I am reading the fourth volume of the six-volume My Struggle by Karl Ove
Knausgaard. On the cover of the book there is a comment by New York Times Book
Review. It reads: Why would you read a six volume, 3,600-page Norwegian
novel about a man writing a six-volume, 3,600 page Norwegian novel? The short
answer is that it is breathtakingly good and so you cannot stop yourself, and
would not want to.
As I am reading the fourth volume already I must have read close to
2,000 pages and I am asking myself the same question. I accept the short answer
by New York Times but I am asking myself the next question what it that I like
is? The answer is not that simple. I think I like the openness of Karl Ove
telling his story. Warts and all. And there are many warts in his stories. Some
belong to people in his life but most of them are he owns. Sometimes I want to
scream – too much information!! I do not need to know all the details of his
bodily reactions to the previous night over drinking. Maybe some of them I can
cope with, but not all for God’s sake! But no, we really get it all, with
colour, consistence and more. Is this what I particularly like about the book?
In a way, yes, strangely enough. Maybe not necessarily post overdrinking
bathroom details but the concept of telling it as it was, no make up applied.
That makes the book really authentic and I feel like I really know young Karl
Ove. He is eighteen in the fourth volume and for the next hundreds of pages
will be trying to loose his virginity. Mind boggles. I will know the boy well
by the end of the volume. Will I like him? Will I get the next book? I am not
sure yet. But most likely, I will. They say that I will not be able to stop
myself. Hmm… My knowledge of the men’s world will increase considerably.
I like the sincerity of the book, I also can relate to Karl Ove’s
problems, interests and fascinations. And I come from a different world to his.
I would say that my interests are very different to his preoccupations. This is
one of the values of the book, it covers universal issues but it reads like a
rather simple story. Deceivingly simple.
During one of management courses, I have attended in my life, my colleagues
assessed me as sincere. Not a bad value or a characteristic but it bothered me
somehow and I still, many years after, I ponder on that. While I consider
sincerity close to honesty and I highly value both, I sometimes feel concerned
that I disclose more than healthy and that it may turn against me. I know that
at times it does. Knausgaard is painfully sincere and searching for his truths.
Sometimes I shouted in my thoughts – too much information! Stop it! He
has some court cases on the go as a result of writing as it was or as he
remembered it was. He became also very famous, very fast. His sincerity of
total disclosure is a great component to it. He is at times accused of too
strong self-focus bordering on narcissism. I forgive him that.
After some research I found out that the book number 6 is not translated
yet and that I will have to wait for it a while. The book contains Knausgaard
thought on Breivik. This should be very interesting.
On reflection, I think I will keep reading My Struggle until it
finishes, if it ever does. In the meantime I will read and write about two
first books by Donna Tartt. I already have bought them.
