Beatles

Beatles-trilogien #1

by Lars Saabye Christensen, Alf Andersen (Translator)

Bogen Beatles er en generationsroman, som handler om fire fjortenårige drenge i Oslo i 1965. De fire er hengivne fans af Beatles og forbundet i et tæt venskab. De lever i deres egen univers med Beatles som akkompagnement, men i 1968 gennembryder den store histore og den voksne verden deres boble af uskyld og drøm. Vietnamkrigen, studenteroprør og stoffer sætter venskabet på en hård prøve.
Beatles er en norsk pendant til Rifbjergs Den kroniske uskyld, en gribende og smertelig fortælling om at blive voksen, skrevet med den fornemmelse for tiden og den følsomhed som gør en roman til en klassiker.

Genres: Fiction, Scandinavian Literature, Novels, Contemporary, Classics, Roman, Historical Fiction

613 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1984

About the author

Lars 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.

Reviews

[Manny · Rating 4 out of 5]

You know it ain't easy

What is this book about? I can see why most of the reviewers are having trouble. It's got laugh-out-loud slapstick, heartbreaking tragedy, unforgettable characters, ridiculous stereotypes, breathtaking lyricism, flat ultrarealist prose... you see the problem. But one thing's clear. There's a whole lot about the Beatles.

So let me introduce to you

Kim Karlsen is 11 when Love me do comes out. He and his three friends are immediate converts, and identify with John, Paul, George and Ringo. (He's Paul). They see the world through Beatles-shaped glasses. The novel traces their varying fortunes from 1965 to 1972.

Norwegian wood

Like Jan Kjærstad, who's clearly paying homage to Christensen at times, the book is both quintessentially Norwegian and completely universal. Kim is Everyman - to be exact, Everyfuckedupteen - but he also happens to be an Everyman who lives in a specific part of Oslo and assumes you have an intimate knowledge of its geography, history and social structure. You know it makes sense. I mean, look at Dante, right?

Living is easy with eyes closed

Did I say fucked up? I had forgotten quite how fucked up people were in the 60s. So unbelievably blind to what was going on around them, to the most obvious and elementary facts of life. But, at the same time, occasionally so in touch with the most profound things.

Carrying pictures of Chairman Mao

The left-wing politics. Comrades, I warn you that this part is toe-curlingly embarrassing, but he just delivers it with a straight face. You actually can't tell whether he's being ironic or not. An impressive piece of historical reconstruction.

Man, you've been a naughty girl

Love makes you stupid. Kim's in love with both Nina and Cecilie and he can't decide between them. I guess that makes him twice as stupid as most people? Or maybe he's just more upfront about it.

Very strange

There's magical realism too.

All the lonely people

Life is hard. Terrible things happen all the time, when we least expect them. The book is full of helpless, lost people: Dragen, Fred, Uncle Hubert, Jørgen, Kim himself. If you like Hamsun, Christensen is surely his greatest and most faithful disciple.

These are words that go together well

He has a wonderful feeling for the poetry of everyday language. It's like the Beatles (duh) or Huck Finn.

Yeah, yeah, yeah

I know, I say this too often, but the book is untranslatable. Looking at the other reviews, nearly all the Norwegians love it and nearly all the foreigners wonder what the fuss is about. Turning it around, would you expect Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds to be any good in Norwegian? But if you have even a passing acquaintance with the language (my own Norwegian isn't great), consider putting it on your list.

[Teresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wavering between 3.5 and 4 ...

Notice the absence of the The in the title: there are The Beatles and then there are Gunnar, Kim, Seb and Ola -- four good-hearted, The Beatles-loving teenagers growing up in Oslo in the mid-60s. But what might seem like a mischievous comic romp of a novel turns deadly serious as politics, police brutality and drugs become a part of the boys' lives into the very early 70s.

I loved the concept and greatly enjoyed the Oslo setting (as I'd recently been there); but what bothered me, along with a couple of pet peeves near the end, was the length. For what it is -- a coming-of-age story -- it's kind of long and somewhat repetitive. (Such wordiness being the only issue I remember having with LSC's The Half Brother.)

