Knausgaard 1-5 discussion

I find Karl Ove Knausgaard's series My Struggle is very close to what I expect literature to be. Which is weird, because I have always been a firm advocate for fiction. And very much in the same way as the author himself says about his own writing "just the thought of fiction, the thought of a prefabricated character in a fabricated plot made me nauseous, I reacted in a physical way", I have found it hard to find the "truth" I am looking for when I read in many books I have read since reading his work. The way Karl Ove (it's hard not to be on first name terms since we know so much about him) lets us into his thoughts allows us to make sense of our own, and this is somehow what I find most valuable about literature.

So I would like to begin this thread of the discussion by recommending the first author I have found, after Knausgaard, that somehow responds to the same pattern. I have recently been reading Rachel Cusk's work and I believe other Knausgaard readers might appreciate it.

I have fallen into the habit of using "Karl Ove" too. Have you finished book 5? I have only read books 1 and 2. I'm going to skip to 5, but I'm putting it off for a while.

I found Karl Ove's voice to be refreshing; most of my exchanges in society are polite, surface, mostly out of necessity, just to get from one thing to another. It's nice of him to allow us an in-depth look into his life -- although as he admits, he also desires the exposure and renown.

I have just finished book 5 and have read all the others too. I still think book two is the best, at least structure-wise, the way he opens and closes and skips from one storyline to another I think says so much about how people actually think and communicate. The plot in book 5 is quite good, although I feel it may be fascinating for the wrong reasons, and book 4 is just worth it because of the place where it happens, the ways the extreme seasons affect people's lives, and the ways in which they don't. I would be quite interested in reading other novels that take place in Northen Norway.

Hi! I read all five in English last year, and am looking forward to part six being published in 2017. His writing changed my life. I'll certainly read them again. I followed Karl Ove's lead and started reading authors mentioned in My Struggle: Knut Hamsun, Kjell Askildsen, and Per Petterson. KO had a writer friend named Per, I wonder if this is the same?

All three of those Scandinavians were great discoveries for me, Petterson especially.

I read Petterson too ("Out Stealing Horses") and quite enjoyed it, though more like I would any ordinary novel. The way he talks about the light and, especially, the darkness, in the winter I find is fascinating. I wanted to read some of the poetry Knausgård mentions and I've been trying to get a copy of "Wintering with the light" by Paal Helge Haugen but my Norwegian is not great and I haven't been able to find a bilingual copy yet.

Do we know when book 6 will be out?

I agree with your comment on Petterson- reading him envelops my imagination into the mist of a black and white Bergman film. I enjoyed "I Refuse" quite a bit. He and Knausgaard share similar talents for describing cold winter nights.

Is there any estimation as to when an English translation for Volume 6 might become available? I've read the first 5 and have very high hopes for the last volume.

I've heard fall 2018 (!!)... I expect to be able to read it in Norwegian by then myself.

Elena wrote: "I've heard fall 2018 (!!)... I expect to be able to read it in Norwegian by then myself."

LOL. Yikes. That is way too long to wait.