The Liar

by Martin A. Hansen, Paul Larkin (Translator), Morten Høi Jensen (Introduction)

Delicately attuned to the complexities of both the natural world and human psychology, this potent classic of twentieth-century Danish literature is narrated by an isolated schoolteacher stuck in a mire of loneliness, deception, and spiritual despair.

One of the greatest works of modern Scandinavian fiction, The Liar tells the story of Johannes Lye, a teacher and parish clerk on tiny Sand Island off the coast of Denmark, a place that in winter is entirely cut off from the world at large by ice. It is winter when the book begins, and for years now Johannes has lived alone, even as he nurses a secret passion for Annemari, a former pupil. Annemari is engaged to a local man, Olaf, who has left the island but is due to return come spring. She is also being courted by a young engineer from the mainland. Such are the chief players in a compact drama, recorded in Johannes’s ironic, self-lacerating, and anything but reliable diary.

Martin A. Hansen’s novel beautifully evokes the stark landscape of Sand Island and the immemorial circuit of the seasons as well as the mysterious passage of time in the human heart, all the while proceeding to a supremely suspenseful conclusion.

Genres: Fiction, Classics, Danish, Scandinavian Literature, Denmark, 20th Century, Literature

226 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1950

About the author

A Danish author born in a very small village called Strøby, Martin A. Hansen was a teacher before he became an author and educated at Haslev Seminarium.

Reviews

[Hux · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well Nathan, we did it. We read this wonderful book about a man living on a small island, trapped by the winter ice, telling his tale to you, Nathan, a fictional creation of his own mind, about the people, the places, the loves, the deaths, and the lost opportunities. Did I enjoy it Nathan? Yes, I thought it was absolutely magnificent. And I really liked the dog Pigro.

Johannes is a school teacher (and deacon) who relates the events of the small community of islanders, specifically Olaf and Annemari who, having recently been his pupils, became an item and had a child. Then there was an accident (a death) that affected Olaf and consequently his relationship with Annemari came to end. Johannes is also in love with Annemari but keep this to himself. It's very subtle but it's there. He can only confess so much to Nathan. And to us. Then there is the young boy Kaj who needs to go to a sanitorium on the mainland for treatment. The family of the deceased young man. Elna, the pregnant barmaid. Olaf's mother who cannot forgive Annemari. Frederick and Rigmor (both unfaithful). Johannes ponders all these people and their stories, the history of the island, the passing of time, the fact that they will all one day be forgotten, that even the words used to describe these things will one day die/change.

Having just read a book that annoyed me, it's always nice to immediately come across one that lifts you back up. So the story is narrated by Johannes Lye (in the original Danish his name is Johannes Vig but since that is similar to svig (meaning 'deceit' or 'guilt') the translator chose to use Lye (lie). And that's important because Johannes is indeed a very unreliable narrator (the title confirms as much). The whole thing is his interpretation of events and it's hard to know just how truthful he is being (personally I got the strong sense that he wasn't being entirely honest about his feelings regarding Annemari and Rigmor) but again, that's the point. We can't really trust Johannes account, we can only listen to it. And he tells it rather beautifully.

The writing is a little different. Short sentences. Often unnecessarily so. Given that they are continuous thoughts. Or pieces of dialogue. And there is a definite stream-of-consciousness element to the prose (a style I have a love hate relationship with). Often it's just a lot of inane gibberish and verbal diarrhoea hiding poor quality writing. But then you get the stuff like this, where it's more like a stream-of-feeling than thought, more fluid and sincere, with a concession for the importance of language and grammar (as opposed to style over substance). Anyway, Hansen is very good at creating an atmosphere of emotion and feeling, his use of Nathan (his fictional sounding board) playing into this. And he knows how to change pace when necessary, slowing down or taking a trip down memory lane. And best of all, he knows when to lie.

It is a wonderful book. Sad, thoughtful, and human.

Twenty years of age. That's a magnificent time of life for many. It is our age of deep profundity. For the twenty-year-old demands utter purity. Oh yes of course he tumbles about in this or that and feels himself besmirched. But his life demand is for purity and truth. The mature man is just left bewildered by the twenty-year-old's passionate certainties. The mature man speaks of his life experience, that fool. But this experience simply shows he has forgotten that he is ignorant of life's most important things. The sum of his so-called maturity is a trail of small deceits and minor untruths, in fact a stream of lies, in all opinions and deeds. And yet he is of good conscience because he has become blind to the fact he's a liar.

