Fiction

Septology

Septology

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  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2023-01-01 07:51:41
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Jon Fosse
  • ISBN：1804270067
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Summary

What makes us who we are？ And why do we lead one life and not another？ Asle， an ageing painter and widower who lives alone on the southwest coast of Norway， is reminiscing about his life。 His only friends are his neighbour， �sleik， a traditional fisherman-farmer， and Beyer， a gallerist who lives in the city。 There， in Bj�rgvin， lives another Asle， also a painter but lonely and consumed by alcohol。 Asle and Asle are doppelg�ngers - two versions of the same person， two versions of the same life， both grappling with existential questions about death， love， light and shadow， faith and hopelessness。 Jon Fosse's Septology， collected in English here for the first time， is a transcendent exploration of the human condition， and a radically other reading experience - incantatory， hypnotic， and utterly unique

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Reviews

Michael Jacobs ，

Read this based on Merve Emre’s rave review and was not disappointed。 Fosse’s book is profound and rife with epiphanies。 It is a meditation on life and the choices we make。 My only quibble is that the type is incredibly small and the spacing tight。 Probably best to read the volumes separately。

Cody ，

This is a cyclical text， one that retraces steps， rehashes events， and revisits eras and locales， all-the-while creeping closer and closer to convergence。 It's a merging of dualities that buttresses the larger narrative--light/dark， literal/mystical， god/emptiness， and， notably， the doppelganger characters--and makes for a hypnotic， mesmerizing reading experience。 "。。。when it's darkest is when the light appears。。。": by continuously balancing on the margins of contradiction， we're left basking in This is a cyclical text， one that retraces steps， rehashes events， and revisits eras and locales， all-the-while creeping closer and closer to convergence。 It's a merging of dualities that buttresses the larger narrative--light/dark， literal/mystical， god/emptiness， and， notably， the doppelganger characters--and makes for a hypnotic， mesmerizing reading experience。 "。。。when it's darkest is when the light appears。。。": by continuously balancing on the margins of contradiction， we're left basking in a "shining darkness。" 。。。more

Shishene ，

Septology reminds me of Marilynne Robinson's Housekeeping and Virginia Woolf's To the Lighthouse。 It's not as good as the former but better than the latter。 Septology reminds me of Marilynne Robinson's Housekeeping and Virginia Woolf's To the Lighthouse。 It's not as good as the former but better than the latter。 。。。more

Frazer MacDiarmid ，

Utterly immersive。 Hauntingly spare， confronting in its depths。Uncanny to read a book that so brilliantly mimics the patterns of human thought。 Stream of consciousness？ More like a torrent。 A lot of people's first comment is that this book is an 800 page sentence， but after a short while it became second nature to me， and made me ponder about what we might be missing by cleaving to grammatical conventions。 Full stops can imply a great deal about human cognition: that we have discrete 'thoughts'， Utterly immersive。 Hauntingly spare， confronting in its depths。Uncanny to read a book that so brilliantly mimics the patterns of human thought。 Stream of consciousness？ More like a torrent。 A lot of people's first comment is that this book is an 800 page sentence， but after a short while it became second nature to me， and made me ponder about what we might be missing by cleaving to grammatical conventions。 Full stops can imply a great deal about human cognition: that we have discrete 'thoughts'， that they occur in succession， that they can be excerpted and tested for their rationality as a hermetically sealed sentence。 And although we might be conditioned to believe human thought does in fact function this way， the instinctiveness of Fosse's writing exposes its fallacy。 His writing resists division， as I found when I was trying to write down some quotes。 There are no seams。 Each 'thought' is bound up with the one that precedes it and the one that follows it。 Each has its specific context that alters its meaning， significance and implications。His writing also does something remarkable to time， both the temporality within the book and the reader's temporality。 The book spans a handful of days leading up to Christmas in western Norway。 The darkness never fully lifts。 Yet as we become lost with Asle in his memories， particularly those of his beloved Ales， our sense of the book's time is distorted。 Small things prompt us about time's reality - the room's coldness after the stove has died， Bragi the dog's bodily needs。 Was it only me getting almost physically uncomfortable about the dog's wellbeing？ Dogs need more than crumbled bread！！Christian theology pervades the book like a ghost。 Fosse elegantly （and accurately） captures both the beauty of Roman Catholic philosophy and the immense existential challenge it poses to the adherent。 I have too many thoughts about this book to put here。 I'm currently working my way through everything that's been written about Septology and Fosse。 I then plan to write a proper review which I'll be sure to link people to。 Safe to say I have a lot of unfinished business with Septology。 。。。more