Remember in Middlesex (a novel I loved) when Cal flees to San Francisco and you think: What? Why have we left Detroit? Isn't it about time to wrap up this book? Well, that's what it feels like when three of the lads hitchhike to Paris to rescue George, excuse me, Seb. When Kim (Paul) uses his study loan to impulsively buy a flight to Iceland, I felt like I did watching the movie Titanic when Rose jumped out of the lifeboat and I screamed to myself: Wait. What? This movie's not almost over!?! ... Never mind, it isn't nearly as bad as that.

LSC is a good writer and, especially in the beginning, I loved the insights of his narrator, Kim. A parallel between Munch's The Scream (the one in Oslo's National Gallery) and a photograph from Vietnam that Kim recalls while viewing the painting is impressive, even more so as it continues as an extended metaphor. LSC plots well, drawing you into wondering why Kim is in the family summer house in autumn and what in the world happened to him to get him there. When you find out, it feels right.

[Justė · Rating 5 out of 5]

KNYGA. PATIKO. LABAI.

Kurį laiką negalėsiu aprašyti šitos knygos. Gal kada nors vėliau. Susigulėjus viskam.

***

Gal dar ir ne visai susigulėjo, bet aprašysiu.

Su šia knyga keliavau laiku. Atgal į paauglystę 7 metų laikotarpiui. Tiesa, paauglystė ne mano laikų, veikiau - mano tėvų kartos, bet dėl to buvo tik įdomiau. Susipažinau su keturiais bičais - Kimu, Sebu, Ūla ir Gunaru. Kartu klausiausi Bitlų, dalyvavau jų žygiuose, sėdėjau mokyklos suole, svajojau apie meilę ir ateitį. Išgyvenau kartu tas svarbias akimirkas, kupinas atradimų, ir praradimų, smagių ir tragiškų brendimo pamokų. Tiesiog buvau kartu. Nes jie tokie gyvi ir tikri. Tikresni už kai kuriuos pažįstamus žmones. Va čia ir prasideda pagyros rašytojui. Tobulas charakterių atskleidimas. Kažkuriame Review parašyta, kad knyga rekomenduojama Hamsuno gerbėjams. Ir turiu pripažinti, kad tie, kurie mėgsta Hamsuno veikėjus - prieštaringo charakterio, klajoklius, "susiklusias" asmenybes, čia ras kažką panašaus. Žmones - su savais privalumais ir trūkumais, su pasąmone, prasiveržiančia netikėčiausiais poelgiais. Natūralu, kad tokie veikėjai paperka nuoširdumu, tampa labai artimi. Dėl jų pergyveni ir džiaugiesi. Taigi, dešimt balų už veikėjus. Tiek pat ir už gebėjimą atspindėti to meto aktualijas, istorines aplinkybes. O man asmeniškai buvo labai įdomūs visokie "norvegizmai", smulkios detalės, kurios nepažįstant šalies gali prasprūsti pro akis, gali būti netgi neįdomios ar nesuprantamos, bet man jos - itin svarbios, padeda geriau pažinti aplinką, kurioje gyvenu. Bet tai tik smulkmenos, svarbiausia knygoje visai kas kita.
Lenkiu galvą prieš Lars Saabye Christensen, kuris neabejotinai turi pasakojimo talentą, skaitai ir mėgaujiesi kiekvienu sakiniu, subtiliu humoru, gyva šnekamąja kalba ir nori, kad tie 700 puslapių niekada nesibaigtų.

