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By Nicolai Alexaâ€� · 11 posts · 13 views
By Nicolai Alexaâ€� · 11 posts · 13 views
last updated Jun 01, 2025 03:10PM
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Dystopisk horror.
De tre novellene med en entusiastisk introduksjon av Cato Pellegrini skulle egentlig vært utgitt i 1977. Det hadde den fortjent. Av flere grunner kom novellene i samlet form først i 2020. Å lese novellene som relativt nyutgitt yter dem ikke rettferdighet, for mye har skjedd i science-fiction- litteraturen, samfunnet, kjønnsroller, og verden siden den gang. Men sjangeren er skrekk og horror, og det er grusomme skjebner å lese om. Da de ble skrevet var de originale.
Langnovellen Dystopisk horror.
De tre novellene med en entusiastisk introduksjon av Cato Pellegrini skulle egentlig vært utgitt i 1977. Det hadde den fortjent. Av flere grunner kom novellene i samlet form først i 2020. Å lese novellene som relativt nyutgitt yter dem ikke rettferdighet, for mye har skjedd i science-fiction- litteraturen, samfunnet, kjønnsroller, og verden siden den gang. Men sjangeren er skrekk og horror, og det er grusomme skjebner å lese om. Da de ble skrevet var de originale.
Langnovellen «Til siste åndedrag» er spennende, svært dystopisk og full av overleverens desperasjon, rettferdig harme, krig, hevn og mann mot mann, mann-mot-system, og fattig-mot rik- tematikk. Sterke muskuløse og selvrettferdige menn som sloss mot overmakta. Som moderne leser er den litt slitsomt å lese, den minner om nittenseksti- og syttitallets actionbøker. Den dystopiske verden blir ikke mindre troverdig av nåtidens overvåkingssystemer andre steder i verden. En habil actionhistorie som nok treffer mannlige lesere bedre.
«Miljø 89» derimot har holdt seg bedre. Ettertenksomt om nedbygging av natur og deprimerte mennesker som lever arbeidsliv som roboter, gått til hende av robottjenere. Syntetisk mat som ikke nærer sjelen. Syttitallets opprør er tydelig her. Vi er på vei inn i en ny slik periode, men nå er enda mer natur bygget ned, selv om mange vassdrag er blitt renere. Novellen minner en del om Brave New World av Aldous Huxley.
Et tema som går igjen er at mennesker blir som rovdyr om de blir presset langt nok, av andre mennesker og av livet de lever.
«Blu» er en grusom historie om hva umenneskelige samfunn gjør med sine barn, om dårlige foreldre, om stygg gruppedynamikk, barn uten tilsyn i gjenger som torturerer dyr, og selv om den gir sterke assosiasjoner til «Fluenes Herre», er den sin egen sterke historie.
De to siste historiene er langt bedre enn den første, etter min mening, og hadde fortjent å stå alene. ...more
De tre novellene med en entusiastisk introduksjon av Cato Pellegrini skulle egentlig vært utgitt i 1977. Det hadde den fortjent. Av flere grunner kom novellene i samlet form først i 2020. Å lese novellene som relativt nyutgitt yter dem ikke rettferdighet, for mye har skjedd i science-fiction- litteraturen, samfunnet, kjønnsroller, og verden siden den gang. Men sjangeren er skrekk og horror, og det er grusomme skjebner å lese om. Da de ble skrevet var de originale.
Langnovellen Dystopisk horror.
De tre novellene med en entusiastisk introduksjon av Cato Pellegrini skulle egentlig vært utgitt i 1977. Det hadde den fortjent. Av flere grunner kom novellene i samlet form først i 2020. Å lese novellene som relativt nyutgitt yter dem ikke rettferdighet, for mye har skjedd i science-fiction- litteraturen, samfunnet, kjønnsroller, og verden siden den gang. Men sjangeren er skrekk og horror, og det er grusomme skjebner å lese om. Da de ble skrevet var de originale.
Langnovellen «Til siste åndedrag» er spennende, svært dystopisk og full av overleverens desperasjon, rettferdig harme, krig, hevn og mann mot mann, mann-mot-system, og fattig-mot rik- tematikk. Sterke muskuløse og selvrettferdige menn som sloss mot overmakta. Som moderne leser er den litt slitsomt å lese, den minner om nittenseksti- og syttitallets actionbøker. Den dystopiske verden blir ikke mindre troverdig av nåtidens overvåkingssystemer andre steder i verden. En habil actionhistorie som nok treffer mannlige lesere bedre.
