Z: rakkaustarina

by Vigdís Grímsdóttir, Tapio Koivukari

Kahden naisen välistä rakkautta ja sisarussuhdetta kuvaava Z on taattua Grímsdóttiria – voimakkaan ekspressiivistä kerrontaa, uskomatonta herkkyyttä ja epäsovinnaisia ratkaisuja. Unohtumaton matka ihmisen mieleen.

Z on myös kuvaus ajan riittämättömyydestä. Keskiössä oleva Anna on kuolemansairas eikä hänellä riitä aikaa kehittyä kunnon runoilijaksi eikä aikaa rakastaa Z:aa, niin kuin tämä tahtoisi. Z jättää miehensä Annan takia, vaikka suhteella ei voi olla kovin pitkää tulevaisuutta tarjottavanaan. Tuloksena on kaunis ja surumielinen romaani.

Genres: Fiction, LGBT, Queer, Lesbian

304 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1996

About the author

Vigdís Grímsdóttir was born in Reykjavík on August 15th 1953. She graduated from the Iceland University of Education with a Teaching Diploma in 1973, received a BA-degree in Icelandic Studies and Library and Information Science from the University of Iceland in 1978, and a degree in Education from the Iceland University of Education in 1982. She was a candidate of Icelandic literature at the University of Iceland 1984-85. Grímsdóttir worked as an elementary- and college teacher in Reykjavík and Hafnarfjörður until 1990 but has since then focused almost exclusively on writing.

Her first book, the short story collection Tíu myndir úr lífi þínu (Ten Pictures from Your Life), appeared in 1983 and since then she has published collections of poetry, another collection of short stories, and novels, including one children's book. Vigdís has received various recognitions for her work and her books have been translated into other languages. Adaptations for theatre have been made of two of her novels and been performed both in Iceland and in Sweden. In 2004 a movie by Hilmar Oddsson, based on her novel Kaldaljós (Cold Light) premiered.

Vigdís Grímsdóttir has two grown up children. She lives in Reykjavík.

Reviews

[Guðrún Úlfarsdóttir]

Svolgraði þessa í mig eins og sæta saft. Fannst hún passlega póstmódernísk (svona 25%). Djúp karakterkönnun sem mér fannst bara æðislegt, ferðalag um afbrýðisemi, skömm og misskilning bæði í gagnkynja og samkynja ástarsamböndum. Eins og Normal People fyrir íslenskar lesbíur. Hlustaði mest á tvö lög yfir lestrinum, annað úr Past Lives myndinni, "Across the Ocean." Síðan Skip á hafi eftir rómantískasta king ever Márís Ravel... Líklega þekktast sem hljóðskreyting í myndinni Call Me by Your Name. Var bara að fatta núna hvað þessi lög pössuðu fullkomlega inn í lestur þessarar ástarsögu. Z ástarsögu. Báðar myndir segja frá flóknum og marglaga rómantískum samböndum... Hinsegin og hinsegin hinsegin. Á erfitt með að koma því í orð hvað þessi lestur hafði mikil áhrif á mig, hún kom út á fæðingarári mínu og ég bara. Já. Hugsaði mikið. Aftan á sagði einhver gagnrýnandi „maður fyllist söknuði þegar lestri er lokið.“ Tengi mikið við það.

Heyriði OMÆGAD ég segi „einhver gagnrýnandi“ en það var Þröstur Helgason... Og ég sat með honum í pottinum í Vesturbæjarlaug í fyrradag. Bara fyndin tilviljun sem mig langaði að deila.

[Birgitta Rúnarsdóttir · Rating 1 out of 5]

