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Byens spor #2
Friendship: Echoes of the City II
Part Two of the Echoes of the City series, set in post-war Oslo, by an author who understands the city like no other. In Kirkeveien, Oslo, in the year 1956, forty-year-old Maj is worn down by being a homemaker and widowed mother. To the indignation of the Red Cross ladies, she cautiously frees herself from the role she has otherwise fulfilled to the letter. She finds a job that she turns out to be more than good at, and some kind of love, too. Her friend Margrethe is sick of her marriage to the antiquarian bookseller, Olaf Hall, but cannot think of divorce. Jesper gets a girlfriend who opens the door to a new, more liberated environment of vegetarianism and politics. And his best friend Jostein realises that his talent for making money will allow him access to a world that is larger and richer than that of the Oslo slaughterhouse. Friendship is a beautifully orchestrated story about people and their dreams, about social conventions, personal constraints and what it takes to have the courage to realise oneself. In this book brimming with human insight, as in Echoes of the City, in each of these characters we recognise something of ourselves.
"One of Norway's finest writers" GUARDIAN
"Profoundly resonant" TLS
"One of Norway's finest writers" GUARDIAN
"Profoundly resonant" TLS
400 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2018
30 people are currently reading
531 people want to read
About the author
Lars Saabye Christensen
171 books613 followersLars Saabye Christensen is a gifted storyteller, a narrator who is imaginative, but equally down to earth. His realism alternates between poetic image and ingenious incident, conveyed in supple metropolitan language and slang that never smacks of the artificial or forced. His heroes possess a good deal of self-irony. Indeed, critics have drawn parallels with the black humour of Woody Allen. But beneath the liveliness of his portrayal melancholy always lurks in the books.
Since his début in 1976 Saabye Christensen has written ten collections of poetry, five collections of short stories and twelve novels. His great break through came with the novel Beatles in 1984. The book store sale of over 200,000 copies of the Norwegian edition has made this one of the greatest commercial successes in Norway, and it was voted the best novel of the last 25 years by Dagbladet's readers in 2006.
Since his début in 1976 Saabye Christensen has written ten collections of poetry, five collections of short stories and twelve novels. His great break through came with the novel Beatles in 1984. The book store sale of over 200,000 copies of the Norwegian edition has made this one of the greatest commercial successes in Norway, and it was voted the best novel of the last 25 years by Dagbladet's readers in 2006.
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March 30, 2022
It occurs to Jesper that it is impossible to move around Fagerborg without bumping into someone you would rather avoid, especially from the Red Cross. And he knows at once, even though he doesn't quite know why, that he has to get away. He simply has to get away from Fagerborg. The insight is overwhelming. It shakes him.
Friendship: Echoes of the City II is Don Bartlett's translation of Lars Saabye Christensen's Byens Spor: Maj, published in Norwegian in 2018. This is the 2nd in a trilogy of novels, the first Byens Spor: Ewald og Maj (2017) translated as Echoes of the City (2019) - my review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The reader of the first volume is immediately transported back to Fagerboard in Oslo, and reacquainted with a familiar cast of characters. This volume is set in 1956-7, five years after the first ended, and we know how this one will end, since it leads up to the events in the opening chapter to the first volume, with Jesper Kristoffersen leaving Fagerborg for a life as a merchant seaman.
But for much of this part, that would otherwise seem an unlikely outcome with the 14, turning 15 year old Jesper increasingly developing his love for and skills in the piano, as well as experiencing his first love with Trude, a fellow pupil and daughter of a journalist. His verbal confidence conceals deeper worries, as his mother observes: he has inherited Ewald’s vocabulary and her anxieties.
His sister Stine is now 7 and growing up fast, and there is a lovely scene at the end where she answers the telephone for the first time. echoing that in the first novel where their father Ewald answers the phone after one is installed in their house for the first time.
And their mother Maj, now 40, is trying to move on from the death of Ewald, both professionally (she takes a role as a secretary at the advertising agency where Ewald worked for almost a decade, proving to have the same touch as Nancy in the 1980s Britcom The Happy Apple) and romantically (with Jesper’s piano teacher Enzo Zanetti).
Jesper’s friend Jostein is working for a living, initially in a pig abattoir, and hence relatively flush with cash and troubled with acne until one of Maj's ideas proves profitable for them both.
Margrethe (the widowed Frau Vik) is now married to her suitor, the antiquarian bookseller Olaf Hall, and seemingly regretting it, or perhaps that is others projecting on to her, as she has moved away from the district, leaving her flat above Maj’s to the rather dubious medical practioner Bjørn Stranger, the son of Olaf Hall’s first wife, who again performs a critical, if unconventional (indeed in this case illegal) intervention in the story.
Meanwhile the more professional Dr Lund remains the dispenser of common sense (aside from his fanatical love of long-distance running) as well as good health care, and his wife Frau Lund continues with her work as head of the local Red Cross, as well as self appointed moral guardian.
The first instalment was noticeable for how it used the minutes of the local Red Cross branch to frame happenings in the wider world. Here the minutes remain, but somewhat terser and what is unsaid between the lines, particularly in terms of those leaving or joining the Committee has perhaps more social significance. References to local and world affairs (Hungary, Suez etc) come more from Trude’s father's work.
