Drama |
"History tells us that here, long ago, almost at the beginning of time, the difference between a word and its meaning was barely measurable, but words have worn down over the course of humankind's journey, and the distance between them and their meaning has grown so long that no life, no death, seems capable of bridging it. But there it is, words are the only thing we have."
Jón Kalman Stefánsson, The Heart of Man
::: Between Heaven and Earth, The Sorrow of Angels, and then The Heart of Man. This trilogy by the great Icelandic author Jón Kalman Stefánsson is set in late 19th-century Iceland and revolves around the place of poetry in our world and the constant struggle between life and death, between darkness and light. In The Heart of Man, which concludes the trilogy, we find the boy who, along with Jean, the postman, survived a snowstorm. He finds himself confronted with All the characters who populated the previous novels reappear, and the threads come together. Women play a fundamental role here; they are the ones who guide the boy in his learning and allow poetry to emerge. This long coming-of-age novel finds its conclusion here by posing existential questions and also developing a profound reflection on language. The voices of the dead and those of the living mingle within a work that has established Stefánsson among the greatest novelists of our time. This novel, populated by voices, whispers, angels, and ghosts, unfolds on the radio like an intense poetic song addressed to the departed, but also and especially to the living.
Gabriel Dufay.
Drama |
"History tells us that here, long ago, almost at the beginning of time, the difference between a word and its meaning was barely measurable, but words have worn down over the course of humankind's journey, and the distance between them and their meaning has grown so long that no life, no death, seems capable of bridging it. But there it is, words are the only thing we have."
Jón Kalman Stefánsson, The Heart of Man
::: Between Heaven and Earth, The Sorrow of Angels, and then The Heart of Man. This trilogy by the great Icelandic author Jón Kalman Stefánsson is set in late 19th-century Iceland and revolves around the place of poetry in our world and the constant struggle between life and death, between darkness and light. In The Heart of Man, which concludes the trilogy, we find the boy who, along with Jean, the postman, survived a snowstorm. He finds himself confronted with All the characters who populated the previous novels reappear, and the threads come together. Women play a fundamental role here; they are the ones who guide the boy in his learning and allow poetry to emerge. This long coming-of-age novel finds its conclusion here by posing existential questions and also developing a profound reflection on language. The voices of the dead and those of the living mingle within a work that has established Stefánsson among the greatest novelists of our time. This novel, populated by voices, whispers, angels, and ghosts, unfolds on the radio like an intense poetic song addressed to the departed, but also and especially to the living.
Gabriel Dufay.