[Kevin Adams · Rating 4 out of 5]

I could feel the bleakness of Sand Island. I could feel the loneliness of Johannes in every sentence. And I was wowed at what Martin Hansen gave us in a mere 240 pages. I can see why this is a big deal in Danish literature. Loved.

4.5 ⭐️

[Joy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Løgneren by Martin A. Hansen premiered to a captivated Danish audience in 1950 first over the radio, then in serial broadsheet newspaper format and finally in book form. Thought to be Hansen's best work (he died in 1955) and one of the most luminous of Danish literary works, Løgneren has never been out of print through the years. NYRB's 2023 English edition with Paul Larkin as translator and introduction by Morten Høi Jensen opens this psychological literary gem to English readers.

The setting is Sand Island*, a small island off the coast of Denmark. It's March, there’s sea ice blockading the island, preventing the ferryboat from arriving with passengers, supplies and mail. Migratory seabird sightings are anticipated and there are slow but sure signs of spring. Our narrator is Johannes Lye*, schoolmaster of the only school on the island and parish clerk (he is often addressed as Deacon). Johannes is a 'blow-in,' which means he is not local to the island but from the mainland. Nevertheless, he has been there for seven years and become a common fixture. People come to him to unload, to confess, for problem solving, he is trusted as a pillar of the community. With a title like The Liar, of course the reader would be alert to deception and fabrication. Johannes is an unreliable narrator yet his motives and backstory are hidden to us even as we are privy to the thoughts he is addressing to an imaginary confidante Nathan. His reason for leaving the mainland is also ever-changing, he deliberately muddles up the details. Pigro, his pointer setter dog, is his constant companion.

The Liar is a product of its time in showing apprehension about technology and questioning the meaning of life postwar. Some characters, like the young engineer Harry from away, are all about looking to the future and innovation. The engineer regards Johannes as a relic 'fusty and musty.' Others, like Frederik (richest man on the island), life is about accumulation of wealth. Frederik's wife Rigmor wonders about the pointlessness of it all. Johannes has a bird's eyeview of their lives' goings-ons and personalities, he often compares the island inhabitants to birds by appearance and behaviour, which is quite amusing.

I love psychological tautness in a novel and was riveted especially in the last third. The intention and subconscious planning by Johannes keep the reader alert to feints and misdirection. Johannes is drinking heavily and fancies himself 'an amateur psychologist.' He is clearly learned and talented, knowing an impressive amount of Scandinavian history and mythology not to mention linguistics, theology, music and ornithology. Yet we wonder will he use the trust and insider knowledge to twist things to his advantage? What is his heart's truest desire?

4.5 ⭐️ Not a full 5 because of male gaze

*The island is originally named Sandø in Danish and the last name of Johannes is originally Vig, which the translator notes the similarity to the Danish word svig meaning 'deceit' or 'guilt'.
In addition, Jensen in the introduction informs us that the Nathan Johannes is addressing is actually the disciple of Jesus Nathanael said to be incapable of deceit.

Quotes: The island has immeasurable chapters of time in her. Vanished time and times that are yet to come. Against all this, a human's age and memory are no more than a speck. The oldest legends now cling to human life by the most brittle and frail of roots and are best known by a schoolmaster who is a 'blow-in' to the island. But none of these legends are anywhere as old as the ancient barrows and dolmens. The language that was spoken at that time has been blown away.

[Anna · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nu har den her bog stået på min reol i adskillige år, så jeg tænkte det var på tide at få den læst. Desuden er den ret kort. På forsiden reklameres der med at bogen er kåret som nr. 3 i en afstemning om Århundredets Danske Bog, og hvis man er dansklærer, kan man sikkert få en optur over at genkende alverdens referencer til salmer, klassisk litteratur osv. men jeg må nok sige, at den ikke var noget for mig. Der behandles forskellige interessante temaer om at være deltager i sit eget liv, om at føle ansvar overfor andre, om skyld og om at involvere sig. Imidlertid knyttes man aldrig til hovedpersonen og bipersonerne, som virker noget flade på mig. Handlingen er derudover meget vanskelig at følge med i, eller rettere sagt, der er ikke så forfærdelig meget handling.