[Kalina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Четох „Полубрат” на английски, защото бях чула от много места, че преводът на български е ужасен. Преди седмица в Созопол имах честта да се срещна лично с Ларш Собю Кристенсен и Анюта Качева, негов преводач, както и с Весела Люцканова, негов издател. Купих си и „Бийтълс” на български, за да проверя лично дали и колко ужасен е преводът.
Първо да спомена, че отзад на книгата е написано – преведена на повече от 30 езика. Тоест, госпожа Весела Люцканова се е сдобила с честта, но и с огромната отговорност да бъде една от трийсетината в цял свят, избрани да поемат в ръце и да заведат до рафтовете на книжарниците норвежката рожба на Ларш С. Кристенсен, който няма понятие нито от български, нито от останалите езици, на които е преведен, и не му остава нищо друго, освен да се прекръсти и да се надява да попадне в добри ръце и отговорни хора. Както се е случило с английското издание на „Полубрат”, което е безупречно, доколкото мога да преценя.
В защита на преводачката Анюта Качева ще кажа, че преводът е онова, което тя предава на издателя, но текстът и окончателният му вид на хартия е отговорност не само на преводача, а и на редактор (поне един) и коректор. Как да прецени човек дали преводът е добър или лош, когато нашият български текст в този случай изглежда като изсипан от самосвал върху книгата и пораздрусан, за да се намести. Редактор е Весела Люцканова, поне така пише отзад, но е от ясно по-ясно, че редактор книгата няма. Преполових я с триста зора, но след стотната страница не издържах и извадих една червена химикалка, чета и поправям, ей тъй, за собствено успокоение, иначе не се търпи.
Правописни грешки масово – дуспи; ожилени; в други ден; изкочи; полюлей; бръкмá; кремвирш; подкукуроса; съботаж – тези са просто една шепа, гребнати произволно от площ десетина страници. Липсват запетаи или ги има в излишък. Липсват тирета, които разделят пряката от непряката реч. Липсват въвеждащи тирета за пряка реч. Липсват интервали след препинателни знаци. Има една граница, до която се търпи, всички сме наясно. Тук граница няма. Това е произвол, който аз не мога да си обясня с нищо. И без да се превземам, заявявам, че ме боли сърцето за автора. Никой автор не го заслужава. Ларш Собю Кристенсен пък изобщо.
За мен това е престъпна безотговорност от страна на издателя. За съжаление – ненаказуема. Ако шивашка фирма получи поръчка за ишлеме от световноизвестен дизайнер и си позволи да му окепази дрехите и името, сигурно ще си понесе отговорността и ще загуби не само пари, но и репутацията си. Защо това не се случва и в ишлемето с преводната литература, не знам.

Иначе книгата ми хареса като за пет звезди, излагацията е наша, на местна почва, и няма нищо общо с Ларш Собю Кристенсен и неговия "Бийтълс".

[Aurimas Novikovas · Rating 5 out of 5]

A novel that is so difficult to review. A book that shares a fine laugh, stupid lyricism, tragedies and tragic characters, a deep presense of The Beatles and Jim Morrison, 1960s perception of global politics etc etc etc. A fine piece of art - an example of a true literary architecture!

[Roxana Truța · Rating 5 out of 5]

I never wanted it to end. My heart still aches after reading the ending. Such a good book! Especially for someone who loves music and cares for friendship.

[Rafal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rewelacja. Zaczynam być wielbicielem nie tylko pisarzy norweskich ale w ogóle norweskiej literatury. Knausgaard, Hamsun i teraz Christensen.
Lubię książki, po zakończeniu których wzrok zawisa na suficie i człowiek zaczyna się zastanawiać.
W tym wypadku, po wielu stronach doskonałej opowieści o dojrzewaniu, alkoholu, narkotykach, młodzieńczych pragnieniach, przyjaźni... nagle wszystko zakończyło się jakimś skokiem w przepaść. Zaniepokoiło mnie to. Przez moment byłem nawet lekko zawiedziony - samym zakończeniem właśnie.
A potem doszedłem do wniosku, że ta książka nie mogła skończyć się inaczej. Że wszystkie ścieżki prowadziły właśnie do takiego półotwartego zakończenia; że sygnałów zapowiadających to zakończenie a nie jakieś inne - było wiele. Tylko że wcześniej, czytając, uważałem je tylko za zabiegi stylistyczne. Okazało się, że one po prostu ilustrowały stan ducha i umysłu głównego bohatera. Bardzo fajne.
Bardzo fajny był też zabieg z potraktowaniem muzyki. Pomijając fakt, że prawie wszystkie piosenki znałem i lubiłem, to przyjemnie było sobie je przypomnieć i słuchać wraz z kolejnymi rozdziałami. Ta swoista multimedialność to kolejna zaleta tej książki. Dobra, gruba książka.

