og for grotesk !!!

[Birgitte Bach · Rating 4 out of 5]

http://bachsbooks.blogspot.dk/2016/01...

[LJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

A raw, unvarnished take on the complexities of war and the human mind. Carsten Jensen presents subject matter that is dark, forces introspection and reflection, through his presentation of events in this compelling book. A sometimes inspectful read, complete with shocking, visceral battle results, it can make you gasp. While the subject matter is one for careful thought and consideration, this is a conversation that is always in the public conciousness, and more often than not, manipulated by the media and private interests. This book asks, requires more importantly, in us, as individuals, to reflect and decide our individual views and mindset. A thought provoking book. Thank you, Carsten Jensen.

[sharon mason]

Pain comes after experience, knowledge and consideration.

Yes this is a war story but probably not one you're expecting. A Danish platoon goes out on parole in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. They do not return. The Platoon's leader is one of the missing. Everyone thinks there are no witnesses but one soldier with a video camera in hand does arrive in camp, disheveled, silent and in severe traumatic shock. What the camera reveals is unvarnished horror, betrayal and death. From this point in the novel the path becomes rocky, strewn with mountains, hot blazing desert and unpredictable rocks and stones. The stones are both inside the hearts of the searchers and in the dusty paths they must follow. What's the cost of survival? That's where the greater pain comes in. If you're an advocate for duty, justice or revenge, this is a reading experience just for you!

[Harris · Rating 4 out of 5]

I saw this book a few months ago, but decided to try his prior book "We, the Drowned" because of all the high ratings and my love of seafaring books. I gave up after about 5 pages.
Despite that, I picked this up and was really impressed with both the writing and the translation. It was interesting to read a book through the eyes of Danish soldiers. The book had really good pacing, but is not recommended for those who don't like violence or gore.

[Kristy Bardwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this book

Omg I just wrote a super long review of this and it disappeared before posting. Recap... Best book re Afghanistan, Taliban, war. Someone really needs to make this into a movie.

[Rahul Phatak · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book covers the Afghanistan war in the same detailed, emotional and uncomfortable way Khaled Hosseini covers Afghan families.

The writing seemed a bit stilted but maybe that was due to the translation.
Warning: Very NSFW

[Eva Ulland · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enestående!

[Hans Peter Madsen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Carsten Jensens sprog pendulerer dramatisk mellem det meget, meget velskrevne — og så det, der i så høj grad stræber efter at være velskrevet, at det falder sammen under sin egen vægt og bliver kitsch:

"Det er den dag, det hele går galt. Det må gå galt. Før eller siden. Det ved alle. Det er selve definitionen på krig. Gud ler ad den, der lægger planer. Du må improvisere."

Det er ret gennemgående for Carsten Jensens sprog, at han egentlig har fat i noget fint — her den staccatoagtige indsigt i, at det må gå galt — men så bliver ved med at læsse på, til det bliver for meget — her fra "Det er selve definitionen på krig" og frem.

Sådan er bogen måske også som helhed. Over 600 sider er i hvert fald meget. Men det har også sine fordele, og her viser Carsten Jensen sin fremmeste styrke: Der er plads til det, romangenren synes at være skabt til — at komme ind under huden på adskillige karakterer og få præsenteret vidt forskellige, modstridende verdensbilleder, der sættes mere og mere på spidsen frem mod et gedigent klimaks.

Hos Jensen er der både plads til indlevelse i soldaterne og deres mange forskellige grunde til at gå i krig, fra god løn, til spænding, til en generel rodløshed i tilværelsen; plads til den øverstkommanderende oberst Steffensen og hans tyrkertro på egne evner til at arbejde pragmatisk; og til efterretningsagenten Khaiber og hans alt andet end naive idealisme.

Men den fremmeste styrke ved Jensens evne til at indlemme forskellige synsvinkler er, at soldaterne bliver tvunget til det samme. Uden at spoile for meget kan jeg godt sige, at da 3. deling, som vore hovedpersoner er del af, kommer ud for de sværest tænkelige prøvelser, viser det sig, at de kun kan overleve i Afghanistan ved også at sætte sig ind i den civile afghaners synsvinkel. Her adskiller Carsten Jensen sig fra mange af de andre danske forfattere, der har skrevet om Afghanistan-krigen: Mens de loyalt mod de danske soldater, de fortæller om, har beskrevet soldatens syn på afghaneren, tvinger Carsten Jensen sine hovedpersoner ud i en situation, hvor de må nuancere dette syn eller dø. Mon ikke hans politiske håb er, at læseren i samme ombæring tvinges til at nuancere sit syn på krigen?