[Nene La Beet · Rating 5 out of 5]

De fleste af de "klassikere", både danske og udenlandske, jeg har læst som voksen, har undgået glemslen, simpelthen fordi de er gode! Det gælder også denne. Jeg troede egentlig, at jeg havde læst den som ung, men det tror jeg alligevel ikke nu.

Romanen er jo temmelig deprimerende, for Løgneren, som jegfortælleren kalder sig selv, er en værre misantrop, og karrig med sandheden, det er han, selv i sin dagbog, som han skriver til en fiktiv person, Nathanael. Navnet Nathanael er ikke valgt ud af den blå luft, jeg har tjekket, og Jesus siger, at Nathanael er "en Israelit uden svig". Og først i bogen har Johannes, som hovedpersonen hedder, selv gjort opmærksom på, hvad der sker, hvis man trækker hans fornavns sidste bogstav over i hans efternavn, Vig. Man kan også filosofere lidt over karakteren Johannes i Biblen, ham med evangeliet. Han var angiveligt den discipel, som Jesus elskede højst. (Min tid som korrekturlæser på Kristeligt Dagblad fornægter sig ikke).

Romanen er skrevet som radioføljeton, og den blev en gigantisk succes. Det er lidt fantastisk, for det er virkelig ikke opmuntrende læsning/lytning.

En modvægt mod den triste tone i romanen er naturbeskrivelserne fra den lille ø, som hele handlingen foregår på. De er vidunderlige og meget indsigtsfulde. Noget andet, man kan glæde sig over, er det præcise sprog. At tænke sig, at han har skrevet den i lyntempo for at have et kapitel klar hver uge! Hvilket enestående talent!

Netop fordi den først blev udgivet på lyd, er det relevant at lytte til den. Og den er aldeles fremragende indlæst af Jens Albinus.

[Nicolai Tesgaard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sikke en mystisk, forvirrende og fængende fortælling.
Selvom jeg aldrig har læst Løgneren før, havde jeg en idé om, at jeg ville kunne forstå den bedre end for ti år siden. Der tog jeg fejl. Meget i romanen er forstyrrende og, rent ud sagt, forvirrende. Navnene, stederne og sproget er viklet så mærkeligt sammen. Dog havde jeg brug for at læse videre – måske på grund af fornemmelsen af en afsluttende forløsning? Hmm, en smule.

Det er særligt formen, som interesserer mig – og en afslutning, som jeg ikke vil røbe, der dog får en til at ville genlæse romanen med det samme. Johannes skriver dagbog. Hele romanen er så ensom, selv når han beskriver sine interaktioner og samtaler med Sandøs befolkning. Han vil lave en topografisk skitsering af øen. Han vil mestre sine omgivelser. Men han er og forbliver blot en løgner – dagbogens kår.

[Giovanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first read this book as an exchange student in Denmark--apparently required reading there. It's a lovely novel, and while considered a psychological novel, the sense of place and nature seems to me just as important--you can feel and hear the spring thaw as you read.

[Freddie · Rating 4 out of 5]

You can't trust the narrator, but it still manages to be a real truthful book

[Taylor Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Elliptical, dissimulating, ruminating. If there is some place, time, region to which our narrator Johannes Lye is bound, clearly it is the opaque and existential post-war years, a nonetheless probing, inquisitive, novel just as much myopically idiosyncratic as broadly metaphorical. Flights of existential consternation and malaise may be for some source for rolling of eyes, for others matter into which, as though we spoke on pudding and spoon, to plunge, context is here as always, of course, key.

[MJ Nicholls · Rating 3 out of 5]

An elegiac, chatty novel set on the Danish island of Sandø, exploring the foibles and minor mishaps of the inhabitants, related to us through the accounts of a schoolteacher lacking in truthiness. A hearty, folksy novel heavy on religious and philosophical musings that wafts too often into the banal.

[Elderberrywine · Rating 5 out of 5]

An odd duck of a book, by a mid-century Danish author, but you see, there is a map, and thus I am powerless to resist.