The first volume at times dropped in to an effective collective narrative voice. But around 2/3rds of the way through this 2nd volume, a new element is introduced: the previously passive narrator addressing the reader directly:
The train is approaching the platform. It is from Holmenkollen. Jostein and Jesper have to go in opposite directions, to Finn Martins and Henry Vilder respectively, and Jostein has to cross the line and catch the train on the other side. And suddenly I feel like going with them both. I want to be the conductor on all lines, east, west, through the city and up the mountains, under the ground and far, far away. I don't want to lose sight of either of them. I want to see how they get on. I don’t want to wait and be the last to know. But I also have to choose. This is my regret. I am strapped for time. I can't do both. For this reason I am seeking advice from the reader. Who would you follow this morning on June 20th, 1957? Jesper Kristoffersen or Jostein Melsom? If it is Jesper, you will have to take pot luck with a music lesson in Keysers gate held by the serialist and twelve-tone phantom, Finn Martins, the man with the moon face, and you will probably have to listen to his world-weary lines, a way of speaking common to all cynics, at least Jesper will. If, on the other hand, you go for Jostein, there will probably be more action because the playground fracas has set off a long sequence of events which will eventually catch up with both him and his father, the butcher.
And I understand in the third-volume, already published in Norway, it is the author himself, Lars Saaybe Christensen, who increasingly intervenes in the narrative, the novel forming something of a farewell to his writing career.
But here, and despite the primary narrative focus on Jesper and his coming-of-age, my memories of the book will centre on the figure of Maj, and her gradual realisation that happiness as both a lover and a parent is increasingly elusive, and perhaps confined to her past:
They are both silent, listening, but hear nothing, only the rain, the summer rain on the roof, and this sound, light and short-lived, yet still enduring, makes Maj cry. It reminds her of other days, other times, when she was whole and could stand face to face with the forest and everything in it, without giving ground, without any hesitation. It reminds her of another happiness, which wasn't earned, it was just there, like a gift, a feature of life. She wonders when it left her, when nothing could be taken for granted anymore. She wonders when she had to earn everything.
Recommended and I look forward to Don Bartlett translating the third and final volume.
Friendship: Echoes of the City II is Don Bartlett's translation of Lars Saabye Christensen's Byens Spor: Maj, published in Norwegian in 2018. This is the 2nd in a trilogy of novels, the first Byens Spor: Ewald og Maj (2017) translated as Echoes of the City (2019) - my review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The reader of the first volume is immediately transported back to Fagerboard in Oslo, and reacquainted with a familiar cast of characters. This volume is set in 1956-7, five years after the first ended, and we know how this one will end, since it leads up to the events in the opening chapter to the first volume, with Jesper Kristoffersen leaving Fagerborg for a life as a merchant seaman.
But for much of this part, that would otherwise seem an unlikely outcome with the 14, turning 15 year old Jesper increasingly developing his love for and skills in the piano, as well as experiencing his first love with Trude, a fellow pupil and daughter of a journalist. His verbal confidence conceals deeper worries, as his mother observes: he has inherited Ewald’s vocabulary and her anxieties.
His sister Stine is now 7 and growing up fast, and there is a lovely scene at the end where she answers the telephone for the first time. echoing that in the first novel where their father Ewald answers the phone after one is installed in their house for the first time.
And their mother Maj, now 40, is trying to move on from the death of Ewald, both professionally (she takes a role as a secretary at the advertising agency where Ewald worked for almost a decade, proving to have the same touch as Nancy in the 1980s Britcom The Happy Apple) and romantically (with Jesper’s piano teacher Enzo Zanetti).
Jesper’s friend Jostein is working for a living, initially in a pig abattoir, and hence relatively flush with cash and troubled with acne until one of Maj's ideas proves profitable for them both.
Margrethe (the widowed Frau Vik) is now married to her suitor, the antiquarian bookseller Olaf Hall, and seemingly regretting it, or perhaps that is others projecting on to her, as she has moved away from the district, leaving her flat above Maj’s to the rather dubious medical practioner Bjørn Stranger, the son of Olaf Hall’s first wife, who again performs a critical, if unconventional (indeed in this case illegal) intervention in the story.
Meanwhile the more professional Dr Lund remains the dispenser of common sense (aside from his fanatical love of long-distance running) as well as good health care, and his wife Frau Lund continues with her work as head of the local Red Cross, as well as self appointed moral guardian.
The first instalment was noticeable for how it used the minutes of the local Red Cross branch to frame happenings in the wider world. Here the minutes remain, but somewhat terser and what is unsaid between the lines, particularly in terms of those leaving or joining the Committee has perhaps more social significance. References to local and world affairs (Hungary, Suez etc) come more from Trude’s father's work.
The first volume at times dropped in to an effective collective narrative voice. But around 2/3rds of the way through this 2nd volume, a new element is introduced: the previously passive narrator addressing the reader directly:
The train is approaching the platform. It is from Holmenkollen. Jostein and Jesper have to go in opposite directions, to Finn Martins and Henry Vilder respectively, and Jostein has to cross the line and catch the train on the other side. And suddenly I feel like going with them both. I want to be the conductor on all lines, east, west, through the city and up the mountains, under the ground and far, far away. I don't want to lose sight of either of them. I want to see how they get on. I don’t want to wait and be the last to know. But I also have to choose. This is my regret. I am strapped for time. I can't do both. For this reason I am seeking advice from the reader. Who would you follow this morning on June 20th, 1957? Jesper Kristoffersen or Jostein Melsom? If it is Jesper, you will have to take pot luck with a music lesson in Keysers gate held by the serialist and twelve-tone phantom, Finn Martins, the man with the moon face, and you will probably have to listen to his world-weary lines, a way of speaking common to all cynics, at least Jesper will. If, on the other hand, you go for Jostein, there will probably be more action because the playground fracas has set off a long sequence of events which will eventually catch up with both him and his father, the butcher.
