My friend, Wickie, found the article below, about Per Petterson, in The Guardian and forwarded it on to me. We both loved his novel, Out Stealing Horses, and the article makes me anxious to read more of his works. Although the article is long, read it if you have a chance to read it I highly suggest that you do. Not only does it give you insight into Petterson’s background, it also gives you a better understanding about what makes him tick as a writer. I’ve heard that his latest novel that has been translated into English, To Siberia, is wonderful as well.
Interview by James Campbell which appeared in The Guardian on January 3, 2009
Per Petterson remembers the last thing his mother said to him. It was in April 1990. She had just finished reading his first novel, Echoland, which had been published in Norway the previous year. “She said: ‘Well, I hope the next one won’t be that childish.’ Which was a blow. And the next weekend she was dead.”
Petterson’s father, brother and nephew died with her, when a ferry caught fire on the overnight sailing from Oslo to Frederikshavn in northern Denmark (159 people lost their lives). “I’ve thought a lot about what she said. I’ve tried to figure out what she meant.
Click here to read the full article.
-Caroline
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