The map in question is that of Sand Island, a small island off of the Danish coast, and for most of the book, entirely ice bound. There are only a couple score of islanders, and those off on the mainland are as important as the inhabitants, since the confining ice comes abruptly and unpredictably. The narrator, Johannes Lye, is the school master for the island and also what passes for the priest, since he reads the lessons in the tiny parish church. The story is told to someone named Nathan, but Lye is the first to tell you that there is no such person, and that most of what he narrates is a lie. But to what purpose?

Lye had never meant to be there long, but has now been here long enough that his former pupils are sending children of their own to his school. He clearly loves teaching, and making up games to teach the children of the flora and fauna of the island, and its natural history.

I enjoy coming up with something new each morning. For the children. A bit of a surprise that can be put up on the wall, say. . . But there has to be a ruse to sharpen their curiosity. To rouse their wonder at the world.

But he is also lonely, with only a dearly beloved hunting dog (for snipes!) for company. His drinking can be problematic, as well, and he feels guilty for an accident that affected the island deeply in the recent past. Island society is female oriented at this point, since those caught offshore were the men folk, and the men may be in for a few surprises when they return.

It’s a quiet tale, with lovely writing, but the initial premise still has me puzzled. At the end, he reveals some of the lies, but they are not significant - the matter of some of the timing, perhaps. So why the structure? Well in any event, I was more than happy to explore Sand Island and meet some of Lye’s neighbors. Then of course, there was that lovely hand-drawn map.

[Kresten Jørgensen · Rating 5 out of 5]

En af de bedste romaner, der nogensinde er skrevet på dansk - up there sammen med Kongens Fald. Martin A. Hansens roman er ofte blevet sat i forbindelse med efterkrigstidens franske eksistentialisme, og forbindelse har noget på sig, hvad angår tematikken - men stilistisk er der langt fra en Albert Camus’ køligt registrerende prosa til Martin A. Hansens langt mere altmodische sprogføring med linjer fra Steen Steensen Blicher og Jeppe Aakjær. Måske derfor, at romanen blev lagt nærmest for had af den modernistiske tradition og 68'erne. Løgneren er en stilfærdig roman - i stil og tema i familie med en langt senere Stoner af Julian Barnes: https://www.theguardian.com/books/201...

Læs i øvrigt Claes Kastholms fremragende introduktion til både Martin A. Hansen og romanen: http://www.b.dk/debat/kronik-den-ansv...

[EvaLovesYA · Rating 3 out of 5]

Also posted on Eva Lucias blog

- Bag løgnen gemmer sandheden sig -

”Menneskene er et flygtigt Græs. Pyst! blæser en Vind, en Aarhundredvind, og nu er de alle døde og borte og glemte”.

Bogen ”Løgneren” fra 1950 er skrevet af forfatteren Martin A. Hansen. Bogen er skrevet som dagbogsform af hovedpersonen og skolelæreren Johannes Vig. Han fortæller om livet på Sandø, sine bekendtskaber og den måde han oplever og gennemgår tilværelsen, og alle disse ting nedskrives i dagbogen. Hvad der først starter som forfængelighed bliver til dybe tanker om religion, livet, selve menneskets eksistens i form af dets tvivl og usikkerheder. Dagbogen berettes som sagt af Johannes Vig, på grund af frygten for at blive glemt, som han også beskriver i bogen. Det faktum at mennesket kan leve sit liv og mange hændelser kan finde sted og når mennesket falder bort, kommer nye mennesker til og ved intet af hvad der har foregået førhen. Den viden og historie som før var, er nu pist borte.

”.. Jordens flygtige Liv der hurtigt er borte, men er af samme Stof som vor Sjæl..”