And I understand in the third-volume, already published in Norway, it is the author himself, Lars Saaybe Christensen, who increasingly intervenes in the narrative, the novel forming something of a farewell to his writing career.
But here, and despite the primary narrative focus on Jesper and his coming-of-age, my memories of the book will centre on the figure of Maj, and her gradual realisation that happiness as both a lover and a parent is increasingly elusive, and perhaps confined to her past:
They are both silent, listening, but hear nothing, only the rain, the summer rain on the roof, and this sound, light and short-lived, yet still enduring, makes Maj cry. It reminds her of other days, other times, when she was whole and could stand face to face with the forest and everything in it, without giving ground, without any hesitation. It reminds her of another happiness, which wasn't earned, it was just there, like a gift, a feature of life. She wonders when it left her, when nothing could be taken for granted anymore. She wonders when she had to earn everything.
Recommended and I look forward to Don Bartlett translating the third and final volume.
October 23, 2018
I loved this book. I really, really, loved it. This second Byens Spor took everything that was good about the first one, made it even better, and then added some kind of x-factor on top of that.
Beginning with something as fundamental as the language, the way the Norwegian language is used in this book is beautiful. I've often thought that the Norwegian language has some specific applications in fiction that it really shines when used in. For Jo Nesbø it becomes a tool for creating a dark, moody, atmosphere. For Erlend Loe and Ingvar Ambjørnsen the simplicity and the seemingly relative utilitarianism of the language is brilliant for taking the reader inside the heads of the characters. I've never seen Norwegian as a language that can stand up to English when it comes to using words in a way where the language itself is a strong point of any story. Whereas English can be, and often is, used in ways which makes me sit back and just marvel at the beauty of the language, I don't really tend to get that with Norwegian. But that's always been ok. That's not what Norwegian is for, and that's not what I look for in Norwegian books. In my mind Norwegian has other, perfectly valid and honourable, uses.
With this book Lars Saabye Christensen really proves me wrong. The language in this book is art in it's own right. It seems like every other sentence has a turn of phrase which is so simple, yet so devilishly clever. He uses old, tired, words and expressions in ways in which I've never seen them used before. Several times I literally stopped reading to sit back in awe and take in the beauty of the language I had just read.
Anyway, that is the language, I should probably say something about the story as well...
The story is excellent. As with the first book, this book is incredibly immersive. The empathy I felt with the characters, and my emotional investment in them, was at a level well beyond what I usually experience with books, or any kind of medium for that matter. For me this book also packed a greater emotional punch than the first one, maybe because the nature of the events in the book were a bit more varied. I think I must have gone through the entire spectrum of emotions during the course of this book, from pure joy, joyful expectation and excitement, to sadness and despair. And the emotions somehow just happen along with the ebbs and flow of the story. There aren't really any huge twists. There are several defining moments, yes, but much like in life the defining moments in this book tend to just happen along with the rest of the story, not as major events with several pages of build-up. The way in which you're meant to feel about things isn't telegraphed or imposed upon the reader. Through the strength of the story, the language, and the empathy the reader has with the characters, the emotive elements of the story just happen. All my guards just went down the moment I opened this book, and the story just jerked me around however it pleased. I trusted it to do so. And it never let me down.
That's probably enough gushing from me about this book. Needless to say, to say that I'll be eagerly waiting for the next book in the series would be a massive understatement.
Beginning with something as fundamental as the language, the way the Norwegian language is used in this book is beautiful. I've often thought that the Norwegian language has some specific applications in fiction that it really shines when used in. For Jo Nesbø it becomes a tool for creating a dark, moody, atmosphere. For Erlend Loe and Ingvar Ambjørnsen the simplicity and the seemingly relative utilitarianism of the language is brilliant for taking the reader inside the heads of the characters. I've never seen Norwegian as a language that can stand up to English when it comes to using words in a way where the language itself is a strong point of any story. Whereas English can be, and often is, used in ways which makes me sit back and just marvel at the beauty of the language, I don't really tend to get that with Norwegian. But that's always been ok. That's not what Norwegian is for, and that's not what I look for in Norwegian books. In my mind Norwegian has other, perfectly valid and honourable, uses.
With this book Lars Saabye Christensen really proves me wrong. The language in this book is art in it's own right. It seems like every other sentence has a turn of phrase which is so simple, yet so devilishly clever. He uses old, tired, words and expressions in ways in which I've never seen them used before. Several times I literally stopped reading to sit back in awe and take in the beauty of the language I had just read.
Anyway, that is the language, I should probably say something about the story as well...