«Miljø 89» derimot har holdt seg bedre. Ettertenksomt om nedbygging av natur og deprimerte mennesker som lever arbeidsliv som roboter, gått til hende av robottjenere. Syntetisk mat som ikke nærer sjelen. Syttitallets opprør er tydelig her. Vi er på vei inn i en ny slik periode, men nå er enda mer natur bygget ned, selv om mange vassdrag er blitt renere. Novellen minner en del om Brave New World av Aldous Huxley.
Et tema som går igjen er at mennesker blir som rovdyr om de blir presset langt nok, av andre mennesker og av livet de lever.
«Blu» er en grusom historie om hva umenneskelige samfunn gjør med sine barn, om dårlige foreldre, om stygg gruppedynamikk, barn uten tilsyn i gjenger som torturerer dyr, og selv om den gir sterke assosiasjoner til «Fluenes Herre», er den sin egen sterke historie.
De to siste historiene er langt bedre enn den første, etter min mening, og hadde fortjent å stå alene. ...more
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Tre meget dystopiske science fiction-noveller som egentlig skulle vært utgitt i 1977, men som først ble utgitt samlet i 2020. Jeg leste denne som del av en lesesirkel i gruppen "Norsk fabelprosa" (/group/show/1226278-norsk-fabelprosa), og flere av oss ble enten litt sjokkerte, provoserte eller frastøtt. Det trenger ikke være negativt i seg selv, for litteraturen tilfører samfunnet noe verdifullt i kraft av å gjøre nettopp det; våre verdier, holdninger og menneskesyn blir
Tre meget dystopiske science fiction-noveller som egentlig skulle vært utgitt i 1977, men som først ble utgitt samlet i 2020. Jeg leste denne som del av en lesesirkel i gruppen "Norsk fabelprosa" (/group/show/1226278-norsk-fabelprosa), og flere av oss ble enten litt sjokkerte, provoserte eller frastøtt. Det trenger ikke være negativt i seg selv, for litteraturen tilfører samfunnet noe verdifullt i kraft av å gjøre nettopp det; våre verdier, holdninger og menneskesyn blir utfordret, debatter blir startet, kulturlandskapet stimulert, innovasjon blir oppmuntret og så videre. I introduksjonen skriver forfatter og fabelprosa-ekspert Cato Pellegrini at novellene har "tålt tidens tann og stadig må sies å ha aktualitet". Deler av novellene vil jeg si har det, mens andre deler stiller jeg meg mer skeptisk til at ville vært passende eller velfungerende både stilmessig og som budskap nå for tiden. Et annet medlem i gruppen har et godt poeng når hun trekker frem at det jo har skjedd mye "i science-fiction- litteraturen, samfunnet, kjønnsroller, og verden siden den gang". Jeg kan trygt innrømme at jeg på grunn av dette har blandede følelser.
(Omslagsdesignet er forresten veldig stilig! Favorittfargen min er grønn, og jeg syns det grønne kommer så godt frem blant det gule og svarte. Og jeg blir liksom litt hypnotisert av det mønsteret, som også er med på å gi det hele et litt utenomjordisk preg!)
Til siste åndedrag - ★★★★
Spennende, voldelig og actionfylt om en fremtid der atmosfæren er så ødelagt at menneskene er nødt til å puste ved hjelp av oksygenpatroner. Fortelleren er en mannlig råtass som ikke skyr noen midler for å overleve, og så blir han fast bestemt på å gjøre ende på «makta» som sitter på alle oksygenpatronene. Omstendighetene er således prekære, og tittelen er derfor helt perfekt.
Det må sies at jeg syns det er litt pussig at det ikke er noen kvinner i dette samfunnet. Om de fins, blir de ikke nevnt i det hele tatt. Det er spesielt merkbart fordi slemmingen antyder at mannlige egenskaper er essensielt for å videreføre menneskeslekten. Her er det fullt fokus og tunnelsyn på skyting og slåssing, og det blir i liten grad sagt noe fra et samfunnsvitenskapelig perspektiv. Da kan jeg heller ikke unngå å lure på om novellen, med samme premiss/rammer, hadde blitt skrevet på en helt annen måte av en kvinne eller bare av en mann i nyere tid.
Det kan jo være et effektivt grep å fokusere på kun ett aspekt ved et samfunn, da, for det kan hende at verden bare er såpass farlig og til dels primitiv nettopp fordi mennesket nå er blitt tvunget tilbake i et slags tidlig stadium av sin utvikling, og her ser vi et øyeblikksbilde av denne perioden. Så får smaken være som den er. Uansett hadde det vært fint om noen eller noe hadde blitt brukt for å kommentere kvinnenes rolle eller for å skape kontrast til det maskuline. Jeg syns selv det hadde vært til det bedre, men for å være ærlig likte jeg novellen veldig godt til tross. Den var rett og slett kjempekul! De overraskende vendingene holdt meg på tå hev hele veien, og hele greia kunne jeg lett sett for meg som en god spillefilm, om ikke en hel Netflix-serie.