Hovedpersonen, Johannes Vig symboliserer løgnen, benægtelsen og facaden. Han er ikke i stand til at udtrykke sine følelser og prøver at skjule dem ved hjælp af ironi og er derfor skjult af bag sin facade. Et eksempel ses ved Pigros død med sætningen: ”Naa, han var jo kun en Hund”. Der ses benægtelsen af følelserne, da hunden tydeligvis har været hans eneste ”ægte” ven i så mange år. Samtidig er det også karakteristisk for figuren Johannes Vig, at han igennem hele dagbogen, beskriver alle andre omkring ham og først på de sidste sider, beskriver han kort sig selv og hans intentioner med denne dagbog. Han beskriver sig selv direkte som ”løgneren”, som er bogens titel og indrømmer bogens plot. Han indrømmer selv at han benægter sandheden og de ting, der foregår om ham. Han finder sit eget liv kedeligt og han dvæler i sin egen ensomhed og beskriver sine bekendtskaber, som f.eks. Annmari, Kaj, Oluf, Rigmor og Pigro. Det trivielle liv i det lille velkendte samfund på Sandø påvirker hans tankegang og tilgang til livet. Han forklarer også sin løgn med at han har skrevet hele dagbogen halvandet år, efter at alle begivenhederne har fundet sted. Dagbogen skrives desuden til en opdigtet person, hvis navn er Nathanael. Dette viser også et tegn på ensomheden, der dominerer Johannes Vigs liv; det at han savner nærvær hos andre mennesker og derfor må opdigte en ven. Han filosoferer generelt meget over livet og tænker store tanker, samtidig med at han bemærker og beskriver små ting, der finder sted, såsom Pigro, der bevæger sig i hjørnet. Et sted hvor han sætter spørgsmål om tilværelsen og dens mening, mener han selv at man ikke kan få komplette forklaringer om hvordan det rette liv skal leves. Man får aldrig svar på det. Selvom man som læser ikke kender til Sandø og dets liv, indvies man og får en stor viden om selve øen, menneskene, historien og de forskellige indbyrdes relationer. Det er derimod svært at få et indtryk af Johannes Vig, da han skjuler sin egen personlighed ved at han ikke udtrykker sine følelser og ikke tager hensyn til sig selv. En anden ting, der også lægges stor vægt på i ”Løgneren” er kærlighed og de forskellige sider af den. Hovedpersonens mislykkede kærlighedsforhold; det evige spørgsmål om Annmari og den komplicerede relation til den gifte kvinde, Rigmor. Man får dog aldrig svar på, hvorvidt det er godt eller dårligt for Johannes Vig, at kærligheden ikke fungerer. Johannes Vig beskrives også med sætningen: ”en skuffe med lavendler”, hvilket er en perfekt beskrivelse af hans karakter. ”Skuffen” beskriver hans indelukkethed og at han ikke indvier folk i sit jeg og ”lavendler” beskriver symbolsk, at der inderst inde gemmer sig noget godt i hans jeg.
Martin A. Hansen skriver i en tid, hvor eksistentialismen har en stor indflydelse på forfatteres skrivestil og fortolkning af fortællinger. Der er et stort fokus på mennesket og dets eksistens. Individet sættes i centrum og har ingen forudbestemt skæbne. Der er ingen konkrete svar på hvad de rigtige valg er, men de skal alligevel træffes og besluttes. Mennesket skaber desuden sin egen identitet igennem disse handlinger og valg. Disse ovennævnte ting kan perspektiveres til titlen ”Løgneren”, hvorved at hovedpersonen filosoferer, undres og prøver at finde svar i tilværelsen. Han sætter spørgsmålstegn ved menneskets eksistens og handlingerne, der udføres. Han nævner desuden temaer og følelser i bogen, som finder sted i livet: fødsel, sygdom, død, kærlighed, ensomhed og usikkerhed. Et sted i bogen nævner han døden og hans accept af den og det faktum at han forholder sig til den og samtidig undres han over verden.
I modsætningen til naturen, er menneskets alder og erindring ingenting. Naturen ændrer sig ikke, men mennesket gør via sprog, kultur, erindring og historie. Naturen er et kæmpe legeme, som altid vil være til og i forhold til det, er menneskets eksistens væk som ingenting – som med et fingerknips. Det ses eksempelvist også med sætningen: ”Ja, du er det visne Blad, som Vinden driver med”. Mennesket er så småt og kan ikke ændre basale ting som at ældes og dø.
Det handler desuden om at acceptere at ting omkring én ændres. Som menneske kan man gro fast, både i sin egen krop og tilværelsen. En ø så lille som Sandø er let at gro fast på. Alt er velkendt og alligevel føler Johannes sig nogle gange sig som et fremmed i sit eget hjem, da ens selvbevidsthed og jeg kan ændre sig, imens at alt det visuelle ikke ændrer sig. Ved bogen ”Løgneren” tager Martin A. Hansen fokus på mennesket og dets eksistens, forsøget på flugten fra det trivielle liv og ensomheden. Samtidig beskriver han denne evige søgen efter lykken, som er så svær at finde og når man endelig finder den, ”flyver” den hurtigt bort igen. Han skildrer menneskets tankegang og dets forskellige træk og sider, og viser yderligere at mennesket er et mærkeligt og foranderligt væsen, som er svært at tolke og forklare. Bag løgnen gemmer sandheden sig og nogen gange lykkedes det at finde dens skjulested – det har Martin A. Hansen formået og vist med bogen ”Løgneren”.