[João Carlos · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fotograma do filme "Beatles" realizado por Peter Flinth baseado no livro de Lars Saabye Christensen


“Beatles”– 1º livro de uma trilogia - de Lars Saabye Christensen (n. 1953) é a história do narrador Kim Karlsen e dos seus amigos Gunnar, Ola e Seb. Quatro adolescentes que crescem em Oslo no período em que Beatlemania invadiu a Europa e a Noruega e que adoptam os nomes dos quatro músicos – Paul, John, George e Ringo.
A narrativa inicia-se na Primavera de 1965 e termina no Verão/Outono de 1972, e cada capítulo tem o título de uma canção dos Beatles - mas o livro não é sobre os Beatles.
A acção de “Beatles” centra-se na história de quatro adolescentes e aborda de uma forma magistral o conflito de gerações entre pais e filhos, o activismo político dos vários quadrantes ideológicos e estratos sociais, os malefícios do álcool e da droga, dos colapsos nervosos e existenciais, mas onde o companheirismo e a verdadeira amizade permanecem imutáveis ao longo dos tempos.
E tal como os verdadeiros Beatles os quatro jovens têm que encarar e trilhar vidas separadas, na procura da sua identidade, superando as crises existenciais próprias da adolescência, os desafios permanentes dos novos relacionamento e de um futuro profissional cheio de incertezas e indefinições.
Lars Saabye Christensen escreve de uma forma simples e fluída, mas brilhante na descrição de uma época e na criação de personagens inesquecíveis, com destaque para a interligação narrativa entre a acção e as músicas dos Beatles, criando um livro cheio de humor numa linguagem intemporal.
No final a amizade perdura para a vida…


Lars Saabye Christensen (n. 1953)

[Кремена Михайлова · Rating 5 out of 5]

„Но истинските неща, за които искахме да говорим, таяхме в себе си.“

„Не могат да се справят с промените, родителите ни, имам предвид – прошепна Гюнар.“

„На светлосиньото заслепяващо небе слънцето се бе разтекло като разбит жълтък, нямаше и следа от вятър и животът течеше като забавени кадри на филм.“

„… отвътре всичко пулсираше, бе прекалено тясно, кожата ми един номер по-малка, кръвта струеше отвътре, а дъждът отвън по покрива.“

„… звукът идваше изпод земята, от спирката на метрото точно до нас, уви се около нас, движението замря и ние го чувахме все по-ясно.“

„Не е ли мъртъв Джим?“

„Нервите са една загадка за нас.“

„Вече съм се подстригал. По-миналата година.“

„И мисля, че добре направи, че му прости – казах аз.“

„ – Ще има ли много ябълки тази година?
- Да – отвърна майка ми.“...

[Calzean · Rating 4 out of 5]

Four boys growing up in Oslo from 1965 to 1972. They collect Beatles records first in awe of their brilliance then slowly more critical as their tastes and preference in music widen.
The narrator is Kim. He is quick with a quip and tells too many liars. He is a drifter and is not all that stable. His friends include a stutterer, a spiritualist and a protector. They play soccer and gradually find girlfriends. They smoke a bit which for some of them turn into hard drugs, they drink a lot. All come from a family of working class men.
The backdrop is the music scene, long hair, Vietnam War, street protests, street gangs, and a feeling of drifting. There is a strange back robbery at Kim's fathers bank, the death of a friend, abortion, and a lot of other storylines which could be read as metaphors and caricatures of the time.
At the end of the book Kim has a nervous breakdown and escapes to find his on and off first girlfriend Nina. It is a book that resonates of the revolutionary times.

[Lorenzo Berardi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reading 'Beatles' was another long walk I took down Memory Lane.
Bless Lars Saabye Christensen for setting another novel in that specific area of Oslo I remember so fondly!