The story is excellent. As with the first book, this book is incredibly immersive. The empathy I felt with the characters, and my emotional investment in them, was at a level well beyond what I usually experience with books, or any kind of medium for that matter. For me this book also packed a greater emotional punch than the first one, maybe because the nature of the events in the book were a bit more varied. I think I must have gone through the entire spectrum of emotions during the course of this book, from pure joy, joyful expectation and excitement, to sadness and despair. And the emotions somehow just happen along with the ebbs and flow of the story. There aren't really any huge twists. There are several defining moments, yes, but much like in life the defining moments in this book tend to just happen along with the rest of the story, not as major events with several pages of build-up. The way in which you're meant to feel about things isn't telegraphed or imposed upon the reader. Through the strength of the story, the language, and the empathy the reader has with the characters, the emotive elements of the story just happen. All my guards just went down the moment I opened this book, and the story just jerked me around however it pleased. I trusted it to do so. And it never let me down.
That's probably enough gushing from me about this book. Needless to say, to say that I'll be eagerly waiting for the next book in the series would be a massive understatement.
January 9, 2020
Noe av det beste jeg har lest av Saabye Christensen. Mulig jeg som Oslojente blir unyansert og nostalgisk. Det er helt greit. Jeg savner allerede karakterene.
Et godt tegn 😊
Et godt tegn 😊
September 20, 2024
“We use the same language when we lie as when we tell the truth; we just move the words around. When we play out of tune it is the same notes as always; they are just in a different order.” P426
Lars Saabye Christensen’s Friendship, book two of the Echoes of the City trilogy continues in the same flowing, lyrical vein as the first book. The crescendoes and phrasing are similar but different as life pulsates on for Maj, Jesper, Stine and Jostein, individuals we were introduced to who are making their way through their days in the complicated years after WW2 in Oslo.
There is something about the rhythm of life that permeates every page of this masterful translation and Christensen’s sensitivity to the complexity of the human trajectory is clearly evident. The notions of darkness and light, lies and secrets, grief and happiness, inner life and outward exterior pervade the actions of ordinary human beings, child, adolescent and adult alike. There is no escaping the human condition and Christensen handles this so authentically and with hope.
“We know no more about one another than what we can see and hear. The rest is in shadow. And the rest is most. We are vaults that cannot be opened”. P154
In Friendship, Christensen brings us into intimate connection with people. We met them in Echoes of the City and seven years later we meet them again, different ages and stages. Ewald is absent, Maj is alone, Jesper is finding his way, piano in his soul, Stine is making sense of her world and Jostein is seeing life through his unique lens, simplistic yet exceptionally complex, a world where hearing is hard.
Intertwined around these lives are those they are connected with, friends, associates, colleagues, enemies, all with their own concerns and complexities. We share life and death and we understand something more of ourselves as we walk with them.
This is a beautiful beautiful read. Highly recommend.
Lars Saabye Christensen’s Friendship, book two of the Echoes of the City trilogy continues in the same flowing, lyrical vein as the first book. The crescendoes and phrasing are similar but different as life pulsates on for Maj, Jesper, Stine and Jostein, individuals we were introduced to who are making their way through their days in the complicated years after WW2 in Oslo.
There is something about the rhythm of life that permeates every page of this masterful translation and Christensen’s sensitivity to the complexity of the human trajectory is clearly evident. The notions of darkness and light, lies and secrets, grief and happiness, inner life and outward exterior pervade the actions of ordinary human beings, child, adolescent and adult alike. There is no escaping the human condition and Christensen handles this so authentically and with hope.
“We know no more about one another than what we can see and hear. The rest is in shadow. And the rest is most. We are vaults that cannot be opened”. P154
In Friendship, Christensen brings us into intimate connection with people. We met them in Echoes of the City and seven years later we meet them again, different ages and stages. Ewald is absent, Maj is alone, Jesper is finding his way, piano in his soul, Stine is making sense of her world and Jostein is seeing life through his unique lens, simplistic yet exceptionally complex, a world where hearing is hard.
Intertwined around these lives are those they are connected with, friends, associates, colleagues, enemies, all with their own concerns and complexities. We share life and death and we understand something more of ourselves as we walk with them.
This is a beautiful beautiful read. Highly recommend.
September 20, 2018
Byens spor er det beste fra Lars Saabye Christensen. Bedre enn Beatles også - og den var min favoritt. Gleder meg til oppfølgeren!
April 14, 2022
Innertier!
May 16, 2020
Denne serie er stærk og spændende. Der er et stort persongalleri og mange skæbner at holde styr på.
Jeg er vild med Bent Otto Hansens indtaling. Han giver plads til at de finurlige, ironiske og tankevækkende ordspil og betragtninger kan fanges af lytteren.
Jeg er vild med Bent Otto Hansens indtaling. Han giver plads til at de finurlige, ironiske og tankevækkende ordspil og betragtninger kan fanges af lytteren.
May 4, 2021
«Jesper tenker: Det er for sent. Det å ha god tid er nesten verre enn å ha dårlig. Det hadde vært bedre om det var i morgen. Aller helst skulle det vært i går, for da var det allerede overstått, men da hadde det også vært for sent å rette opp noe.»
En ren fornøyelse å lese og en verdig oppfølger.
En ren fornøyelse å lese og en verdig oppfølger.
January 20, 2021
Only byfolk can relate
September 29, 2025
Det er hos Kristoffersen, ja
August 27, 2019
Bra. Gleder meg til nummer tre.
April 13, 2021
igjen: flott fra christensen
December 31, 2019
Nydelig. Det beste Saabye Christensen har skrevet?
January 4, 2019
Er så svak for Lars Saabye Christensens mørke humor, metaforer og skrivestil. Et stykke kunst mellom to permer. Bok nummer to i triologien lever absolutt opp til den første, og virker sterkere både språklig og handlingsmessig. I tillegg er jeg blitt så glad i karakterene at jeg ikke kan vente til siste del.
