Лука

by Jens Christian Grøndahl, Неда Димова-Бренстрьом (Translator)

Една априлска вечер трийсет и две годишната Лука Монтале е приета в болницата на малък провинциален град южно от Копенхаген след автомобилна злополука. Тя получава тежки наранявания в резултат на сблъсъка между колата, в която пътува, и един камион. Лекарите констатират, че младата жена никога повече няма да може да вижда. Слепотата на очите и слепотата на духа...
Импулсивното бягство... и осъзнатото Пътуване... Тяхното тайнство, предизвикателства и спиращи дъха неочакваности провокират въображението на читателя и докосват сърцето му. С дълбока проникновеност и мъдрост, с тънък психологизъм и артистично повествование авторът извайва историите на Лука и Роберт. Пострадалата жена и нейният лекуващ лекар. Споделяйки фрагменти от живота си, те двамата неусетно започват да рисуват една обща картина, която им възвръща изгубената надежда...

Genres: Fiction, Denmark, Danish, Cultural, Family

416 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1999

About the author

Jens Christian Grøndahl is one of the most celebrated and widely read authors in Europe today. He has written plays, essays, and eleven novels. The publication of Silence in October marks Grøndahl's U.S. debut. His novel Lucca was awarded the prestigious Golden Laurels Prize in 1999. He lives in Copenhagen.

Bibliography:

Kvinden i midten - 1985
Syd for floden - 1986
Rejsens bevægelser - 1988
Det indre blik - 1990
Skyggen i dit sted - 1991
Dagene skilles - 1992
Stilheden i glas - 1993
Indian summer - 1994
Tavshed i oktober - 1996 (translated into English, Silence in October 2000)
Lucca - 1998 (translated into English under same title 2002)
Hjertelyd - 1999
Virginia - 2000 (translated into English under same title, 2003)
Et andet lys - 2002 (translated in English, An Altered Light 2005)
Piazza Bucarest - 2004
Røde hænder - 2006
Tre skridt tilbage - 2007 (essays)
Den tid det tager - 2008

Reviews

[Edita · Rating 5 out of 5]

If he sometimes thought to himself that love was like music, it was not because he was feeling poetic. But love was just as invisible and hard to understand, perhaps because there was nothing to understand. An impersonal, transforming force, which found the way by itself according to its own interior laws, uncaring of who and what is pulled with it or left behind in its calm or restless flow.

[Hakan · Rating 4 out of 5]

İsmini daha önce hiç duymadığım Danimarkalı yazar Grondahl'ın bu kitabına geçen ay bir seyahatte girdiğim bir sahafta rastladım. Konusu ilgimi çekince, biraz tereddütle de olsa aldım. İyi ki de almışım. Zaten İskandinav yazarlara bir zaaf geliştirmeye de başladım yavaş yavaş. Kitap çok sağlam bir ilişkiler romanı. Romanın başındaki trafik kazası kör bir kadının (Lucca) hikayesini okuyacağınızı zannettiriyor ama çizgisel olmayan olay örgüsü, geriye dönüşler, farklı karakterlerin - elbette ana eksende Lucca olmakla birlikte- keyifle okunan hikayelerini sunuyor size. Keyif derken hafif bir eser sanmayın. Epey düşündüren, insanın hislerini, bazı basit görünen davranışlarının arkaplanını ortaya döken, en azından benim için, birçok yerde onikiden vuran bir roman oldu Lucca. Sevgi, sadakat, yeni vücutların çekiciliği, aile, ailenin getirdiği zincirler gibi, kolay klişeye düşebilecek konular derinlemesine ve sırıtmadan işlenmiş. Tabii bazı kısımlarda ilişkilerin yoğunluğu artık bu kadarı da fazla dedirtebiliyor. Yazarın üslubu da çok hoş, tasvirler nefis. Ana karakterlerin önemli bir kısmının tiyatro dünyasından olması, tiyatroya ilgi duyanlar için ayrı bir çekicilik unsuru. Ben İngilizce çevirisinden okudum, umarım bir gün Türkçe'ye de çevrilir bu sıkı roman.

[Ingrida Lisauskiene · Rating 5 out of 5]

54-oji XX a. Aukso fondo knyga. Vieną vakarą Lukos vairuojamas automobilis susiduria su sunkvežimiu. Pasekmės - aktyviai gyvenusi, mėgusi vyrus užkariauti gražuolė aktorė lieka akla visam gyvenimui. Tačiau parodoma, kad moteris nebuvo laiminga nei vaikystėje dėl tėvų skyrybų, nei jaunystėje, nei dabar tapusi mama ir žmona. Šalia atsiranda taip pat šeimą praradęs gydytojas, kuris tenkinasi sekmadieninio tėčio džiaugsmais. Tarp šių žmonių užsimezga draugystė. Autorius palieka spręsti skaitytojui, ar nelaimės gali sujungti ilgam

[Diana Šimčikaitė · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sunkoka knyga bent jam man, nes labai šokinėja laiko skalėje.. kartais pasimesdavau, kada vyksta veiksmas...knyga apie meno žmonės, todėl gyvenimas toks laisvokas.. mano nuomone.. patiko dviejų žmonių draugystė, ne meilė, o draugystė...