The English edition I owe boasts that 'Beatles' is 'The International Bestseller' and in fact this is the book that made Mr Christensen famous in Norway and abroad.
Not to mention that a few months ago I spotted a hoodie eagerly leafing through this same book at a bus stop in the sleepy English town of Hereford (just don't ask me how I ended up there!). Actually this single readerspotting would be enough to confirm that 'Beatles' did indeed become a bestseller. I guess the title helped, though.

Published in 1984, when its author was only 33, this novel has been translated into 16 languages, sold hundreds of thousands of copies and - surprise surprise! - is going to become a major Norwegian movie that will have its premiere on February 2014. Apparently the chief reason why it took so long to bring 'Beatles' onto the big screen is that the prerequisite to have the movie made was to ensure that the Fab Four songs would have been in it. And it tooks ages (and money) to get that.

Putting its International Bestseller reputation aside, as I wrote above, 'Beatles' is one of those books having a very personal meaning to me.
Just like it happened with 'The Half Brother' - the first novel by Christensen that I read - most of the action here is set in a two mile radius from Majorstua, one of the main intersections in West Oslo. Call me weird, but spotting toponyms such as Blindern, Bygdøy Allé, Solli Plass, Slemdalsveien, Chateau Neuf and Uranienborg Park made me actually happier than the countless references to The Beatles themselves.

With a plot taking place between 1965 and 1972 and with every chapter titled after a Beatles' song (plus a couple of McCartney and Lennon solo career singles), Christensen wrote a wistful and clever novel.
The four protagonists - Kim, Gunnar, Seb and Ola - idolize the Fab Four to the point they identify themselves with them thus becoming Paul, John, George and Ringo.
Even though their own dream of making a band called The Snafus is perpetually postponed due to the lack of music instruments, the four Oslo kids grow up listening in almost religious awe to each and every Beatles LP and EP. As it happens, their tastes in music do evolve over the course of the years leading them to 'discover' Bob Dylan, The Doors, The Mothers of Invention, and the blues. But the Beatles stay untouchable and every rumour implying that the Fab Four are on their way to split up is returned to sender by the boys in disbelief.

Aged only 14 at the beginning of the novel, Kim, Gunnar, Seb and Ola are 21 at its end. As you might wonder, not only their favourite records have changed but also their passions and interests switching from football, skiing and fishing to girls, alcohol, drugs and politics. That's why topics such as the Vietnam War, marijuana planting, the involvement in the ranks of the Young Socialists and the Norwegian European Communities membership referendum in 1972 take the floor.

Gradually what had begun as the story of four easy and semi-idyllic childhoods turn into a gloomy and disillusioned tale with the odd funny moment. One by one all of the four boys fail at some stage of their young lives. Some of them fall deep into an abyss of either drug addiction, alcoholic stupour or nervous breakdown but somehow manage to come up for air, at least for a while. Just like The Beatles themselves, if you like.

And it's with this bleak atmosphere that the novel ends up.
I know that Christensen wrote two sequels but it looks like they have not yet been translated into English.
All in all I'm not entirely sure I'd like to read the sequels. On the one hand I prefer to leave Kim, Gunnar, Seb and Ola where they are, at the young age of 21. On the other hand I remember too well the disappointment I felt when reading 'The Closed Circle' by Jonathan Coe whose excellent 'The Rotters' Club' bears many a similitude with 'Beatles' (four teenagers, the 1960s turning into the 1970s, music, politics, petting).

If these translations see the light, I hope that a better translator than Don Bartlett will be given the job. Nothing personal, Don, but it's the second time that your work doesn't convince me at all after what you did to 'Child Wonder' by Roy Jacobsen.
Tacky mistakes aside (in the English edition Kim comes back to Iceland and tells his crosswords maniac dad he was in a 'cold place, six letters' as the seven lettered 'Iceland' is spelled 'Island' - six letters - in Norwegian), Mr Bartlett here seems to enjoy leaving the reader in the dark. The examples of this sadistic pleasure of the translator are countless, but I will mention a couple which give you a general idea of what I mean.