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[Allan Schaufuss · Rating 4 out of 5]

Én ting er at føle sig fremmed på Sandø. En anden er at føle sig fremmed i verden. Et tredje er at føle sig som en fremmed i øjeblikket. Men et helt fjerde er at føle sig fremmed i sig selv. Hvem føler? Hvem lyver? Og overfor hvem?

“Måske har hun ret. Hun er i hvert fald helt i sine følelser. Enten kold eller varm. Uden den lunkenhed der er så manges forbandelse. Så mange tænkendes.”

Måske den følende oftere er mere hel i sig selv. Måske den tænkende oftere oplever sig mere spaltet mellem sin tænkende og følende side, og deraf i videre udstrækning kan føle sig fremmed i sig selv.

Løgnen forudsætter erkendelse af, at det er en usandhed. Uden erkendelsen kunne der snarere blot være tale om en fejltagelse. Måske det er tilstrækkeligt, at løgneren ved, at løgnen er usand, uden at løgneren nødvendigvis har indsigt i sandheden. Så ville løgnen måske mere bunde i uvidenhed end bedrag. Og så ville løgnen mere skyldes en manglende evne til at opnå indsigt i livets sandhed. Måske det er et udtryk for den uundgåelige menneskelige tilstand. Hvis sandheden er uopnåelig, så er løgnen uundgåelig.

[Alberte Hallberg Thuesen · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Heste, hunde og mænd kan tæmmes, men køer, søer og kvindfolk er der ikke noget at stille op med” lol

[Matthew · Rating 4 out of 5]

The island of Sandø, which is the setting of this novel vaguely reminds me of Summerisle from The Wicker Man (1973). This is because of passages like this: "The sea is never so wild and strong as when it has just taken a human sacrifice" (pg. 96) or "At last I've come to realize it, and it seems to me that I've stepped into a pagan rite, where humans are sacrificed" (pg. 125).

The narrator of the novel is Johannes Vig who writes to a fictional friend named Nathanael. I particularly enjoyed passages like "I can feel you getting closer, my strange friend. In a way, you're getting closer than I like. You would like to pry into my dark mind; you would like me to show you more of myself, be more open and frank with you, tell you everything, particularly what is disgusting and not so nice about myself" (pg. 69). It feels as though Johannes Vig is speaking directly to the reader who is indeed wanting to hear a confession.

I would recommend this book to people who like Søren Kierkegaard and other epistolary psychological novels like Doctor Glas (1905) by Hjalmar Söderberg.

[Martin von Haller Groenbaek · Rating 4 out of 5]

En smuk bog, der med rette betragtes som en klassiker indenfor Dansk efterkrigstid. Bogen indgår i Vilhelms og mit projekt med sammen at læse danske (og ikke danske) klassikere indenfor litteraturen. I en tid, hvor mange følelser og lidenskaber gøres eksplicitte og udpensles i en grad, hvor de ganske forfladiges, og hvor store følelser knyttes til en bagedyst på fjernsynet eller til helt almindelige hverdags forseelser, er det berigende med tekster, hvor livets store spørgsmål, forelskelser og begær, liv og skæbne beskrives med ordvalg, der mere underspiller end overdriver. Jeg tror også, at Vilhelm, når han læser en bog som Løgneren, for øjne op og værdsætter fortællinger i et lavere tempo og med deraf følgende mulighed for refleksion.

[Anne Lydolf · Rating 2 out of 5]

While the writing style does provide some beautiful descriptions of the island this story takes place on, the story itself leaves much to be desired. The characters are somewhat flat, there is no clear focus point and the ending is very inconclusive.

[Svend Vilhelm Lyngsøe Poulsen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lørdag den 27. august

I Hvide Sande bruser Vesterhavet og bilerne fra den nærmeste landevej larmer mens de drøner forbi Natænaæl. Jeg var for nyligt ude på en cykeltur.