Fannst eins og ég var að lesa sögu eftir tilgerðarlegan ungling…sorry

[Abi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very impressive. Half of the story is told through the eyes of Anna, a terminally ill young woman at the very end of her life. Alone in an isolated cottage on a winter's night, she reads through, and then burns, all the letters she ever received from her lover, Z. These letters provide a framework upon which she hangs the history of their relationship.
The other narrator is Anna's sister Arnþrúður, who is sitting up with Valgeir (her husband) and Z as they worry about Anna's disappearance from the hospital. Z recites the poems that Anna wrote for her, one for each letter, and shares fragments of her own version of the love story. Meanwhile, Arnþrúður reflects on her relationship with Valgeir, and her mad, unpredictable jealousy that threatens to drive him away.
The multiple viewpoints and filtering effect of the letters and poetry create a sort of hall of mirrors. The reader is shown many different distortions of the webs of love and jealousy that connect the characters. These combine to produce a complicated, fractured but coherent whole. The reader is privileged with a depth of understanding and a truth that could not come from a single perspective, and which indeed the characters themselves are denied. It is a novel as much about the difficulties of communication and interpretation as it is about the tragedy of terminal illness.
This is a moving and thoughtful novel, executed with rare skill.

[Arndís María · Rating 5 out of 5]

😭😭😭eg elska þessa bok hun er svo falleg og otrulega djörf fyrir sinn tíma

[Susa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Luin tän ensimmäisen kerran 17-vuotiaana junassa, enkä silloin paljoa ymmärtänyt, mutta tää kirja johti yhteen elämäni merkittävimpään kohtaamiseen, joten sillä on sen jälkeen ollut erityinen paikka mielessä - vaikka en tainnut lopulta saada koko kirjaa edes luettua kokonaan.

Z: rakkaustarina kertoo kahdesta naisesta, Annasta ja Z:stä, jotka rakastavat toisiaan. Vaikka romanssi onkin kahden naisen välillä, on tarina niin universaali, että pääpari voisi olla ihan mitä sukupuolta tahansa. Tunteet ovat samoja, ihmisen sukupuolesta riippumatta. Romaania värittäviä olotiloja ovat rakkaus, mustasukkaisuus ja se, miten mahdotonta yhdessäolo on, vaikka kumpikin haluaisi sitä.

Z: rakkaustarina koostuu Annan ja hänen sisarensa kertomuksista sekä Z:n kirjoista ja Annan runoista. Runomainen tyyli on muutenkin hyvin läsnä, välillä jopa ärsyttävästi. Toisaalta, juuri runot antavat romaanille sen oman äänen.

Teki kipeää ja kolahti.

[Talvi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Jos tämä kirja olisi elokuvagenre, se olisi taideleffa.

Kirjassa ei oikeastaan ole juonta, vaan Annan, kuolemansairaan runoilijan, ja tämän rakastajattaren Z:n suhteesta kerrotaan takaumanomaisesti henkilöiden muistoissa, Annan runoissa ja Z:n Annalle kirjoittamissa kirjeissä. Kertojanääniä on kaksi -- Annan ja tämän sisaren Arnthrudurin ajatukset vuorottelevat luvuittain. Kirjan nimikkohenkilö Z:n pään sisälle ei päästä lainkaan ja hahmo jääkin hyvin etäiseksi. Yllättäen syvimmäksi (joskaan ei syvällisimmäksi) hahmoksi muodostuu Arnthrudur, joka on lähes sairaalloisen mustasukkainen aviomiehestään, jonka vei toiselta naiselta. Teksti on epäkronologisessa järjestyksessä olevia kertomuksia ja runomaista tajunnanvirtaa. Lukija aavistaa loppuratkaisun paljon ennen kirjan henkilöhahmoja, mutta se ei olekaan oleellista.

En inhonnut mutta en toisaalta saanut tästä paljoa irti. 2.5/5

[Carolyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

The 3 stars says more about me than the book. I really admired her poetic insights into love, loss and all the manifold emotions that come into play in relationships. It was love of Icelandic literature that led me to seek out this book: that, and a real fondness for the film Kaldaljós, or Cold Light, which was based on her book of the same name.

However, if this hadn't been written by an Icelander, I confess that I wouldn't have read it, for love stories, especially ones of such introspection and self-preoccupation, are definitely not my thing.

[Justiina Dahl · Rating 5 out of 5]

The most compelling, heart-hugging, life encompassing love story I have read in a long time.

[heidi_kirjameressa · Rating 5 out of 5]

So beautiful <3

[Lisa Fransson · Rating 1 out of 5]

Read like a play - A group of people in a room set during one night, exploring their relationships backwards through time. I think it might work if condensed to a poem.