"Det brunbarkede ansiktet var som en storslått ramme rundt de innbitte, våkne og himmelblå øynene. Den kraftige overkroppen svulmet i morgensolen. Det glinset i fett når han beveget seg." (31-32)
"Det er merkelig hvordan enkelte mennesker kan stole fullt og helt på en bare en utfører ordre og viser lojalitet […]" (49)
Miljø 89 - ★★�
I denne verden går det heldigvis an å puste fritt, men naturen har til gjengjeld blitt såpass forurenset og forkrøplet at menneskene kun får opplevd naturen i isolerte, syntetiske miljøer i et slags museum. Utenfor miljøene lever menneskene i en verden som de i grunn ikke er naturlig anlagt for å leve i, og konsekvensene får utslag i hovedpersonens handlinger, fordi det inni han er "noe opprinnelige, noe urgammelt, som levde og presset på og ville ut i det fri" (69) når han møter med naturen slik den er ment å være. Han blir altså en dag sabla lei av overindustrialiserte, helautomatiserte og fargeløse omgivelser og flykter inn i et av miljøene. Det har han selvfølgelig ikke lov til, så han blir forfulgt av lovens lange arm.
Jeg syns det var en spennende dystopisk novelle som problematiserer menneskets møte med naturløse omgivelser, og som på sett og vis poengterer at empati og medlidenhet må kastes til side i møte med instinkt og kampen for å overleve. Ikke den mest sammensatte og mest emosjonelle måten å formidle det på, men underholdende. Alt skjer veldig fort, og jeg rakk ikke å bli kjent med noen av personene, så det trakk litt ned for min del. Språket var på sin side sjarmerende gammeldags med ord som "computer", "automatikken", "elevator" og "databank". Det var jo koselig, da.
"En kunne se på øynene deres at besøket i miljø-montrene gjorde et sterkt inntrykk. Synet av fjell, skoger, elver og vann vekket til live minnene fra en svunnen tid. Minner om en verden som var grønn og frisk, med en himmel som nesten rakk opp til stjernene og en sol som varmet dem dypt inn i sjelen. Så kunne de for en billig penge gå inn i et dimensjonsanlegg, stige ned i det bevarte miljøet og gjenoppleve det store underet med den levende natur." (65)
"Han betraktet de andre menneskene som sikkert følte seg like tomme og mekaniske som han selv. Han så bare grå, triste ansikter som en livløs ramme omkring øyne som bunnløse tjern." (70)
Blu - ★★
En veldig ubehagelig novelle om sadistiske barn i en røykbelagt og overindustrialisert by der hele den voksne befolkningen neglisjerer barna sine til fordel for arbeid som skaper teknologisk og økonomisk fremgang for byen. Og da utagerer barna rett og slett ved å bedrive dyreplageri. Jeg må nesten si at jeg kunne spart meg for å lese dette her. Det var grusomme skildringer og vanskelig komme meg gjennom. Jeg som er så utrolig glad i dyr, kjente ekstra på det, og historien føltes helt meningsløs. Barnas sadistiske atferd virker å være brukt for å illustrere og diskutere konsekvensen av industriell forurensning og prioritering av teknologisk utvikling og profitt. Hensynet til neste generasjon blir neglisjert fordi det er en uskreven regel om at "Ingen storby med respekt for seg selv unngår å ha barn på skyggesiden av livet" (105). Jeg er innforstått med at kunst kan og til med bør provosere, som sagt, men for meg gikk denne novellen over en grense, og jeg syns at poenget og tankeeksperimentet kunne blitt utført på en mindre ubehagelig måte.
Noen vil kanskje argumentere for, tatt temaet i betraktning, at et slikt intenst ubehag må vekkes i leseren for å understreke alvorligheten. Jeg kan være enig i ubehaget, men jeg syns at akkurat det kan og bør komme fra en helt annen kilde enn dyreplageri. Hvis forfatteren hadde funnet en annen kilde til ubehag, brukt mer tid på å gjøre oss mer kjent med barna for å åpne et større hjerterom, og gitt oss flere beskrivelser med et større perspektiv av hvordan by og natur og mennesker forandrer seg over tid - begge deler for dertil å gi mer pusterom og lyst til refleksjon - tror jeg at jeg kunne likt novellen ganske godt. Da blir det ikke like ille og ubegripelig og plutselig, men det blir mer fordøyelig for leseren.