Cykling er godt
Cykling er sundt
Cykling om vinteren giver snot
Cykling kan nogle gange gøre ondt

Jeg har lige for nyligt læst denne bog færdig og den var ret god og meget relaterbar da jeg en enkelt gang i mine 23 leveår har stukket én lille hvid løgn. Jeg har aldrig siden løjet. Det var en løgn. Haha så blev I allesammen lige pranket og snydt for den lede rødbede haha PRANK. 😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣

[Zea · Rating 5 out of 5]

i have two copies of this already and i think i might need five or six more!!!!!!!! i have nothing to say except that occasionally you encounter a piece of art that lets you know that a few other people have understood the world as you do and that is a paralyzing and ecstatic thing. also three cheers for the translator 🫡🫡🫡

[Ian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Published in 1950 and hailed as one of the great novels to come out of post-war Denmark, Martin Hansen’s The Liar chronicles a few days in the uneventful life of Johannes Lye on tiny, insignificant Sand Island. Narrated by Johannes in a series of diary entries, the novel opens (on Friday, March 13) as the pack ice that’s cut the island off from the mainland for the entire winter is starting to break up. But though the coming of spring is normally a harbinger of milder weather and better days ahead, Johannes sees no cause for celebration because, as he tells us, “If this really is spring, I’m afraid there’ll be a few troubled hearts here on Sand Island.” Johannes lives alone in a building that doubles as the island’s schoolhouse. In addition to his role as teacher, Johannes serves as postmaster and church deacon, so has a finger in almost everyone’s business to one degree or another. Johannes’s narrative revolves around a few central characters, the most prominent of which is Annemari, a beautiful former student for whom Johannes holds a torch. Annemari however, though betrothed to gentle giant Olaf, who’s been stranded on the mainland for the winter, is carrying on an affair with a visiting engineer named Harry. A complicating factor in this relationship is Olaf and Annemari’s young son, Tom. Johannes, approaching forty and painfully aware of his lack of physical charms, seems unable to commit emotionally to another person. Annemari makes it clear that she likes him fine but has waited long enough for him to make his move, and so as a means to escape Sand Island has attached herself to Harry. In the meantime, Johannes awaits Olaf’s return from the mainland, anticipating some sort of dramatic turmoil when Olaf discovers that Annemari’s plans for the future do not include him. In addition to Annemari, Johannes is attracted to lovely Rigmor, the lonely, neglected wife of Frederik, master of Naes Hall, wealthy landowner and the island’s most prominent citizen. But Johannes keeps himself aloof from emotional attachments, creating distance at crucial moments with sardonic quips and self-deprecating non-sequiturs. His diary (addressed to an imaginary auditor named Nathanial) records repeated instances where words fail him. The story, as such, is simply Johannes’s day to day activities, his encounters and conversations with other residents of the island, walks with his dog Pigro, his fascination with and deep appreciation of the island’s wildlife and the landscape’s stark beauty. But though his activities are not unusual, his life seems to be unraveling, a process brought into sharp relief when he freezes in church while delivering a sermon. The novel ends a year after the story’s main events. At this point, Annemari and Harry are residing somewhere on the mainland, having, with Olaf’s blessing, taken Tom with them. Johannes is living much the same life as before, except that he has invited Elna, ex-barmaid, to take up residence in the schoolhouse, where she can raise her newborn away from prying eyes, a decision that he vaguely regrets. Johannes’s story is one of emotional stasis, the melancholy tale of a man who observes others thriving (or not) in close relationships but who is unable to take the plunge himself. But we have to wonder if any of what he tells us is true. He admits that he didn’t start writing his account until a year after everything happened, so how accurate are his recollections? What are we to believe? Even the story he told Annemari, about arriving on Sand Island after being jilted by the woman he loved, is thrown into question. Intentionally or not, Hansen’s novel deftly captures the mood of post-war Europe, one of desperation and moral exhaustion. But even after reading it The Liar remains a puzzle: an engrossing and fiendishly enigmatic masterpiece of psychological realism with a protagonist whose motives are elusive to the bitter end.