September 27, 2019
Maj må nu klare sig alene med børnene Jesper og Stine efter Ewalds død. Han har været forudseende og sørget godt for hende, men alligevel er pengene små. Hun tager derfor imod tilbuddet om at blive sekretær i Dek Rek, Ewalds gamle arbejdsplads. Men at være enlig mor med udearbejde er ikke velset af alle i 1956.
Jesper er blevet meget dygtig til at spille klaver, og tidligt på året udvælges han til at spille ved 17. maj-festen på skolen, hvor klassekammeraten Trude skal holde talen. Kort efter bliver han udset tilat være målmand på skolens hold, da det op til en vigtig kamp står uden målmand. Kampen ender med sejr - og en brækket hånd til Jesper.
Trude inviterer Jesper hjem til middag, og her møder Jesper en helt anden verden. Trudes far er gammel, han har væggene tapetseret med bøger, han diskuterer politik med dem, han er reporter og har interviewet Verdens store personligheder som Louis Armstrong, shahen af Persien og kronprinsen. Hendes mor arbejder om aftenen, for hun er suffløse på Nasjonalteatret. Det er i det hele taget et kunstnerisk, kulturradikalt hjem. “Middagen” viser sig dog at være madder, serveret på gulvet i Trudes værelse af hushjælpen. Trude og Jesper bliver kærester.
Samtidig spirer et forhold frem mellem Maj og klaverlæreren Enzo, som Jesper har inviteret hjem, da han vil overraske sin mor med lagkage på hendes 40 års fødselsdag. Siden inviterer Enzo Maj ud at spise. Maj er meget usikker på, om hun tør begive sig ud i noget, men da Enzo inviterer hende til Rom, ender hun med at tage med, netop efter 17. maj-koncerten, hvor Jesper brillerer. Ved hjemkomsten står det hende dog klart, at det må være slut mellem dem. Selv om hun kalder det den bedste uge i hendes liv, har hun løjet om, hvor hun skulle hen, men hun føler - med rette, skal det vise sig - at alle ved, hvor hun har været og med hvem. Jesper og Stine har klaret sig fint alene, men slagtersønnen finder Majs rejseplan, og så snart han ved noget, ved slagterkonen det, og så ved hele Fagerberg det. Maj har glemt at melde afbud til Røde Kors, og det ender med, at fru Lund, der er betydeligt mere fordømmende end hendes mand, ekskluderer hende på grund af det smuds, Maj har kastet på Røde Kors’ rygte.
I denne bog træder Jesper tydeligere frem i takt med at være blevet ældre. Når afsnittet har hans synsvinkel, er sproget præget af den jargon, som Jesper har lært fra sin far, fuld af slang og sjove udtryk. Hans egne spæde kærlighedserfaringer løber parallelt med Majs forhold til Enzo (der vælger at blive i Italien), og den ellers så sorgløse skoletid præges af en klassekammerats selvmord.
Da Maj og børnene har været på en kort tur til hendes barndomshjem i Hurdalen i sommerferien, hvor Jesper har haft et kort og intenst møde med Søster, er han parat til at slå op med Trude. Men Trudes forældre er kommet dem i forkøbet, idet hele familien skal flytte til Stockholm. Maj derimod rammes nu endnu en gang af sit fejltrin, da hun opdager, hun er gravid. Fru Hall (Vik) kommer hende til hjælp i form af Olaf Halls stedsøn, den fallerede medicinstuderende, Olav Stranger, som bor i hendes gamle lejlighed.
Da Enzo Zanetti har besluttet sig for at blive i Italien, har han anbefalet en anden klaverlærer til Jesper. Kort efter anbefaler denne dog, at Jesper aflægger prøve for Agnete, som er mesteren over dem alle.
Jesper føler sig forfulgt, fordi Søster har sagt, at hendes bror vil komme efter ham, han føler sig tilovers efter at Trude er rejst, og han føler, at hans liv står ved en skillevej ved prøven hos Agnete, så han forbereder sig og får udstedt en lægeattest. Da Agnetes dom er, at han spiller godt nok til husbehov, går han ned på havnen og søger hyre på et skib. Hjemme i lejligheden ligger Maj og kæmper med sin abort.
Og så er vi tilbage ved forfatterens prolog i bind 1, hvor Jesper på kongens dødsdag går gennem byen på vej til havnen.
I denne bog kommer forfatteren et par steder direkte til ordeog taler direkte til læseren.
Endnu en fremragende roman. Jeg glæder mig til, bind 3 udkommer på dansk.
Jesper er blevet meget dygtig til at spille klaver, og tidligt på året udvælges han til at spille ved 17. maj-festen på skolen, hvor klassekammeraten Trude skal holde talen. Kort efter bliver han udset tilat være målmand på skolens hold, da det op til en vigtig kamp står uden målmand. Kampen ender med sejr - og en brækket hånd til Jesper.
Trude inviterer Jesper hjem til middag, og her møder Jesper en helt anden verden. Trudes far er gammel, han har væggene tapetseret med bøger, han diskuterer politik med dem, han er reporter og har interviewet Verdens store personligheder som Louis Armstrong, shahen af Persien og kronprinsen. Hendes mor arbejder om aftenen, for hun er suffløse på Nasjonalteatret. Det er i det hele taget et kunstnerisk, kulturradikalt hjem. “Middagen” viser sig dog at være madder, serveret på gulvet i Trudes værelse af hushjælpen. Trude og Jesper bliver kærester.