"Men bak kulissene kjempet livet en annen kamp. Snart ville noe nytt bryte frem på åpen scene. Som et gufs fra fortiden var de der, de genetiske misfostrene, med menneskekropper som et skall utenpå destruktivt maskineri." (106)
"Det begynte å gå rykter om at forurensningen hadde forgiftet ungdommen både fysisk og psykisk. Uhyggen grep om seg, og mørket og røyken ble stadig mer trykkende og kvelende og uutholdelig. Noen snakket om onde makter, andre om forherdede pøbler og atter andre om teknologiens fallitt." (138)
Selv om jeg likte de to første novellene, tror jeg dessverre ikke at jeg vil anbefale denne samlingen for moderne science fiction-entusiaster. De tilfører naturligvis ikke sjangeren noe nytt og uttrykker budskapet på en litt overforklarende måte. Dessuten mangler de kompleksitet, dybde og universell tiltrekningskraft, så jeg tror ikke de vil appellere til så veldig mange heller. Men hvis du liker alt det jeg nettopp beskrev (og masse hardbarka action), så kan du rope hurra og kaste deg over samlingen!
...more
(Omslagsdesignet er forresten veldig stilig! Favorittfargen min er grønn, og jeg syns det grønne kommer så godt frem blant det gule og svarte. Og jeg blir liksom litt hypnotisert av det mønsteret, som også er med på å gi det hele et litt utenomjordisk preg!)
Til siste åndedrag - ★★★★
Spennende, voldelig og actionfylt om en fremtid der atmosfæren er så ødelagt at menneskene er nødt til å puste ved hjelp av oksygenpatroner. Fortelleren er en mannlig råtass som ikke skyr noen midler for å overleve, og så blir han fast bestemt på å gjøre ende på «makta» som sitter på alle oksygenpatronene. Omstendighetene er således prekære, og tittelen er derfor helt perfekt.
Det må sies at jeg syns det er litt pussig at det ikke er noen kvinner i dette samfunnet. Om de fins, blir de ikke nevnt i det hele tatt. Det er spesielt merkbart fordi slemmingen antyder at mannlige egenskaper er essensielt for å videreføre menneskeslekten. Her er det fullt fokus og tunnelsyn på skyting og slåssing, og det blir i liten grad sagt noe fra et samfunnsvitenskapelig perspektiv. Da kan jeg heller ikke unngå å lure på om novellen, med samme premiss/rammer, hadde blitt skrevet på en helt annen måte av en kvinne eller bare av en mann i nyere tid.
Det kan jo være et effektivt grep å fokusere på kun ett aspekt ved et samfunn, da, for det kan hende at verden bare er såpass farlig og til dels primitiv nettopp fordi mennesket nå er blitt tvunget tilbake i et slags tidlig stadium av sin utvikling, og her ser vi et øyeblikksbilde av denne perioden. Så får smaken være som den er. Uansett hadde det vært fint om noen eller noe hadde blitt brukt for å kommentere kvinnenes rolle eller for å skape kontrast til det maskuline. Jeg syns selv det hadde vært til det bedre, men for å være ærlig likte jeg novellen veldig godt til tross. Den var rett og slett kjempekul! De overraskende vendingene holdt meg på tå hev hele veien, og hele greia kunne jeg lett sett for meg som en god spillefilm, om ikke en hel Netflix-serie.
"Det brunbarkede ansiktet var som en storslått ramme rundt de innbitte, våkne og himmelblå øynene. Den kraftige overkroppen svulmet i morgensolen. Det glinset i fett når han beveget seg." (31-32)
"Det er merkelig hvordan enkelte mennesker kan stole fullt og helt på en bare en utfører ordre og viser lojalitet […]" (49)
Miljø 89 - ★★�
I denne verden går det heldigvis an å puste fritt, men naturen har til gjengjeld blitt såpass forurenset og forkrøplet at menneskene kun får opplevd naturen i isolerte, syntetiske miljøer i et slags museum. Utenfor miljøene lever menneskene i en verden som de i grunn ikke er naturlig anlagt for å leve i, og konsekvensene får utslag i hovedpersonens handlinger, fordi det inni han er "noe opprinnelige, noe urgammelt, som levde og presset på og ville ut i det fri" (69) når han møter med naturen slik den er ment å være. Han blir altså en dag sabla lei av overindustrialiserte, helautomatiserte og fargeløse omgivelser og flykter inn i et av miljøene. Det har han selvfølgelig ikke lov til, så han blir forfulgt av lovens lange arm.
