Aliss at the Fire — WINNER OF THE 2023 NOBEL PRIZE IN LITERATURE
A profound exploration of love, memory, and human connections
Jon Fosse author Damion Searls editor
Format:Paperback
Publisher:Fitzcarraldo Editions
Published:1st Nov '23
Should be back in stock very soon
This poignant tale weaves together past and present as Signe reflects on love and loss in Aliss at the Fire, a Nobel Prize-winning work.
In Aliss at the Fire — WINNER OF THE 2023 NOBEL PRIZE IN LITERATURE, Jon Fosse crafts a profound narrative that delves into the themes of love, loss, and memory. The story unfolds in the serene yet haunting setting of a house by the fjord, where Signe reflects on her life and the absence of her husband, Asle. As she lies on a bench, visions of her past emerge, transporting her back to a fateful day over twenty years ago when Asle ventured out in a rowboat and never returned. This pivotal moment serves as a catalyst for Signe’s exploration of their shared history, revealing the deep connections that bind their family across generations.
Fosse's writing is characterized by its vivid and hallucinatory prose, which allows past and present to intertwine seamlessly. As Signe’s memories expand, they encompass not only her own life but also the lives of those who came before her, including Asle's great-great-grandmother, Aliss. The narrative captures the struggles against nature and the emotional complexities of relationships, offering a rich tapestry of experiences that resonate deeply with readers.
Aliss at the Fire stands as a visionary masterpiece, inviting readers to contemplate the intricacies of marriage and the human condition. Through Fosse's lens, the ghosts of the past mingle with the living, creating a poignant reflection on the enduring impact of love and the inevitability of loss.
‘Jon Fosse is a major European writer.’
— Karl Ove Knausgaard, author of My Struggle
‘The Beckett of the twenty-first century.’
— Le Monde
‘Jon Fosse has managed, like few others, to carve out a literary form of his own.’
— Nordic Council Literary Prize
‘It is some measure of Fosse’s talents that he manages to weave such a compelling narrative from a largely static setting ... Nothing really happens and yet there is something quietly dramatic about Fosse's meandering and rhythmic prose, aided by Damion Searls's limber translation, which has a strangely mesmerising effect. ... [A]n intense reading experience.’
— Lucy Popescu, Independent
‘Fosse carefully captures the contradictions…It is hard not to marvel at what peace and sorrow he fits into a single thought…’
— George Berridge, TLS
‘A drowning is solemnly relived over the generations in Fosse's circuitous, claustrophobic tale. ... The immense burden of family history weighs heavily on each generation as ghosts, memories, and tragedies collide to effects both confounding and enlightening.’
— Publishers Weekly
‘Prose doesn’t have hooks, and Fosse’s incantations are as unexcerptable as Philip Glass symphonies or Béla Tarr tracking shots.... On it goes, building layer upon layer of past and present, ancestors and loved ones, until you are immersed in that world and the prose conjures luminous glory flashing past like Blakean angels. Maybe it is convincing to say that Fosse is the only writer whose book has made me weep with emotion as I translated it.’
— Damion Searls, Paris Review
‘Like Faulkner’s best works, Aliss at the Fire is about the inescapability of the past and how history reverberates mysteriously across generations. Through voices and narratives that are constantly interrupting and interfering with one another, Fosse captures the grief—and love—that can never be put into words.’
— Alex Shepherd, The Atlantic
‘It is becoming increasingly difficult to find any Norwegian author who can equal Jon Fosse.’
— Tom Egil Hverven, NRK
- Winner of Nobel Prize in Literature 2023 (Sweden)
ISBN: 9781804271025
Dimensions: unknown
Weight: unknown
80 pages