Derfor synes Den første sten i høj grad at være den roman, Klaus Rothstein året før dens udgivelse efterlyste i Soldatens år — den roman, der tør beskrive Afghanistan-krigen i sammenhæng, tør have det politiske perspektiv med. — På flere planer, fra internationale aktørers makropolitik til oberst Steffensens mikropolitik, til de politiske konsekvenser, der ligger i den enkelte soldats daglige beslutning om at skyde eller lade være.

Og dette politiske billede virker langt hen ad vejen troværdigt og veltænkt, omend jeg altså ikke er overbevist af klicheen om den bumsebefængte nørd, der hacker Pentagon fra sin mors kælder — en kliche, som den veldrejede spændingsskrue med tiden kommer til at afhænge af. Men derudover står roman som et mylder af ideologier uden lette svar, men med én klar anklage: Det nytter ikke noget at gå i krig i et land, som man ikke orker at forsøge at forstå.

https://endnuenbogblog.blogspot.com/

[Borghild · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay, this book is really just huge. Both physically, it's over 600 pages, but also story vise. This story is just so powerful, and strong. And no, it's definitely not a walk on roses, this is a hard book to read at times, mostly because it's so real. I would definitely recommend you go read it, but be prepared, there are a lot of strong and not so nice scenes, to put it nicely. But at the same time you learn so much from this book, so go read it.

This book follows a danish troop, but they might as well have been Norwegian, and thus it's easy to relate to the story. All of the soldiers whats to put their training to action in the war zone that is Afghanistan. But they soon learn that this is not a war between only two sides. There are no heroes in this war. When the soldiers don't get to fight, as they came here to do, they grow restless. At the same time, the commander in chief tries to navigate his way in the afghan politics, to stabilize the area. Just when he thinks he's mastered the task, things come crumbling down around him, and he realizes he knows next nothing after all. The soldiers are jittering for action, but not the action they get. Their officer, a man they thought they knew, turns out to be a traitor. The rest of the troop sets out to get revenge on their fallen brothers, a journey where foe and friend becomes mixed up, good and bad are irrelevant. The troop goes off the radar, and goes missing. No knows where they are, or whether they're still alive. Kahiler, a man from the danish intelligence company, is sent down with a mission to find the danish troop and get them home alive. And also bring the traitor, Schrønder, back. Turns out they 've all been playing in his game. If the danish troop wants to get home alive they have to do things they never imagined, and even then it's going to be hard.

This is an action filled novel for sure. But not only that, this novel also paints a pretty realistic picture of how the war in Afghanistan is. It's very interesting to read. What I loved most about this book is how realistic it is, and how much inside information you get out of it. It's clear that the author has experience in Afghanistan in the way he paints such a clear and realistic picture of it. I loved learning about how the afghan society worked, the politics and the people, and also how the army, the soldiers and everything worked. of course, this is a novel, but the author has been in Afghanistan himself, and he's also got a lot of information from soldiers who've been there, so I think it's safe to say that it's pretty realistic, how he describes it.

Another think I really appreciated in this book was the language. All the similies and metaphors, and how he tells the story in such a brilliant and real way. That was so great.

I really liked this book, mostly because I felt that I learned a lot from it, and because of how brilliantly it's written. I definitely recommend reading it.

[Steven Z. · Rating 4 out of 5]

After eighteen years of combat in Afghanistan the war grinds on. The Taliban has reemerged, and it appears that a negotiated solution with some sort of governmental power sharing is far in the future, if ever. The war has produced a number of important novels like Elliot Ackerman’s GREEN ON BLUE, John Renehan’s THE VALLEY, and Nadeem Aslam’s THE BLIND MAN’S GARDEN. The latest entry into this genre recently translated from Danish is Carsten Jensen’s THE FIRST STONE. The book is exceptional, and it presents the Danish perspective on the war when most books on Afghanistan tend to focus on American soldiers. Jensen is able to show that there is a universality when to comes to combat in Afghanistan dealing with numerous warlords and the Taliban that knows no delineation between the nationalities of NATO members who conduct the fighting.