Jeg syns det var en spennende dystopisk novelle som problematiserer menneskets møte med naturløse omgivelser, og som på sett og vis poengterer at empati og medlidenhet må kastes til side i møte med instinkt og kampen for å overleve. Ikke den mest sammensatte og mest emosjonelle måten å formidle det på, men underholdende. Alt skjer veldig fort, og jeg rakk ikke å bli kjent med noen av personene, så det trakk litt ned for min del. Språket var på sin side sjarmerende gammeldags med ord som "computer", "automatikken", "elevator" og "databank". Det var jo koselig, da.
"En kunne se på øynene deres at besøket i miljø-montrene gjorde et sterkt inntrykk. Synet av fjell, skoger, elver og vann vekket til live minnene fra en svunnen tid. Minner om en verden som var grønn og frisk, med en himmel som nesten rakk opp til stjernene og en sol som varmet dem dypt inn i sjelen. Så kunne de for en billig penge gå inn i et dimensjonsanlegg, stige ned i det bevarte miljøet og gjenoppleve det store underet med den levende natur." (65)
"Han betraktet de andre menneskene som sikkert følte seg like tomme og mekaniske som han selv. Han så bare grå, triste ansikter som en livløs ramme omkring øyne som bunnløse tjern." (70)
Blu - ★★
En veldig ubehagelig novelle om sadistiske barn i en røykbelagt og overindustrialisert by der hele den voksne befolkningen neglisjerer barna sine til fordel for arbeid som skaper teknologisk og økonomisk fremgang for byen. Og da utagerer barna rett og slett ved å bedrive dyreplageri. Jeg må nesten si at jeg kunne spart meg for å lese dette her. Det var grusomme skildringer og vanskelig komme meg gjennom. Jeg som er så utrolig glad i dyr, kjente ekstra på det, og historien føltes helt meningsløs. Barnas sadistiske atferd virker å være brukt for å illustrere og diskutere konsekvensen av industriell forurensning og prioritering av teknologisk utvikling og profitt. Hensynet til neste generasjon blir neglisjert fordi det er en uskreven regel om at "Ingen storby med respekt for seg selv unngår å ha barn på skyggesiden av livet" (105). Jeg er innforstått med at kunst kan og til med bør provosere, som sagt, men for meg gikk denne novellen over en grense, og jeg syns at poenget og tankeeksperimentet kunne blitt utført på en mindre ubehagelig måte.
Noen vil kanskje argumentere for, tatt temaet i betraktning, at et slikt intenst ubehag må vekkes i leseren for å understreke alvorligheten. Jeg kan være enig i ubehaget, men jeg syns at akkurat det kan og bør komme fra en helt annen kilde enn dyreplageri. Hvis forfatteren hadde funnet en annen kilde til ubehag, brukt mer tid på å gjøre oss mer kjent med barna for å åpne et større hjerterom, og gitt oss flere beskrivelser med et større perspektiv av hvordan by og natur og mennesker forandrer seg over tid - begge deler for dertil å gi mer pusterom og lyst til refleksjon - tror jeg at jeg kunne likt novellen ganske godt. Da blir det ikke like ille og ubegripelig og plutselig, men det blir mer fordøyelig for leseren.
"Men bak kulissene kjempet livet en annen kamp. Snart ville noe nytt bryte frem på åpen scene. Som et gufs fra fortiden var de der, de genetiske misfostrene, med menneskekropper som et skall utenpå destruktivt maskineri." (106)
"Det begynte å gå rykter om at forurensningen hadde forgiftet ungdommen både fysisk og psykisk. Uhyggen grep om seg, og mørket og røyken ble stadig mer trykkende og kvelende og uutholdelig. Noen snakket om onde makter, andre om forherdede pøbler og atter andre om teknologiens fallitt." (138)
Selv om jeg likte de to første novellene, tror jeg dessverre ikke at jeg vil anbefale denne samlingen for moderne science fiction-entusiaster. De tilfører naturligvis ikke sjangeren noe nytt og uttrykker budskapet på en litt overforklarende måte. Dessuten mangler de kompleksitet, dybde og universell tiltrekningskraft, så jeg tror ikke de vil appellere til så veldig mange heller. Men hvis du liker alt det jeg nettopp beskrev (og masse hardbarka action), så kan du rope hurra og kaste deg over samlingen!
...more
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Brutal and hardboiled science fiction passionately conceived in the Norwegian golden era of it, shown on ultrasound separately in magazines, anthologies and other books, and now finally birthed all these years later.