James Keehan ，

The blurb on the back of this says it's "incantatory" and that's a pretty good description of this long， slow， repetitive and explicitly religious fever dream of a novel。 For me the overall effect was mesmerising and it held my interest until the end。 The deliberate tonelessness of the narrative will probably test a lot of people's patience but I liked the style because it lets the different strands of the story flow together to give a good impression of Alse's confusion and powerlessness。 Typos The blurb on the back of this says it's "incantatory" and that's a pretty good description of this long， slow， repetitive and explicitly religious fever dream of a novel。 For me the overall effect was mesmerising and it held my interest until the end。 The deliberate tonelessness of the narrative will probably test a lot of people's patience but I liked the style because it lets the different strands of the story flow together to give a good impression of Alse's confusion and powerlessness。 Typos on pages 310， 450， 493， 515， 540 and 597。 。。。more

Karola Karlson ，

As stated in numerous reviews， Septology is rather a meditation than a traditional prose novel。 Yet how much can be conveyed in simple words， the same thoughts reappearing in kaleidoscopic， vertiginous cadence。。。 As the protagonist remarks about paintings （and art in general）， there shines a light that's most visible in the deepest of darknesses。 A halo of inner light surrounds Septology throughout。 As stated in numerous reviews， Septology is rather a meditation than a traditional prose novel。 Yet how much can be conveyed in simple words， the same thoughts reappearing in kaleidoscopic， vertiginous cadence。。。 As the protagonist remarks about paintings （and art in general）， there shines a light that's most visible in the deepest of darknesses。 A halo of inner light surrounds Septology throughout。 。。。more

Nick Craske ，

Five stars？ A constellation of stars。For me， reading this was less a reading experience， more of an immersion and intermingling within a collective consciousness。 Septology's prose style is hypnotic and incantatory， the rhythm so absorbing it invokes a lucid dreaming quality。 I was utterly mesmerised by the style and the mystical quality but also the deep humanity and authenticity of the writing—it's has so much soul。The Septology， is a series of seven novels written by the Norwegian author Jon Five stars？ A constellation of stars。For me， reading this was less a reading experience， more of an immersion and intermingling within a collective consciousness。 Septology's prose style is hypnotic and incantatory， the rhythm so absorbing it invokes a lucid dreaming quality。 I was utterly mesmerised by the style and the mystical quality but also the deep humanity and authenticity of the writing—it's has so much soul。The Septology， is a series of seven novels written by the Norwegian author Jon Fosse， collected in this fine single volume。 It's a meditation on the nature of time and the human experience of it。 Through the eyes of the main character he explores the ways in which time shapes our lives and our understanding of the world around us。This really is an exquisite experience。 The rhythm and cadence of the prose style， the structure of the novels， creates an entirely immersive flow。 This immersive cataloging of each and every beat of conscious present tense is expressed in a realtime syncopation， moment-to-moment， thought-to-thought。 The transitions from present moment to memory are seamless and crystalline。 This detailed cataloging of thoughts and blending of timeframes elegantly avoids losing any intrigue or drama。 The writing is masterfully punctuated with rising tension and powerful suggestion—a wistful peaceful scene of young siblings roaming on an Autumnal beach， will subtly escalate to such intensity you become overwhelmed as tranquility， in the beat of one's heart， becomes a cacophony of potential tragedies in one's mind。 A deft heightened pacing and development of intrigue。 The minutiae of a life lived is heightened to dramatic intensity; artfully composed and paced; deeply atmospheric。 A theatricality to all of this， one can imagine resounding in a hushed and engrossed theatre。The story is told through the inner thoughts of the protagonist， Asle。 The continual and unbroken thoughts are expressed in the infinite single sentence。 The prose style itself an exploration of time and existence。 And the inclusion and repetition of religious themes suffuses the novel with a sense of the sacred and the transcendent。The infinite sentence is long and winding， resembling the meandering thoughts we all experience。 The character（s） is swept along on the tide of time， memory and moment-to-moment experiences and reflection。 From waking to sleep and dream to waking the sentence wind ons。 This prose style， combined with Fosse's masterful use of repetition and symbolism， creates a powerful sense of the passing of time and the cyclical nature of human experience。The novels are structured around the passing of the seasons， with each book taking place over the course of a single season， and this structure allows Fosse to investigate the ways in which time affects our relationships， our memories， and our sense of identity。 He also explores the ways in which religious beliefs and practices can provide solace and meaning。 It's so vivid; so enigmatic and engrossing that I'm still thinking about it weeks after finishing。 It's so potent。 I will be reading everything else Jon Fosse has written*。*And the translator， Damion Searls learnt Norwegian so he could translate Fosse's oeuvre。 Incredible work。 。。。more