[Kimberly Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Lucca, Grondahl moves more closely into a woman's experience of life lived in relationships with men than he does in Silence in October; in Silence, he was mainly concerned with a man's realization that, indeed, he had no idea what he was doing to the women in his life until he lost them. In Lucca, the main relationship is one of tentative friendship, with the erotic tension between the principals understood, and yet endlessly deferred for other satisfactions, or, perhaps more accurately, necessities. There's plenty of erotic connection in the pages, but not between Robert, a Copenhagen doctor, and Lucca, his patient who has lost her sight in an accident that occurs in response to her understanding the depths of her husband's betrayal of her. A feeling of contemplation and of storytelling suffuses this novel; if I were composing a formal critical essay, I'd go find that term (some of you out there know it well)...Scheudenfrade? Anyway, you know, the story of the woman who saves her own life night after night by telling her captor a new story. In Lucca, both Robert and Lucca are saving one another and themselves by telling the other their long love-histories; we understand that to create a new life, to keep on going, whether as lovers or as brief companions, each of them must purge themselves of these pasts by confessing them to one another. The effect is subtle, teasing -- will they become lovers? Or is there something that transcends the erotic bond?

As in Silence, Grondahl moves backwards and forwards through time with ease; here, the stories are shuffled a bit more chronologically, since there are two characters' perspectives to keep straight.

I must leave this writing time soon, so let me summarize my response to Lucca: I plan to read it again. I have a feeling it will hold up well, with new satisfactions, on a second reading. There aren't many higher compliments I can pay a novelist than that.

[Salome · Rating 1 out of 5]

I simply didn't like it. At the beginning I thought this book will have great depth, but it wasn't the case. Their hindsights seemed both artificial and superficial, and the female part was a plain exaggeration from A to Z. I got tired of reading all the love affairs, one after the other. I know a novel is always about the author, not about the reader, but in this case, I felt a huge distance between the two.

[Ida Östenberg · Rating 3 out of 5]

Älskade denna bok när jag läste den i Rom för 20 år sedan. Den förmedlade en känsla och jag har sedan dess burit med mig bilden av staden Lucca. När jag för första gången reste dit, nu i mars, var det som jag redan varit där. Nu läste jag också om boken - och tänkte hela tiden: Detta är en roman jag skulle älskat för 20 år sedan. Den är absolut inte dålig, det är bara något i berättelsen som inte ger mig något längre.

[Joke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lucca vind ik eerder een atypische Grondahl, misschien omdat ik tot nog toe alleen meer recente boeken van zijn hand las. In het begin stoorde me de schrijfstijl, waarin geen aanhalingstekens worden gebruikt en je zelf een onderscheid moet maken tussen gedachten, uitspraken of beschrijvingen. Na verloop van tijd went deze stijl echter en geraakte ik toch gewoon volop opgeslorpt door het verhaal.
Lucca, een enigszins getroubleerde jonge getalenteerde vrouw, is op zoek naar de ware liefde. Op een bepaald moment ontdekt ze dat haar man, Andreas, van haar wil scheiden. In een vlucht met haar auto krijgt ze een zwaar auto-ongeluk, waar ze zwaar gehavend, en blind voor de rest van haar leven, uit komt. Robert, haar arts, ontwikkelt een band met Lucca en met Andreas. In de loop van het boek ontdek je de liefdesgeschiedenissen van elk van deze personages, en krijg je inzicht in hoe alles zo ver is kunnen komen. Het wordt een verhaal van de zoektocht naar liefde, hoop en twijfel, de balans tussen avontuur en standvastigheid.

[Dee]

I tried...but I just can't get into it...maybe something about the way it was translated from danish, but I'm just not connecting with the characters

[Sebastian P · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful writing, many acute observations of people and relationships.

[Catriona · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF Seite 230
Dieses Buch war ein kompletter Reinfall. Im Klappentext stand es sei eine Geschichte von einem Arzt und einer Patientin die sich langsam miteinander befreunden. Auf Seite 230 haben die beiden sich immer noch nicht befreundet geschweige denn viel miteinander geredet. Stattdessen handeln die ersten Seiten ausschließlich um Seitensprünge und Affairen. Jede einzelne Person die in die Geschichte eingeführt wird, begeht einen Seitensprung. Später dann erfährt man mehr über die weibliche Hauptfigur (Lucca) aber - oh welche Überraschung (nicht) - alles handelt nur von ihrer sexuellen Anziehungskraft. Nachdem Lucca zum zweiten Mal unfreiwillig Opfer eines sexuellen Übergriffs wurde (die sie im übrigen total ungerührt abschüttelt), vergeht mir die Lust zum weiterlesen.
Zu meiner Verteidigung muss ich darzulegen dass meine Ausggabe kein so anzügiges Umschlagsfoto hat, worauf man besser auf den Inhalt des Buches hätte schließen können.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like this author and this book doesn't disappoint. He explores romantic relationships and the roles men and women play. The title character loses her eyesight and meets Robert, the surgeon who cares for her while she is in the hospital. Told in alternating stories, is the life stories of Lucca and Robert and ultimately concluding with their friendship. They have been telling each other their romantic experiences and learning about each other and themselves. Very insightful and thoughtful book.