The seventies and early eighties were what is often called 'the golden years of Norwegian science fiction,' and much of the sci-fi that was written back then had things to say about the contemporaneity. The three novelettes of ³¢±ð³¾±ð²Ô³óæ°ù±ð²Ô (translation: The Army of Lemmings) were origi Brutal and hardboiled science fiction passionately conceived in the Norwegian golden era of it, shown on ultrasound separately in magazines, anthologies and other books, and now finally birthed all these years later.
The seventies and early eighties were what is often called 'the golden years of Norwegian science fiction,' and much of the sci-fi that was written back then had things to say about the contemporaneity. The three novelettes of ³¢±ð³¾±ð²Ô³óæ°ù±ð²Ô (translation: The Army of Lemmings) were originally intended to be released within one cover sometime between 1977 and 1979 â€� STOWA, the publisher, went out of business and therefore nothing more came of that plan back then â€� and they are definitely products of their time, laden with thoughts on it. The author himself has in an interview (Lien, Ø.; '- Noen vil si jeg er en fantast' in Nordlands Framtid, May 15th 1979) stated that he considers them socially relevant and that he believes that sci-fi like this can both make itself useful and elevate the genre in the eyes of the readers. This reviewer will endeavour to read these works in the light of this.
The rationales of the author are unique in that they often belong to the Brochmann school of thought, a school which has few followers nowadays, but which was a lot bigger between the world wars. Brochmann was sentenced as a Nazi-sympathiser after the second one and his reputation went downhill after that.¹
Bertram Dybwad Brochmann (1881-1956) was of the opinion that the church needed to find a new foothold if it was to survive as a part of his current times. The result was a social-occultist approach (i.e. the secrets to a proper sociology can be found hidden from the regular viewer in the Bible) to theology, socialism and politics. The only way to understand God's plan is to study Jesus closely, see what he does and what he says, because that is where the truth lies hidden. Presumably it's also the way to understand The Army of Lemmings, although I can't find that the author has ever stated this directly. My reasoning bases itself on just how much time the author has spent on spreading information about Brochmann's theories and writing about them, and at least some of his science fiction books are openly dedicated to them. It seems like these theories have had a fundamental impact on the author and I find it unlikely that these stories are unaffected by that, but I might be wrong.
This reviewer wasn't familiar with Brochmann's teachings until I made the decision to read The Army of Lemmings. Using religious texts to sniff out the occult meanings of a sci-fi collection makes me feel like a self-aware Dan Brown protagonist � I am an outsider of this society and as such biased, i.e. I don't take it seriously and I feel a responsibility to be honest about that. My conclusions might be coloured by this, and in my ignorance I might even reach conclusions that are entirely off the mark. However, I will try as best I can to actually understand what I am supposed to see underneath it all, to see the book as if I have 'eyes' and 'ears',² and from there draw two conclusions: Firstly, am I able to figure out what, if anything, of Brochmann's teachings are to be found in these tales? � and secondly, will I be left any wiser if I were to figure this out? Fortunately, a master's thesis have been written which summarises Brochmann's thoughts: 'Den plagsomme profeten' (translation: 'The Bothersome Prophet'), by Knut Straume (2014). It has enabled me to read up on what will hopefully be enough to allow me to interpret this collection.
The collection begins with 'Til siste åndedrag' (translation: 'To the Last Breath'), the story of Jim Colter, an action hero in a post-apocalyptic City of London, ever chasing for the next tank of oxygen so that he can live a few hours, perhaps even a few days, longer. He is a Solo, a lone wolf, who faces the world on his own, free from any worldly laws and power structures. His enemy is O, the organisation which manufactures the oxygen and protects the manufacturing plant on Trafalgar � perhaps more beyond that, but that is also beyond the scope of the tale. After an attempt by O to brainwash him, he attempts to destroy O from the inside by pretending to be loyal to the organization, sacrificing innocent Solos and allying himself with one of them to reach his goal.
Brochmann considered the individual to be above society � Jesus was condemned to the cross to pacify the tempers of the people, which he perceived as Jesus teaching the lesson that the individual cannot be sacrificed for the good of everyone else, the individual is above the group. His political and sociological vision lies somewhere between radical Libertarianism and Anarchism, actively opposing most forms of group control. That 'To the Last Breath' seems to treat Solos as the correct state of being, is therefore unsurprising. The only appropriate form for government, is the Logocracy, where the Ten Commandments is the only source of morality, and the Holy Spirit the only being that can anoint leaders/humble servants of the community. A Bookkeeping Central (originally: Regnskapssentral) is supposed to distribute what is required to cover the basic needs of every inhabitant. In the story, O challenges just about every, if not all, the Commandments, greed prevents it from tending to the basic needs of everyone. and the setting is post-apocalyptic since Brochmann postulates that it's the kind of ungodly government which O represents that will bring about the End Times. Or so I gather.