Samtidig spirer et forhold frem mellem Maj og klaverlæreren Enzo, som Jesper har inviteret hjem, da han vil overraske sin mor med lagkage på hendes 40 års fødselsdag. Siden inviterer Enzo Maj ud at spise. Maj er meget usikker på, om hun tør begive sig ud i noget, men da Enzo inviterer hende til Rom, ender hun med at tage med, netop efter 17. maj-koncerten, hvor Jesper brillerer. Ved hjemkomsten står det hende dog klart, at det må være slut mellem dem. Selv om hun kalder det den bedste uge i hendes liv, har hun løjet om, hvor hun skulle hen, men hun føler - med rette, skal det vise sig - at alle ved, hvor hun har været og med hvem. Jesper og Stine har klaret sig fint alene, men slagtersønnen finder Majs rejseplan, og så snart han ved noget, ved slagterkonen det, og så ved hele Fagerberg det. Maj har glemt at melde afbud til Røde Kors, og det ender med, at fru Lund, der er betydeligt mere fordømmende end hendes mand, ekskluderer hende på grund af det smuds, Maj har kastet på Røde Kors’ rygte.
I denne bog træder Jesper tydeligere frem i takt med at være blevet ældre. Når afsnittet har hans synsvinkel, er sproget præget af den jargon, som Jesper har lært fra sin far, fuld af slang og sjove udtryk. Hans egne spæde kærlighedserfaringer løber parallelt med Majs forhold til Enzo (der vælger at blive i Italien), og den ellers så sorgløse skoletid præges af en klassekammerats selvmord.
Da Maj og børnene har været på en kort tur til hendes barndomshjem i Hurdalen i sommerferien, hvor Jesper har haft et kort og intenst møde med Søster, er han parat til at slå op med Trude. Men Trudes forældre er kommet dem i forkøbet, idet hele familien skal flytte til Stockholm. Maj derimod rammes nu endnu en gang af sit fejltrin, da hun opdager, hun er gravid. Fru Hall (Vik) kommer hende til hjælp i form af Olaf Halls stedsøn, den fallerede medicinstuderende, Olav Stranger, som bor i hendes gamle lejlighed.
Da Enzo Zanetti har besluttet sig for at blive i Italien, har han anbefalet en anden klaverlærer til Jesper. Kort efter anbefaler denne dog, at Jesper aflægger prøve for Agnete, som er mesteren over dem alle.
Jesper føler sig forfulgt, fordi Søster har sagt, at hendes bror vil komme efter ham, han føler sig tilovers efter at Trude er rejst, og han føler, at hans liv står ved en skillevej ved prøven hos Agnete, så han forbereder sig og får udstedt en lægeattest. Da Agnetes dom er, at han spiller godt nok til husbehov, går han ned på havnen og søger hyre på et skib. Hjemme i lejligheden ligger Maj og kæmper med sin abort.
Og så er vi tilbage ved forfatterens prolog i bind 1, hvor Jesper på kongens dødsdag går gennem byen på vej til havnen.
I denne bog kommer forfatteren et par steder direkte til ordeog taler direkte til læseren.
Endnu en fremragende roman. Jeg glæder mig til, bind 3 udkommer på dansk.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 13, 2020
Bogen fortsætter med samme stil og samme historie som i Byens Spor 1. Vi følger stadig mennesker i og omkring familien Maj, Jesper og Stine (henholdsvis mor, storebror og lillesøster). Fortælleren hopper stadig fra person til person på en meget let måde.
Jeg synes, at bogen er næsten absurd skøn at læse. Det flyder bare derudaf, enkelt, underholdende, sjovt, rørende, fine små observationer af dit og dat.
Jeg blev lidt irriteret, da forfatteren begyndte at fortælle, at alle har det hårdt, også forfatteren, som ... og så kom nogle metaovervejelser over forfatterens rolle og muligheder. Det var ikke så spændende, men det var vel strengt taget overlegent sikkert gjort. Og d et illustrerer måske meget godt, hvor meget sjov, forfatteren sikkert selv har haft med at skrive bogen: Det føles, som om forfatteren bare giver den gas og skriver derudaf, med alle de indfald, han nu kan komme på, samtidig med at han ikke falder ud af sin stil.
Da jeg læste 1eren, observerede jeg, at drenge og mænd var betydeligt mere interessante end piger og kvinder. Drenge og mænd havde mere interessante indre liv, og deres ydre handlinger var også mere afgørende, markante, end piger og kvinderne. Jeg synes, at det samme er tilfældet i 2eren. Jesper har fx en distinkt karrakter - er kunstner og kan noget, som ingen andre kan, taler specielt mm - hvorimod Stine “bare” er køn, bliver moppet (og bliver hjulpet ud af dette af drengene). Hun er ikke nær så stærk en karakter, som Jesper er. Også fordi Jesper har venner og komplicerede faderfigurer, hvilket Stine ikke har. Maj sker der heller ikke meget med. Selvom hun nu er udearbejdende, er hendes centrale træk alligevel, at hun har en affære med Jespers faderfigur. Hun er således også her mere en rekvisit i Jespers liv end han er det i hendes.