At the outset Jensen, who has visited Afghanistan since the 1980s and the Soviet occupation numerous times, focuses on the camaraderie that exists among members of Third Platoon. Each character is introduced and the interplay between them reflects how they believe in and support each other. There are a number of important individuals that emerge; Andreas, a.k.a. “side kick” a filmographer who carries his camera everywhere creating a video record of the war. Rasmus Schroder, the platoon leader, a former video gamer with a strange approach to warfare and life in general will become a major actor in Jensen’s plot. Lukas Moller, the chaplain leads his men through the daily crisis of war shifting his beliefs from situation to situation. Hannah, the only woman in the platoon appears to be ensconced in an emotional straight jacket. Colonel Ove Steffenson, the Platoon Commander will make some poor decisions that affect everyone, and Naib Atmar, an Afghan warlord who for a time worked well with Steffenson. Another major character is Sara, a former medical student from Kabul whose family is wiped out by the Taliban. She is forced to marry a warlord and gives birth to a son which along with the war traumatized her and will lead her to a mystical self that impact all around her. Lastly, Khaiber, a Danish-Afghani who is a member of the Danish Secret Service who is tasked to investigate the platoon when everything seems to go wrong. His task becomes increasingly complex when his father, a mujahedeen enters the picture.

Jensen leads the reader on a fascinating journey of men in combat. First, he explores the special relationship among the soldiers. Second, he places the platoon in a combat situation when two members are killed and how the platoon deals with their loss. Third, the linkage between the war they engage in each day, and the developing violence at home. It appears they are now fighting terrorists in theater as well as in Denmark. Lastly, the ambush that kills thirteen members and what it does to the remainder of the unit. It seems that a traitor may have been involved and what should be done about it dominates a large part of the story. Steffensen as commander faces numerous crises; the deaths of the local mayor, his interpreter, civilians, and his own men creates questions of leadership and how to rectify a bad situation.

Jensen seems to cover every angle of the war. The relationship between violence at home and in Afghanistan dominates. He explores why someone might become a traitor and what that individual hopes to gain from it. Soldiers receive a great deal of training, but they cannot be trained to deal with every situation – how do platoon members react and cope? How does one quantify leadership, effectiveness and failure? What is the difference between a Taliban member setting off an IED with a cell phone and a drone dropping bombs seemingly out of nowhere? The author develops the role of DarkSky, a Blackwater type company led by Mr. Timothy who has contracts with the US military. The role of outsourcing the war is an important aspect of the novel. Further, Jensen zeroes in on certain characters and pays particular attention to Hannah whose love obsession will be replaced by hatred and the need for vengeance and what it does to her and her compatriots. Hannah is transformed from being emotionally involved with someone and being a subservient soldier to a woman with “blood lust,” which is very disconcerting as these feelings spread throughout the platoon.

The author pinpoints the evolution of the Danish platoon from a more “humane” approach to war to a more negative attitude towards the Afghans, particularly when they return home from Christmas leave after confronting accidents and deaths at home. This can be seen in the tone of Chaplain Moller’s sermons as he has moved on from books and science fiction to domestic killing and the need to protect Denmark from terrorists. The result is attendance at sermons skyrockets as he tries to equate the 1525 German Peasants Revolt/Thirty Years War to 9/11 and the period that followed. The novels strength is that it zeroes in on the crisis of conscience that soldiers experience in Afghanistan and how it affects them emotionally on a daily basis. Each character has to learn to mourn, accept the unacceptable, and learn to move on and carry out their duties, which at times makes them behave rather erratically.

The crisis of confidence is evident early on when Girishk Mayor Ali Shar, a purist who believes in the common people and democracy refuses to make deals with the Danes. Steffensen will come to agreements with warlords, but he cannot develop a relationship with the Mayor who will be assassinated, probably by the local police commissioner. The corruption of Afghanistan abounds, the results of an American bomb going astray killing numerous Afghan civilians whose relatives are paid for their lives, the horrors of war as seen through the eyes of Simon, the medical assistant, and the Taliban tribunal whose sentences seem barbaric to foreigners, but justice to Afghanis brings the novel a high degree of tension throughout. These situations are all present for the reader to digest raising the question; why are we still there?