It would seem that the second story, 'Miljø 89' (translation: 'Environment 89'), is partially based on the same ideas as 'To the Last Breath,' though there seems to be more of Brochmann's thoughts on psychology in there. He was a Freudian, but considered Jesus to be the original Freud, and the modern state to be the source of our mental complaints.
In 'Environment 89' the protagonist, Joro, spends as much time as possible in an artificial environment that realistically simulates the nature of Northern Norway before whatever disaster, presumably state-made, happened, and real nature either succumbed to it, or it otherwise caused most people to be denied access to it � the exact shape of the disaster is not divulged, however, so I assume it's of no importance to the point being made. In any case, Joro spends his time there because that is “where his God was� (p. 63; reviewer's translation), and so it seems implied that when Joro runs away from civilization to live out his days in that environment, he is really going there to stay with God. God is the only source of mental equilibrium, if I understand Brochmann correctly, so it's a good thing that he seeks it out. When the state seeks to retrieve him, they are trying to deny him his relationship with God. And Brochmann, in tune with Freud, seems to view mental issues like this:
man's perception of the world is driven by subjective sensory impressions and therefrom constructs � often irrational � chains of thought which in extreme instances manifest through phobias, mania, and psychoses, but that also exist less detectably within most individuals, albeit in varying degrees. (Straume, 2014, p. 72; reviewer's translation)
It would therefore seem that Joro's irrationality, and following psychosis, is caused by his 'subjective sensory impressions', i.e. that he is being denied his proper place in the world. Whether or not he is aware of this being a need to be close to his God, or that is just instinctual/a breath of the Holy Spirit, isn't something the story reveals to the reader. Of course, I might be entirely wrong about this. Freud is akin to Brochmann in that most of their ideas lack observable causality � whereas Freud saw himself as the proper origin of all knowledge on the mind, Brochmann uses God as a source in the same manner; Freud is dead and God isn't answering his phone, so the link of causality is broken, as opposed to if the knowledge had been obtained through the observation of the world around us, which is still readily available � and so I have no way to tell if any of my assumptions are true.
The final story is 'Blu', and it's about the young delinquent who calls himself Blu. He runs a gang which is opposed by a former member of it, Blak, and his new gang. Much of their time is spent gathering animals to torture and kill � this is something they have to do because of “the unbreakable Law� (p. 104; reviewer's own translation), a law they don't really know anything about, but still speak of solemnly. Brochmann spoke of ritual sacrifice as something a state would do to appease its populace (which is part of the reason why he opposes the formation of any state), and the 'Law' might be something along the line of that scape goats are required for the state to function. Blu and the gang are children of negligent families and haven't learned the proper rules of society, so they might have misunderstood what the 'Law' is about.
Blu is a leader, and in 'Blu' we get to see the opposite end of the clash between state and individual that we saw in 'To the Last Breath.' Our original sin was punished by giving humanity a sense of imagination, which let us deviate from God's plan and cause chaos. Deviancy, or delinquency to God's will, inevitably causes problems, and when those problems arrived for Blu, he tightened the reins on his crew and made his own little independent state. Without guidance this state grew more violent as Blu's insecurity rose, I assume this equates to how the individual without God as their guide, will lead others to form states and to despair. The original name for 'Blu' was the titular 'The Army of Lemmings', presumably relating to this dynamic. It seems that Brochmann would have argued that if Blu truly had followed Jesus, i.e. followed The Ten Commandments and had the Holy Ghost talk to him, then he would have known what to do and the tragedy that followed would have been avoided, as would the animal mutilations. Or, at least, that is how I understand him.
To finish with Brochmann's (potential) part in this: I see him as a man of many ideas and with a wish to improve the world, but while he seems to have considered his reading of the Bible to be objective, it's difficult to imagine reading it as anything but subjective � Brochmann did say that he had the Holy Ghost in him so he knew his interpretation was correct, but that doesn't help anyone else to verify his conclusions, especially since others who claim to have been visited by the Holy Ghost have come up with different conclusions than his. In short, knowledge according to Brochmann comes from 'because I said that God said so.' His ideas have some internal consistency, but causality from the real world is absent. As I tried to rediscover the patterns of his works in these stories it became clear to me how difficult it is to do so with the Bible in absentia. Because his conclusions is based on the secrets that lie between the lines of the word of God, and not reality, there is no room for the patterns of the world to have any valid causality of their own and thus they become abstract. I can only see what Brochmann would have applied his ideas onto, not what they are based on, and since a lesson comes from what it's based on, thus functions causality, it's impossible to see what lessons he would have applied. What I mean to say is, because the stories don't refer to the Bible (at least not as far as I can tell), I am unable to see with clarity which of Brochmann's arguments are involved at any given point.
