Gaute Heivoll

An international literary sensation about an arsonist on the loose in rural Norway and the young man haunted by the story In 1970s Norway, an arsonist targets a small town for one long, terrifying month. One by one, buildings go up in flames. Suspicion spreads among the neighbors as they wonder if one of their own is responsible. But as the heat and panic rise, new life finds a way to emerge. Amid the chaos, only a day before the last house is set afire, the community comes together for the christening of a young boy named Gaute Heivoll. As he grows up, stories about the time of fear and fire become deeply engrained in his young mind until, as an adult, he begins to retell the story. At the novel’s apex the lives of Heivoll’s friends and neighbors mix with his own life, and the identity of the arsonist and his motivations are slowly revealed. Based on the true account of Norway’s most dramatic arson case, Before I Burn is a powerful, gripping breakout novel from an exceptionally talented author.

A Novel

Before I Burn

Romanen tager delvis sit udgangspunkt i en rekonstruktion af en af Norges største pyromansager, som fandt sted i 1978 i nærheden af Kristiansand. En anden tråd fortæller forfatterens historie. Han blev døbt dagen før opklaringen, og af en eller anden grund har han levet hele sit liv med brandene. Ved at lægge pyromanens historie ved siden af sin egen forsøger han at forklare galskaben i ethvert menneskes liv

roman

Før jeg brenner ned

Yanıp Kül Olmadan Önce

I en liten bygd bor Andreas, en ung gutt med et stort sangtalent. På bedehuset så vel som i kirken klarer han å skape samhørighet og fellesskap i et lokalsamfunn som opplever dyp splittelse over krigen. Blant bygdas innbyggere finnes det 68 NS-medlemmer, hvis navn står sirlig nedtegnet i en protokoll hos byens kjøpmann. Blant de navngitte er også Andreas' far. Andreas synes stort sett at faren er som han pleier, og likevel er bygda helt annerledes - naboer står mot hverandre, venner blir bitre fiender, og fortiden i ferd med å innhente dem. En lille julaften arresteres åtte av bygdas menn. Omtalen er utarbeidet av BS.

Sang for sekstiåtte forrædere

In the late 1970s, a pyromaniac runs amok in a close-knit community in rural Norway. Homes are burnt to a cinder, and panic spreads, as neighbours wonder who amongst them could be wreaking such fear and anguish. And slowly, almost imperceptibly, a mother comes to realise that her son is lighting the fires. Born into this time of chaos, Gaute Heivoll is indelibly linked to the arsonist intent on such destruction. By juxtaposing the pyromaniac's story with his own, Heivoll explores memory, loss and the agonising separation of child from parent that it is a rite of passage for us all. Written in fluid, luminous prose, Before I Burn is a literary sensation, by the foremost Norwegian writer of his generation.

An atmospheric and affecting novel set in rural Norway, by the award-winning author of Before I Burn In the waning days of the German occupation of Norway, Karin and her husband move from Oslo to a tiny village in the south with their young son, the narrator. There they aim to live out their dream of caring for those who can’t look after themselves. They have spent months building a modest house with rooms for patients, and it’s soon filled with three adult men who are psychologically unstable—including Karin’s uncle Josef, who suffered a head injury in a carriage accident—and five siblings whose parents have been declared unfit, and who are the subjects of much conversation in the village. This small and idiosyncratic community persists for nearly three decades. After his parents’ deaths, the son returns to clean out this unusual home. The objects of his childhood retain a talisman-like power over him, and key objects—including an orange crate where he and his sister slept as infants, Josef’s medal of honor, his mother’s beloved piano, and many others—unlock vivid memories. In recounting the ways that the siblings both are and are not a part of his family, he reveals his special relationship with Ingrid, who cannot speak, and his sister's accidental death, which occurred when they were playing together, and its quiet yet tragic effects on the extended family. With warmth, gentle humor, and deep compassion, Gaute Heivoll portrays an unconventional family as it navigates an uncertain and often unkind world.

Across the China Sea

In der Nähe von Kristiansand geht ein Pyromane um. Einen ganzen Monat hat er nachts heimlich gewütet, Scheunen und zum Schluss sogar bewohnte Gebäude bis auf die Grundmauern niedergebrannt. In der kleinen Gemeinde wächst die Panik. Endlich greift die Polizei ein. Der Pyromane muss gefasst werden, aber es gibt nur wenige Spuren. Am Sonntag, dem 4. Juni 1978, als das erste Haus brennt, wird in der Kirche von Finsland ein Junge getauft. Dieser Junge ist niemand anderer als Gaute Heivoll selbst. Der Autor begibt sich auf die Suche danach, wie sein eigenes Leben mit den dramatischsten Brandstiftungen in der Geschichte Norwegens zusammenhängt. Wer war der junge Mann, der die ruhige Gegend in ein Flammenmeer verwandelte? Warum hat er es getan? Und was verbindet ihn mit dem Jungen, der in jenem Sommer zur Welt kam? Mit leiser Dramatik, die unter die Haut geht, zeichnet Heivoll das bezwingende Portrait eines Getriebenen und fragt, wie viel Gewalt in jedem von uns steckt.

Roman

Bevor ich verbrenne

Himmelarkivet er en roman som tar utgangspunkt i den sanne historien om Louis Severin Hogganvik som 10. januar 1945 ble arrestert, mistenkt for kommunistisk virksomhet. Han ble plassert i Gestapos hovedkvarter på Arkivet i Kristiansand hvor han tok sitt eget liv ved å svelge biter av madrassen han lå på. Etter omfattende tortur orket han ikke mer og lyktes til slutt med sitt tredje selvmordsforsøk. Forfatteren kom ved en tilfeldighet over historien om Hogganvik og ble nysgjerrig på mannen og den skjebne han led. Omtalen er utarbeidet av BS.

Himmelarkivet

Et ungt par skaber lige før anden verdenskrig deres eget ’forplejningshjem’, - en institution for mentalt handikappede. Huset bygger de fra grunden, i skovkanten, og de flytter ind med deres lille dreng og endnu et barn i vente. Snart fyldes rummene med patienter, den religiøse grubler Christian Jensen, tavse Matiassen og onkel Josef, der er en af de mest belæste i bygden. En søskendeflok på fem flytter ind i ’galehuset’, som det bliver kaldt. Krigen slutter, men den usædvanlige storfamilie får alt andet end fred. For snart rammes de af en tragedie, som kommer til at følge dem resten af livet. Med en historie baseret på virkelige hændelser har Gaute Heivoll skrevet en dybt humanistisk roman om værgeløse mennesker, om stærke bånd mellem søskende og en mors livslange kærlighed til sit barn..

Gaute Heivoll

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