Page 503. The years is 1972. Kim gets a university loan. Don meekly translates: 'Four Ibsens and the basic grant'. Any idea of what that means? You need to Google 'Ibsen banknote 1970' to find out. Which is four 1,000 Norwegian crowns (kroner) banknotes with the face of Henrik Ibsen on them.
Page 493. Kim is in Iceland visiting a former girlfriend of his. First-person narrative. All in a sudden in the middle of a dialogue, Don switches to the third-person narrative ('she told him').

And then there is the issue with Norwegian addresses and cultural references. To translate them or not to translate them? - Mr Bartlett might have pondered. The problem is that he didn't make his mind up.
So it happens that the magazine 'Nå' ('Now') and the newspaper 'Aftenposten' ('The Evening Post') keep their Norwegian names while the leftist newspaper 'Klassekampen' becomes 'Class Conflict' and the public television NRK becomes the 'Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation'. I wonder why.
Another problem comes up with the translation of nouns. Now Norwegian (both Bokmål and Nynorsk) adds up suffixes so that, say, 'Storting' (the National Parliament) becomes 'det Stortinget'. But the name of the Parliament is Storting and not Storting-et. Now, go and tell this to Don Bartlett for whom it's 'the Stortinget'.

I am sorry, I am really sorry to spoil my review by taking the piss out of the translator but I believe that 'Beatles' would have deserved a better treatment.

[Росен Григоров · Rating 4 out of 5]

„Бийтълс“ на Ларш Собю Кристенсен пленява сетивата. Пленява ги, защото те вкарва в капана на изминалото безвъзвратно юношество, карайки те да разсъждаваш и мечтаеш като 16-годишен, докато държиш книгата в ръцете си. Неусетно разиграваш наново своите собствени преживявания, чертаеш различни сценарии на случили се преди години истории, копнееш по неказаните думи, които може би щяха да те направят по-добър. Гениална клопка – довършваш последните редове, събираш отново страниците в тяхната хартиена целувка и... отново си такъв, какъвто с решенията си в крайна сметка си се моделирал.

Джон, Пол, Джордж и Ринго – главните персонажи в романа, т.е. Ким, Гюнар, Себастиян и Ола, 14-годишни момчета от Осло на 60-те, които се отъждествяват със своите идоли от Ливърпул. Книгата ни превежда през тяхното съзряване, първитете влюбвания, футболните мачове, купоните, психологическите кризи, изцепките в училище, оформянето на политическия мироглед, разочарованията от реда в обществото, алиенацията и копнежа към доброто. И всичко това на фона на саундтрака на тяхната младост – Бийтълс, Стоунс, Доорс, Цепелин, Ленард Коен, Боб Дилън, Пинк Флойд и всички други апостоли на революцията в музикалния (и не само) дух на света тогава. Те провокират личния бунт, раждат надеждите, реформират действителността чрез нереални звуци – именно това обикват в тях и четирите норвежки момчета. Но в стремежа си да нагодят живота около тях към коловоза на жадуваното от въртящите се плочи, те осъзнават, че статуквото ще се съпротивлява: „Чувствахме се просто малко излъгани, винаги бе така. Очакването бе най-хубавото или най-лошото, зависи, но когато вече се случеше, когато вече си там, сякаш бе отминало и нещо съвсем различно, по-голямо и по-хубаво или по-грозно и отвратително ти махаше в далечината. Оставаше само да почнеш да чакаш отново, да се радваш или тревожиш“

С напредването на страниците те са все по-малко Джон, Пол, Джордж и Ринго. Спиралата на ежедневието ги оформя перманентно в Ким, Гюнар, Себастиян и Ола. И сякаш – колкото повече стават себе си, толкова повече затъват в калта на обкръжаващата ги посредственост. Едно все пак остава неизменно – приятелството. То остава единственият лъч на оптимизма, който ги измъква един друг от наркотиците, неправилните хора, ненавижданата от тях система, битовата скука. Кристенсен рисува именно чрез него волята да следваш желанията на духа си и да обърнеш гръб на очакванията към теб. Но, както с болка разбират нашите герои, то не е достатъчен щит срещу ударите на Das Man. Всичко при тях се обърква и пропада, бива смазано и стъпкано. Ала винаги остава нещо, с което да се продължи, винаги. Смятам, че всеки ще го открие за себе си сред думите и музиката на романа.

