Culture
The Mystery of What Befell in the Ditch by Thure Erik Lund review – is this the greatest living Norwegian writer?
Source: The Guardian · Published
Translated into English at last, this portrait of a man appalled by modernity and desperate to get back to nature is brimming with Nordic weltschmerz T-O-M. The initials of Tomas Olsen Myrbråten, the narrator in Thure Erik Lund’s The Mystery of What Befell in the Ditch, spell out the Norwegian word for “empty”. Approaching 38, he’s already a relic. He spends his days slumped at the kitchen table…
Key points
- Translated into English at last, this portrait of a man appalled by modernity and desperate to get back to nature is brimming with Nordic weltschmerz T-O-M.
- The initials of Tomas Olsen Myrbråten, the narrator in Thure Erik Lund’s The Mystery of What Befell in the Ditch, spell out the Norwegian word for “empty”.
- Approaching 38, he’s already a relic.
- He spends his days slumped at the kitchen table…
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