[Julie Rasmine Larsen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Den 40-årige lærer og degn, Johannes Vig der bor på den lille danske ø Sandø, gør i nogle dagbogsoptegnelser op med sit eget liv og sit forhold til øens befolkning.
Johannes Vig beretter om fire afgørende dage i sit liv. I epilogen afslører han, at det hele er sket et år tidligere, og at dagbogsformen altså er en løgn. Det er kun det første kapitel der er skrevet samtidig med at det er sket. Den fortalte tid forløber over fire dage. I slutningen afsløres det dog at disse fire dage er sket for tretten måneder siden. Det er en slags novelle vi bliver præsenteret for. Handlingen starter med at Johannes’ veninde Annemari vil slå op med sin kæreste Oluf via brev og vil løbe væk med ingeniøren Harry. Denne episode sætter handlingen i skred. Her tvinges Johannes til at gøre op med hans forhold til Annemari, han elsker hende, men ønsker Annemari og Oluf sammen da Johannes har dårlig samvittighed overfor Oluf. Annemari vælger Harry og bruger ham til at tvinge Johannes til at bekende kulør overfor hende. Det gør Johannes dog aldrig. Johannes accepterer sin skæbne, og at han ikke kommer til at forlade øen. Han påtager sig rollen som øens samlingspunkt. Han er degn, post og lærer. Han er den intellektuelle substans på øen. Dog føler Johannes sig som en fremmed og udenfor. Han bliver aldrig integreret i en handling, han står udenfor og observerer den og analyserer den. I hans forhold til kvinder kan han heller ikke bringe sig ind. Hverken med Rigmor eller Annemari.

[RebeccaErGlad MegetGlad · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story is supposedly written by a clerk to an imaginary person (Natanael) on an island in Denmark. (I've heard this island is supposedly Anholdt, but don't take my word for it.) Small island. The main part of the book covers a few days in march around the time the ice is breaking. Most time is spent on the clerks musings and relations with his flock, a few women in particular. Through the first part of the book, we wait for the ice to break and a young man, Oluf, to return to the island after spending the winter on the mainland. Set shortly after WW2.

Superb prose. Also fun to read old danish expressions. (Vande hønsene, pimperi ...)

Plot is a little slow at first. There is a fascinating build of tension in the first two thirds of the book, but the plot is pretty sluggish. We wait too long for Oluf to come home. Olufs homecoming is the catalyst of the "real" action in this book, and it just is a little too late.

Way to much about birds. Towards the end, in some really beautiful passages, I begin to understand why there is so much about birds in this book, but I can't really decide if it was worth it.

[Carol]

I just reread this Danish classic (in English), and am fascinated by Martin A. Hansen's exploration of what is true and what is not. His main character doesn't seem to think of himself as ethical and kind, but his actions are often selfless. Hansen was strongly influenced by Kierkegaard, and I can see elements of The Diary of a Seducer in this novel from right after the Danish occupation during WWII.

[Olivia Josefine]

Stadig ikke helt fastsat på en vurdering. En kort fornøjelse (for det var en fornøjelse!), men jeg føler ikke at jeg har fået historien afsluttet helt. Måske skal den genlæses. Måske kommer der en vurdering når jeg har fået læst “Omkring Løgneren” - en samling af referater og diverse analyser af bogen.

[Anetq · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lydbogen er smukt oplæst af Jens Albinus. Der er en grund til at det er en klassiker, og jeg burde jo have læst den forlængst, ikke mindst da jeg altid har elsket begyndelsen "Det er taage, Nathanael"... Og fiktion der bryder med fiktionens egne rammer. Smuk og sær.

[Nanna Kann-Rasmussen · Rating 5 out of 5]

En klassiker. Hvem elsker ikke en utroværdig fortæller. Der er jo skrevet bøger om denne bog, så jeg vil kun fremhæve at jeg er vild med Johannes Vigs (sig det ikke for hurtigt) ironiske måde st omtale forelskelse som “ulejlighed”.

[Marta Dec · Rating 2 out of 5]

I still have no idea what the book was actually about.

[Niels Jacobsen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Intens fortælling med så mange lag at den sagtens kan læses mange gange. En samling af referencer til natur, historie og litteratur, der tilsammen fortæller sandheder om løgnere.

[melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Forstår godt, hvorfor min dansklærer sagde, at den ville virke kedelig. Alligevel kunne jeg ikke lægge den fra mig, da jeg først var begyndt.