[Julia Langnes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tror dette blir min første anmeldelse på Norsk, beklager for de som finner skrivefeilene. Denne boka her er helt utrolig, en skikkelig generasjonsroman. Dette har alltid vært favoritt boka til faren min, så jeg visste ikke helt hva jeg skulle forvente, men jeg skjønner det. Boka er fullstendig legendarisk. Skrivingen er fabelaktig, det er så grafisk og spesielt. Ganske likt som Ambjørnsen, men Christensen bruker mer tid på karakterskildringene, spesielt når det gjelder Kim. De blir virkelig levende, med hans sofistikerte skrift. Men det som virkelig er unikt er melankolien som følger deg gjennom hele boka. I begynnelsen er det bare i enkelte situasjoner, så er det ikke før slutten at man forstår at dette har vært der hele boka. Det blir skikkelig mørkt altså, men får en reel dybde. Det gjør også boka mer relevant, kontra bare ett humoristisk tulle historie. Var spesielt fint å få ett innblikk i måten foreldrene våres vokste opp på. Hadde vært interessant og se hvordan folk fra andre kulturer har reagert il boka. Anbefaler boka til alle, spesielt siden den lærer deg nye ord som "snerk"

[Murray · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nobody writes with such originality about the shift from boyhood to adolescence and beyond as this author. I loved young Kim’s description of the theatre as ‘worse than church and gymnasium combined’ as he endured an outing with his mother. Down the road a few years and Kim and his friends travel back home from Paris ‘through a stinking Europe that lay on our skin like grey dirt’. For me, the most beautiful part of the book is the encounter that the boys have with Fred’s mother at the same time as they are taking their confirmation lessons. Stunning writing. This book doesn’t have the same wild, tortured, thrilling style as ‘the half brother’ (one of my favourite books), but that’s not what he’s aiming for here - I thoroughly enjoyed it.

[Edita · Rating 3 out of 5]

And although I don’t think about it, the reel behind my eyes stops at a particular frame, I hold it for a few seconds, freeze it, then let it roll, for I am all-powerful. I give it voices, sound, smell and light.
*
[...] time lay over us like a huge lid and we were a pot that had to explode at any minute.
*
Then we headed home. Talking about all the things we were going to do. [...] About summer, even though winter had barely begun. About all the summers of our lives. [...] We became effusive and beautiful birds flew out of our mouths. We had a sneak preview of the future and it looked damn good.
*
[...] it pained me, like water where there were no fish. And no waves and no wind.

[Srđan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is called Beatles and yet they never listen to Let It Be and he sells all his Beatles records at the end... I mean, I understand why he had to sell them, but it just annoys me

All in all, a good coming of age story, but I picked it up because I thought it was gonna be more about The Beatles. I liked the first part way better than the second.

[Liridona · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite book of all time, and probably the best of all Norwegian books ever written.

[Vilde Hjemås · Rating 5 out of 5]

Instant favorite

[Boris · Rating 2 out of 5]

Интересни и поетични описания, но за съжаление суха, скучна и изобщо никаква книга. Харесвам Бийтълс, но не, мерси.

[Kaja Lovise · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastisk bok

[Liva Midtun · Rating 4 out of 5]

Endelig ferdig! Denne tok meg lang tid. Og det er en laaang bok. Kunne definitivt vært kortere, men jeg ble veldig glad i karakterene. Han skriver også så bra at man blir helt gira av setningene.