Lisa ，

Finer minds than mine have waxed eloquent about this book， but FWIW， I enjoyed it as a slow， melancholy， hypnotic rumination on art， life and the choices we make。Shortlisted for the International Booker Prize 2022 and longlisted for the National Book Awards， Translated Literature 2022， Septology is said to be the magnum opus of Norwegian author Jon Fosse （b。1959）。  Importantly， as far as I'm concerned， Septology is nothing like the self-indulgent meanderings of that other famous Norwegian author Finer minds than mine have waxed eloquent about this book， but FWIW， I enjoyed it as a slow， melancholy， hypnotic rumination on art， life and the choices we make。Shortlisted for the International Booker Prize 2022 and longlisted for the National Book Awards， Translated Literature 2022， Septology is said to be the magnum opus of Norwegian author Jon Fosse （b。1959）。  Importantly， as far as I'm concerned， Septology is nothing like the self-indulgent meanderings of that other famous Norwegian author who has mined his own life， and the lives of his significant others， ad nauseam。 （I have read one of his， and I hope made it clear in my review that I loathed his cruel observations about his family。）Septology was originally published in three volumes， all translated by Damion Searls and published in English by Fitzcarraldo Editions。 t Det andre namnet - Septologien I-II （2019）。 The Other Name: Septology I-II; t Eg er ein annan - Septologien III-V （2020）。 I Is Another: Septology III-V; and t Eit nytt namn - Septologien VI-VII （2021）。 A New Name: Septology VI-VII。  In October 2022， Giramondo published this Australian edition of the series in one volume for the first time。Septology is not a book for all tastes。 Considering that it's a very long book， not much happens， and some of what happens is confusing。  But by the time the reader reaches the last chapter， it's impossible not to be invested in the narrator Asle， and to care about what happens to him and the other people in his life。  And to feel a sense of loss on the last page。BTW There are some 'spoilers' in what follows， but nobody reads Septology for the plot。 Even during the heart-stopping sequence when there is a risk that Asle might die in the blizzard or fall into the sea under Åsleik's drunken seamanship， the reader knows that there are many pages to go so it's not a spoiler to observe that he survives those events。In Book 1 we meet Asle， an ageing painter sufficiently successful to have made an adequate living out of his art。  Since the death of his wife， he lives alone on the Norwegian coast in Dylgia， a few hours' drive from Bjørgvin， now known as Bergen。 The name Dylgia seems to be a bit of a Norwegian in-joke， because my Google search revealed that it was the site of a battle in one of the sagas。  Well， Septology is a saga， and the central character seems to have struggled with himself for most of his life。Book I， like Books II-VII， begins with Asle contemplating the same painting。  In Book I， it is Monday。And I see myself standing and looking at the picture with the two lines that cross in the middle， one purple line， one brown line it's a painting wider than it is high and I see that I've painted the lines slowly， the paint is thick， two long wide lines， and they've dripped， where the brown line and purple line cross the colours blend beautifully and drip and I'm thinking this isn't a picture but suddenly the picture is the way it's supposed to be， it's done， there's nothing more to do to it。 （p。3） These pairings in the painting prefigure numerous other pairings in a work suffused with doppelgangers。But in Book II， these same thoughts take place on Tuesday and he is less sure about the painting， and by Book V it is Thursday， and he thinks it's a really bad painting。  By Book VI the crisis in his life is upon him:。。。 I can't look at this picture anymore， it's been sitting on the easel for a long time now， a couple of weeks maybe， so now I either have to paint over it in white or else put it up in the attic， in the crates where I keep the pictures I don't want to sell， but I've already thought that thought day after day， I think and then I take hold of the stretcher and let go of it again and I realise that I， who have spent my whole life painting， oil paint on canvas， yes， ever since I was a boy， I don't want to paint anymore， ever， all the pleasure I used to take in painting is gone。。。 （p。551） He doesn't understand why， but he just wants to get rid of it all and in Book VII， his aversion has solidified。  And this is the man who in Book I was obsessed by light。 He sees pictures in his head and paints to clear his mind of them。To read the rest of my review please visit https://anzlitlovers。com/2022/12/06/s。。。 。。。more