According to Tobias Grey in his September 1, 2019 New York Times book review;
Jensen likes to give his fiction an epic sweep. This worked well in his 2006 novel, WHY WE DROWNED which has, according to his publisher, sold more than a half million copies worldwide in 20 languages. But unlike that novel, which kept skillful control of its seafaring narrative, “The First Stone” is sabotaged by too many baggy subplots. It’s also stomach-churningly violent. The biblical heft of Jensen’s title suggests what he’s searching for, but far too often the narrative devolves into a gruesome parade of suffering.

The savagery of ordinary Afghans toward their enemies appears to know no bounds. Mutilated victims are scattered everywhere: “The villagers have flayed the skin loose from the middle of the forehead and rolled it down to the chin; it resembles a rubber mask pulled halfway down by an exhausted carnival worker.” Truth or fiction? Whatever the answer, Jensen’s novel coldly depicts a region that remains stubbornly cast in Rudyard Kipling’s mold.

[Anna From Gustine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Take Apocalypse Now/Heart of Darkness, update it to the 21st century, set it in Afghanistan and make the main characters Danish soldiers who are there because of NATO. That's this book. It is harrowing to say the least. I read this around the time of the American evacuation from Afghanistan. I don't think it's a place we ever understood. We were probably doomed to failure from the beginning as a result.

Anyway, some don't like this book because of the sexist language. Even though I've never been a soldier, I don't think that's a fair statement. I doubt those kinds of niceties exist in the midst of a dangerous assignment when you could be killed at any moment. In fact, the coarse language added to the reality. (I would also say that one of the main characters is female and she more than holds her own as a Danish soldier and a complex woman at the same time. Another powerful and complex character is an Afghani woman.)

There are some graphic moments that I can't say I loved, but they served a purpose and the author does not linger on them. That is actually the most powerful statement of all, emphasizing how so much violence becomes banal during war.

[Lise · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dette er en nødvendig bog.
En beskrivelse af krig, som den føres i vore dage, med fremmede vestlige styrker i lande med en helt anden kultur, som de vestlige så forsøger at ændre.
I dette tilfælde er det krigen i Afghanistan, hvor Danmark deltog. Det beskrives ned til de mest ulideligt uhyggelige detaljer, hvordan sådan en krig foregår. Og man kommer rundt om alle aspekter: Korruption, aftaler med lokale krigsherrer, målet helliger midlet, krigspsykopater, droner, den afghanske kultur, kærlighed, far og søn, soldaters motivation og vejrtrækning - og den umådelige gru!
En nødvendig bog, fordi du her har en mulighed for at komme om bag ved politikernes retorik og journalisternes ofte korte overfladiskhed.
Læse den!

[Søren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jeg blev blæst væk af Carsten Jensens seneste mursten af en roman. Han besidder en forbløffende stor indsigt om Afghanistan og de danske troppers liv, og samtidig er han vel nok landets fremmeste kritiker af Danmarks aktivistiske udenrigspolitik.

Den skal bare læses.

Jeg undlod den femte stjerne, fordi plottet efter min mening ryger lidt af sporet til allersidst. Egentlig er det ikke dårligt, men min topbegejstring sænkedes et enkelt trin omkring de sidste 100 sider.

Men der skal ikke være nogen tvivl: En virkelig stærk læseoplevelse. Det bedste jeg har læst fra Carsten Jensen, og en uhyre vellykket kulmination på hans mangeårige virke som debattør om Danmark som krigsførende nation.

[Jan Stinus Nielsen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lad os få det af vejen med det samme: jeg var helt vild med den her bog.

Den er barsk. Den er rå. Og den bekræfter mange steder de værste fordomme, man har om sine medmennesker. Samtidig er den livsbekræftende midt i alt døden og håbløsheden.

Vores kære politikere, der har så travlt med at puste sig op i den hellige aktivistiske udenrigspolitisk navn, ville have godt af at læse den her bog, et par gange.

Carsten Jensen fortjente i den grad al den ros og de priser, der blev bogen PG dens forfatter til del.

Læs den, hør den.