[Rebekka Wiberg-Bugge · Rating 5 out of 5]

Om jeg måtte bare lese en bok igjen og igjen

[Filipe · Rating 5 out of 5]

I remember seeing this book in my home since 2005, which the date of release of the portuguese translation. I've just decided to read it this summer, in late June, at the breaks of some study for the university exams. Sometimes, it was hard to stop reading to sleep a bit, and sometimes, without noticing it, it was already 4 or 5 o'clock in the morning. Now about the book, it was great, and one of the best things I have ever read in my life. A good and very well told story, moving in some parts, dramatic and romantic, hipster and almost 'beat' in many parts of the text, together with full detail of its time, the sixties, the Vietnam War, the cultural revolution, the invasion of Czechoslovakia, May 68 in France. And of course, music: The Beatles, The Stones, The Doors, The Animals, bands that I also love.
I loved reading it, and possibly some years from now, I will need to read it again, and try to feel once again the pleasure I have got in this last days. This has to be 5 stars :)

[Madla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Je jedno, kde se člověk narodil. Dospívání všude probíhá plus minus stejně. I chyby a blbosti děláme všichni stejné, ať už je to v Čechách nebo v Norsku. Tak plyne čas a příběhy čtyř kluků dokreslují a propojují osudy a hlavně elpíčka skupiny Beatles. Kniha je obsáhlá a nebojí se jít pěkně do hloubky a obnažit vše, co trápilo společnost šedesátých let minulého století a co nás často trápí dodnes.

Na podkresu populární hudby té doby a velkých dějinných událostí sledujeme lidská dramata každodenního života a často nám zatrne, protože některá známe na vlastní kůži. Děj je většinou realistický až břitce naturalistický, o to víc pak překvapí několik skoro magických scén, které ovšem do daného celku perfektně zapadají.

Jsme na severu, takže nečekejte žádnou disneyovskou pohádku s happyendem. I když, přátelství těch čtyř, po tom všem, co spolu zažijí, na tenhle status rozhodně aspiruje.

[Astrid Rudjord · Rating 5 out of 5]

Det tok meg lang tid å bli ferdig med denne boken, ikke fordi jeg ikke likte den, men fordi jeg aldri ville bli ferdig med den. Boka er et mesterverk av symbolikk, mange symboler som jeg ikke forsto men som jeg vil undersøke mer. Settingen er også perfekt, en perfekt blanding av et sted, Oslo vest, som jeg kjenner godt, og en tid, 60-tallet, som er fremmed for meg. Bokens miljø er også en fin blanding av uskyldig, ung vår og sommer og mørkere høst og vinter, og selv om jeg likte den mer uskyldige starten bedre, skapte mørket en fin balanse og spenning. Helt klart et norsk mesterverk og en klassiker som jeg er veldig glad for at jeg endelig fikk lest!

[Eff · Rating 5 out of 5]

I must admit, that I´ve borrowed this from the library just because of the title. But even if it was about "Beatles" it wasn´t about them at all...and that was surprisingly the best thing about it. Bittersweet norvegian story from amazing era which went together with amazing music. You start to read it yesterday and then you suddenly realise it´s tomorrow. Need a sixth star for this. Howgh

[Joanna Slow · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wciągająca, choć nie fabułą, (ale i ta dla lubiących powieści obyczajowe jest do docenienia). Wciąga klimat lat 60/70, wciąga Skandynawia, przyciąga główny bohater, którego nie sposób nie lubić. Połknęłam dosłownie w 3 (długie) wieczory i mało mi...

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderfully written coming of age story that I highly recommend to anyone. I would have given it five stars, but the I found the ending a bit off-putting.

[Teodora Manoilova-Konteva · Rating 5 out of 5]

Поразителен брой печатни и правописни грешки! Срам за издателството. Книгата е великолепна.

[Andrew]

This is largely a book I know because of its being namechecked by (and clearly an inspiration to) Karl Ove "Fuck You and Fuck My Dad" Knausgaard. While it is likewise is a deep investigation into the life of an ordinary Norwegian kid, it's more overtly (at least for this Yank reader) an extended exercise in boomer nostalgia, something I find almost uniquely repulsive. Christensen's career was spawned at the same time The Big Chill and The Wonder Years were foisted upon the world. He's not a bad writer, but I really, really don't need this.