josé almeida ，

em ‘19， ’20 e ’21， jon fosse publicou “the other name”， “i is another” e “a new name”， que englobavam as sete partes agora reunidas num só volume， “septology”， mais de oitocentas páginas de puro deleite。 este é seguramente um dos livros do novo milénio， na tradição de proust， joyce， beckett， musil e alguns outros mestres da palavra escrita。 por que razão temos esta vida e não outra？ e se houvesse um outro eu para quem a vida fosse diferente？。。。 asle é um pintor norueguês， viúvo e envelhecido， a em ‘19， ’20 e ’21， jon fosse publicou “the other name”， “i is another” e “a new name”， que englobavam as sete partes agora reunidas num só volume， “septology”， mais de oitocentas páginas de puro deleite。 este é seguramente um dos livros do novo milénio， na tradição de proust， joyce， beckett， musil e alguns outros mestres da palavra escrita。 por que razão temos esta vida e não outra？ e se houvesse um outro eu para quem a vida fosse diferente？。。。 asle é um pintor norueguês， viúvo e envelhecido， a quem a memória vai falhando mas que se põe a relembrar episódios da sua vida。 asle tem apenas três amigos: um vizinho agricultor， o galerista que expõe e lhe vende os quadros， e um outro asle， também pintor， alcoólico irremediável， um duplo que poderia （ou não） ser ele， duas versões da mesma vida （ou não）， numa luta contra o tempo e a memória， perdidos nas inevitáveis dúvidas da condição humana sobre a vida e a morte， a luz e as trevas， deus e o amor。 uma leitura hipnótica em que formalmente a narrativa em fluxo-de-consciência é reinventada de um modo original e encantatório。 。。。more

Sean ，

Jon Fosse is one of the very best contemporary authors。 Read his books， especially Septology。Full video review here: https://youtu。be/X77c0K7lKQY Jon Fosse is one of the very best contemporary authors。 Read his books， especially Septology。Full video review here: https://youtu。be/X77c0K7lKQY 。。。more

Chris ，

Jon Fosse’s Septology is a masterpiece！ Reading it reminded me of the first time I read Mrs。 Dalloway or The Sound and the Fury， not because they share a style， but because I hadn’t read anything quite like it before。 Apparently Le Monde dubbed Fosse “the Beckett of the 21st century”！ Anyway， Septology is now my favourite Norwegian novel （sorry Hamsun）。 And I love that much of the novel takes place in Bergen （Bjørgvin） where I used to live！Septology is easy to summarize but difficult to describe Jon Fosse’s Septology is a masterpiece！ Reading it reminded me of the first time I read Mrs。 Dalloway or The Sound and the Fury， not because they share a style， but because I hadn’t read anything quite like it before。 Apparently Le Monde dubbed Fosse “the Beckett of the 21st century”！ Anyway， Septology is now my favourite Norwegian novel （sorry Hamsun）。 And I love that much of the novel takes place in Bergen （Bjørgvin） where I used to live！Septology is easy to summarize but difficult to describe。 It’s a novel about memory， time， God， art， existence， and， I suppose， grief。 So life， essentially。 Not much happens in the present time of the novel since it’s mostly made up of the narrator’s thoughts: flashbacks that tell the story of his youth， including how he became an artist and how he met his late wife。 Written in a slow stream-of-consciousness with lots of repetition and few paragraphs or periods， the text very successfully mimics the way our minds work when we think and recall moments that have shaped our lives。 Subtly heartbreaking and never sentimental， the writing is breathtaking。 I loved this so much and wish more people would pick it up because it’s one of those books that I’m dying to discuss。“…she says that today is one of the great days， one of the days when something happens， yes， an event， because it’s so strange， day after day goes by and it’s like time is just passing， but then something happens， and when it happens the time passes slowly， and the time that passes slowly doesn’t disappear， it becomes， yes， a kind of event， so actually there are two kinds of time， the time that just passes and that really matters only so that daily life can move along its course and then the other time， the actual time， which is made up of events， and that time can last， can become lasting…” 。。。more

Roy Kenagy ，

International Booker shortlist 2022。 Last volume。

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Septology

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Septology&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Septology&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0