Jeg synes, at bogen er næsten absurd skøn at læse. Det flyder bare derudaf, enkelt, underholdende, sjovt, rørende, fine små observationer af dit og dat.
Jeg blev lidt irriteret, da forfatteren begyndte at fortælle, at alle har det hårdt, også forfatteren, som ... og så kom nogle metaovervejelser over forfatterens rolle og muligheder. Det var ikke så spændende, men det var vel strengt taget overlegent sikkert gjort. Og d et illustrerer måske meget godt, hvor meget sjov, forfatteren sikkert selv har haft med at skrive bogen: Det føles, som om forfatteren bare giver den gas og skriver derudaf, med alle de indfald, han nu kan komme på, samtidig med at han ikke falder ud af sin stil.
Da jeg læste 1eren, observerede jeg, at drenge og mænd var betydeligt mere interessante end piger og kvinder. Drenge og mænd havde mere interessante indre liv, og deres ydre handlinger var også mere afgørende, markante, end piger og kvinderne. Jeg synes, at det samme er tilfældet i 2eren. Jesper har fx en distinkt karrakter - er kunstner og kan noget, som ingen andre kan, taler specielt mm - hvorimod Stine “bare” er køn, bliver moppet (og bliver hjulpet ud af dette af drengene). Hun er ikke nær så stærk en karakter, som Jesper er. Også fordi Jesper har venner og komplicerede faderfigurer, hvilket Stine ikke har. Maj sker der heller ikke meget med. Selvom hun nu er udearbejdende, er hendes centrale træk alligevel, at hun har en affære med Jespers faderfigur. Hun er således også her mere en rekvisit i Jespers liv end han er det i hendes.
December 18, 2023
Dette er bok nr to. Vi følger May, som er blitt enke, bare så vidt 40 år gammel. Hun begynner å jobbe i firmaet der mannen hennes jobba. Det er ikke lett å få tid til alt. De to barna Jesper og Stine er stort sett greie, men det er strenge krav i samfunnet rundt dem. Jesper blir tenåring, og han fortsetter å spille piano, er dyktig. Vennen hans, Jostein, er med i tykt og tynt, men er like mye til trøbbel som til glede. Han er litt enfoldig, men får også mange ting til å skje. Stine er ensom.
Det brygger opp til en romanse mellom Maj og pianolærer Enzo. Det kan straffe seg å ha noen slikt prosjekt når man er kasserer i Røde Kors. Det er sterk sosial kontroll. Jesper forelsker seg og innleder et forhold, men det blir forviklinger. Det er drama på liv og død rundt ham.
En ubehagelig person, Bjørn Stranger, sønn til den nye mannen til naboen Margrete, gir lesinga ubehag. Far til Bjørn, virker heller ikke som en særlig god person.
Handlinga utspiller seg i Oslo på 50-tallet. Samfunnet er i ferd med å endre seg. Det er lett å bli sugd inn i fortellinga. Språket er prega av tidas sjargong. Jesper får de samme talemåtene som faren hadde i sin tid. Fortelleren dukker opp mot slutten.
Nå er det bare å fine fram bok nr 3.
Det brygger opp til en romanse mellom Maj og pianolærer Enzo. Det kan straffe seg å ha noen slikt prosjekt når man er kasserer i Røde Kors. Det er sterk sosial kontroll. Jesper forelsker seg og innleder et forhold, men det blir forviklinger. Det er drama på liv og død rundt ham.
En ubehagelig person, Bjørn Stranger, sønn til den nye mannen til naboen Margrete, gir lesinga ubehag. Far til Bjørn, virker heller ikke som en særlig god person.
Handlinga utspiller seg i Oslo på 50-tallet. Samfunnet er i ferd med å endre seg. Det er lett å bli sugd inn i fortellinga. Språket er prega av tidas sjargong. Jesper får de samme talemåtene som faren hadde i sin tid. Fortelleren dukker opp mot slutten.
Nå er det bare å fine fram bok nr 3.
August 25, 2019
«Alle hekler grytekluter». På side 373-74 er han igjen min norske favorittforfatter. Dermed endrer hele boken (og bokserien) seg for meg. Jeg har tidligere omtalt noe annet ungt nytt som kunstlitteratur og var usikker på om jeg skulle gi det 1 eller 5 stjerner, og endte opp på 5, og nå er det også enten 1 eller 5, men det må bli 5. Til gjengjeld gav jeg første bind av Saabye Christensen «Byens spor» 4 og omtalte han der som «litt gammelmodig». Jeg må meddele at jeg tok feil: Etter denne er det en svært urettferdig dom synes jeg. Her tar han opp kampen med en hvilken som helst nykommende hipsterskribent. Jeg har alltid elsket Saabye Christensen og nå ser jeg hvorfor. Dette er virkelig praktfull litteratur. Detaljene, dybden, dypet inn i hverdagslivet gir en imponerende vakker skildring av menneskeliv. Men det er ikke det vakreste, forfatterteften selv er.
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October 10, 2021"Jesper og Jostein skal hver sin vei, til henholdsvis Finn Martins og Henry Vilder, og da må Jostein over til den andre siden og ta banen der. Og plutselig har jeg lyst til å slå følge med dem begge. Jeg vil være konduktør på samtlige spor, mot øst og mot vest, gjennom byen og langs åskammene, under jorden og over alle hauger. Jeg vil ikke slippe noen av dem av syne. Jeg vil se hvordan det går. Jeg vil ikke være den siste som får vite det. Men jeg må også velge. Det er min sorg. Jeg er strukket ut i tid. Jeg kan bare ta én ting av gangen. Derfor søker jeg råd hos leseren. Hvem vil du helst bli med denne morgenen, 20. juni 1957, Jesper Kristoffersen eller Jostein Melsom?»