[Frankie · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF after 100 pages. Grøndal writes about women as though he's never been within 10 feet of one, and the description of Robert's 12 year old daughter as "his little wife" was the nail in the coffin. I often lost track of who was speaking, and I can't tell if that's because of the writing style or because many of the characters' personalities could be interchangeable. Most of the prose was great, I'll give Grøndal credit for that. The prose is unfortunately overshadowed by the book's glaring flaws

[Jeanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Grondahl's books explore the complexity of romantic relationships with honesty and insight like no other author I have come across. Most of us, at sometime or other, have suffered the consequences of love. I'm reminded of a passage I read somewhere that has stayed with me over the years: "Though loved ones move in and out of our lives, the capacity to love remains." Lucca's story is a perfect example.

[Margriet · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5: Veel verschillende verhaallijnen waarin je niet altijd meteen door hebt dat je in een ander verhaal zit. Irritant omdat je soms net lekker in een verhaal zit, en er weer een onderbreking komt en je opeens weer opnieuw in moet komen. Vooral op het begin had ik hier moeite mee. Daarnaast vond ik Lucca geen pakkende hoofdpersoon. Het leest prima, maar wel wat veel affaires in mijn optiek.

[Stephaan Margodt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Best wel knap en ontroerend maar te breed uitgesmeerd, met bij haast elk substantief tierlantijntjes van adjectieven, en al te vaak clichématige beschrijvingen die wijzen op gemakzucht. Less should be more....

[Janke Boskma]

Q

[Dace Deniņa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vecais labais psiholoģiskais romāns.

[Danielle Kastner · Rating 1 out of 5]

There seemed to be no plot that you could follow as the reader and no character development. It was exhausting to read about everyone having affairs and no real end to the story.

[Katja · Rating 2 out of 5]

Tegenvaller. Saai boek met misschien wel de grootste opsomming van seksuele relaties, of wat er voor door moet gaan. Op een gegeven moment geloofde ik het wel, het is teveel, en helaas niet vh goede.

[Kristina Markeviciene · Rating 2 out of 5]

Knygos ašis ne veiksmas, o jausmai. Ir tai būtų gerai, bet nėra:
- pasakojimo kalba nenuosekli: lyrinį pasakojimo stilių dažnai pertraukia grubiai primityvūs ir vulgarūs išsireiškimai;
- jausmų aprašymai negilūs, paviršutiniški, banalūs;
- neretai apimdavo jausmas lyg skaityčiau dešimtoko bandymą būti rašytoju;
- detalių aprašymai dažnai beprasmiški, netikslingi.

Maniau, kad greičiausiai kalta vertėja, bet pasirodo ji išvertus kelias mano tikrai mylimas ir tokio jausmo nesukėlusias knygas. Todėl ne.

Erzinanti, nuobodi knyga.

[Inge Vermeire · Rating 3 out of 5]

In het begin is dit boek toch wel even doorbijten - het is zeker geen vlotte pageturner maar geleidelijk kruipt het boek toch onder je huid, vind ik. Grondahls talent bestaat vooral uit zijn gave om menselijke relaties zeer accuraat te ontrafelen en te beschrijven - ik kan me voorstellen dat niet iedereen enthousiast is over het trage ritme van dit boek, of over de zeer gedetailleerde zelfanalyse van de personages maar ik heb alvast een volgend boek van Grondahl gekocht :-)

[Karel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nooit eerder las ik een boek dat het genre van de psychologische roman zo goed belichaamt. Jens Christian Grøndahl fileert het liefdesleven van zijn personages met een ongekende precisie. Lucca is dan ook van begin tot eind opgetrokken uit emoties, herinneringen, twijfels, angsten en verlangens. Voer voor liefhebbers.

[Kate W · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the story of a woman who loses her vision after a serious car accident. In the following months she and her doctor become friends and share intimate, painful and vulnerable stories of their romantic histories. Realistic.

[Mette Pilgaard Christoffersen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Uden tvivl forfatterens bedste.
Om den gudesmukke Lucca Montale der bliver blind ved en trafikulykke, og derfor (i sagens natur) ikke længere kan sole sig i, og blive bekræftet igennem, beundrende blikke. Identiteskrise under opsejling. Men mødet med lægen Robert giver ny indsigt.

[Sus · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved reading this in Danish. A great story. I didn't want it to end.

[Sien Luyten · Rating 3 out of 5]

deense psychologie met enkel wat rimpelingen op het water. maar wat een stijl!

[Priti · Rating 2 out of 5]

I couldn't finish it

[Cecilie Kristensen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bare fantastisk. Har skrevet en ordentlig anmeldelse på ceciliesund. dk

[Rachel Persad · Rating 2 out of 5]

don't read it! the cover and the first chapter will draw you in to a false sense of security...