Andre bok av Byens spor skuffer heller ikke. Gled dere, les den. Men etter den første boken!
Andre bok av Byens spor skuffer heller ikke. Gled dere, les den. Men etter den første boken!
August 13, 2020
Bind to av denne trilogien er om mulig enda mer gripende enn bind 1. Historien slipper aldri tak, den er med meg hele dagen. Jeg sykler omveier for å kunne trille gjennom Gørbitz' gate og sjekke om Jacob Aalls gate faktisk føles mer åpen og mindre klaustrofobisk enn Kirkeveien. Jeg hører på Satie, Sæverud og Prokofjev. Jeg låner bind 3 på biblioteket for å være sikker på at den er klar når bind 2 er ferdiglest. 6 stjerner.
October 23, 2020
Fru Lund kan gå å legge seg!
Kapittel 2 om Kristoffersenfamilien på Fagerborg byr på mer mørke og flere skjebner rundt deres lille univers. Et univers Jesper gradvis ønsker skal bli større.
«Molefonken? Jesper vil ikke være molefonken, han vil være hard og mutt og ha et rikt indre liv. Men hvordan kan noen se at han har et rikt indre liv?»
«- Dessuten tåler jeg ikke påkjenninger. - Hva slags da? (...) - Flyalarmer, muntlig eksamen, tysk jazz, Jehovas vitner, griser og krangling.»
Kapittel 2 om Kristoffersenfamilien på Fagerborg byr på mer mørke og flere skjebner rundt deres lille univers. Et univers Jesper gradvis ønsker skal bli større.
«Molefonken? Jesper vil ikke være molefonken, han vil være hard og mutt og ha et rikt indre liv. Men hvordan kan noen se at han har et rikt indre liv?»
«- Dessuten tåler jeg ikke påkjenninger. - Hva slags da? (...) - Flyalarmer, muntlig eksamen, tysk jazz, Jehovas vitner, griser og krangling.»
August 10, 2023
I read the 2nd in the trilogy right after I finished the first, as I absolutely wanted to know what happened to Jesper, Maj, Stine, Jostein, Fru Vik/Hall, Dr. Lund and the gossipy Red Cross posse. More characters came in for me to care about, especially pragmatic Trude, but also the themes darkened, grew up alongside Jesper. I will probably be mulling this book for some days to come. Definitely will read the 3rd too!
November 10, 2024
“Between 2017 and 2019, he (Lars S. Christensen) released a trilogy titled Byens spor (The Traces of a City), in which all three books were met with critical acclaim, while simultaneously being treated for a spinal disc herniation and bone marrow cancer.” (Wikipedia)
Само първата (Echoes of the City) и втората (Friendship) са преведени на английски. През 2021 Ларш Собю Кристенсен публикува четвърта книга и трилогията става четирилогия.
Само първата (Echoes of the City) и втората (Friendship) са преведени на английски. През 2021 Ларш Собю Кристенсен публикува четвърта книга и трилогията става четирилогия.
August 10, 2020
Skriver dette etter at jeg har lest alle 3 i serien. Totalt sett er dette en av mine største leseopplevelser. Dette er Bok nr to var kanskje den som ga meg minst uten at jeg sier eller mener den er dårlig. Kanslje var jeg litt for stressa da jeg leste den også slik at jeg var mest opptatt av å lese den ferdig. Den er uansett helt nødvendig å lese før nummer 3. Lånte den av Erna.
February 14, 2023
Auch der zweite Band führt uns ins Oslo der Nachkriegszeit. Stadt und Land sind noch vor dem Öl- und Gasboom, dementsprechend arm und die Gesellschaft ziemlich rückständig. Aber erste Vorboten der neuen Zeit sind am Horizont sichtbar.
LSC erzählt routiniert von seiner Heimatstadt und strickt dabei ein spannendes Familien- und Gesellschaftsgemälde mit gut gezeichneten Charakteren.
LSC erzählt routiniert von seiner Heimatstadt und strickt dabei ein spannendes Familien- und Gesellschaftsgemälde mit gut gezeichneten Charakteren.
September 13, 2023
Denne likte jeg godt! Her er språket fremdeles like godt som i forrige bok, mens historien er vesentlig mer spennende og fengende. Jeg føler både jeg lærer noe om mennesket og mennesker, og noe om en helt annen tid.
September 27, 2018
Denne var bedre enn den første : )
November 27, 2018
"Det er ikke ytringsfriheden, der får mig til at digte, det er tavshedspligten."
March 17, 2019
Omtale på bloggen min:
http://bjornebok.bloggnorge.com/2018/...
http://bjornebok.bloggnorge.com/2018/...
April 21, 2019
Denne boka var mye lettere å komme inn i enn den første av Byens spor-bøkene, og en fin fortsettelse fra der forrige bok slapp, selv med noen års hopp fram i tid. Jeg synes en som leser kommer mye mer under huden på karakterene, særlig Jesper og Maj, som det meste av handlingen handler om, men også de andre som står mer i utkanten, og som like gjerne kunne ha blitt overfladiske og karikerte.
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