Of course, perhaps all of this is answered directly in his books or texts, but even if that is the case, there should be no reason to look it up. Reality is real and every cause and effect in reality is real. If Brochmann's theories reflect reality then they should be observable even without the Bible, if they are not, then they have no bearing on our reality.
Having said that, I'm going to repeat something of high importance. I have assumed that Brochmann's theories are involved here since the author has spent so much of his life dedicated to the study and furthering of them, but I don't know for certain if they are.
And so I argue that, whether or not the author had any of Brochmann's theories in mind when he wrote these stories, The Army of Lemmings is best treated without referring to them. They are best studied on their own, or by comparisons that are more readily available to our Earthly existence. Interestingly, I think Brochmann might have been inclined to accept this in that he fully supported less than perfect approaches as long as they led in the right direction, even fiction despite of how he seems to have seen it as part of the perpetuation of the original sin.
Returning to 'To the Last Breath'; despotism was a world problem back in when these stories were written and that hasn't changed much. The despots are new, but despotism is the same. O is therefore very recognizable to me. By controlling the access to essential necessities, in this case air, a despot can gain a lot of power over the subjects they are robbing of said necessity. But that is also an antagonistic thing to do, effectively maintaining at best a stalemate animosity between subject and ruler. For Colter to oppose O even after his needs are met is only natural, the animosity is still there since the threat of having the necessity, oxygen, taken away again is still present. A despot is as much an enemy of his own as of those who are not, and this story shows that well.
I firmly believe that because humanity came from nature, has adapted to being in nature, and seems to have a need to bring nature with them, pot it and place it in the living room � that we aren't, in our current state, able to function properly without it. This is what I read into 'Environment 89.' Joro's apparent psychosis is, however, very Freudian and seems implausible � a relic of Freud's time where theories on mental issues were still coloured by the theory of the four temperaments even as they were beginning to deviate away from it. Yet, Joro's desperation is very familiar. The feeling of freedom that I find under a fir tree or on a moor does wonders to the mind. Under certain circumstances I could see myself entertaining the thought of punching someone to preserve that peace � it would probably do more harm than good, but the temptation is understandable.
Then there is 'Blu.' Every comment I have seen by others make it clear that they feel that this story is stating something important. I don't see it as accurately depicting how faulty leadership rises except in a person of Blu's age, just like I don't see it in The Lord of the Flies neither. On the contrary, youth culture functions in ways that are often very different from the cultures of adults. Roles are different, life situations are different, and even the purpose of forming a group is different in many ways. However, having grown up nearby a sociopathic kid of roughly my age, I can say that Blu is a character which I recognize from reality. The author was a teacher so he had probably made the same observations where he worked. The story seems to indicate that there is quite a bit of negligence in his life and the lives of his gang members. Painting a picture of angry, desperate delinquents with this kind of background feels accurate and important, though it would have felt more relevant back in the day. Fortunately it was printed as a bonus to the novel Ond sirkel (translation: Evil circle) in 1984, and was given a chance to be debated by contemporary readers. Less fortunate is that an archive search shows that not many did.
The Army of Lemmings clearly deserved to be published after all these years. Each story is both interesting and thought provoking, and each of them are unique enough to draw the curiosity of the reader. But besides Blu, and to a degree Braun, another character from the same story, the characters don't grip the reader with their story. The world building sometimes also feel incomplete, leaving the worlds outside the slices of them blank and unknowable. Of course, these are stories that wants the reader to focus on certain parts of them and therefore sheds much that would otherwise be a distraction. It's a trade, and a fair one, but it leaves the book as a heavier read than one more focused on entertainment.
1. According to PolSys, a knowledge database on the Norwegian political system, owned and run by the Norwegian state, this is what happened � (Samfundspartiet (translation: The Society Party) was a political party which Brochmann started; NS, Nasjonal Samling, was the Norwegian Nazi Party, and Quisling it's leader and the minister-president of Norway for much of the war; Nygaardsvold was the prime minister when, on the 9th of April 1940, Nazi-Germany attacked Norway and his government was forced to flee to the UK):
Both The Society Party and party leader Brochmann was given a sad report in Norwegian politics. In the middle of the 30's Brochmann had warned against the growing Nazism in Germany, and he was openly critical to NS and Vidkun Quisling. When the Germans occupied Norway, Brochmann nevertheless made a speech on the radio where he was was especially critical of the Nygaardsvold government's flight from the country. The same year he published the book "Den 9. april. Norge og verdensrevolusjonen" [translation: April 9th. Norway and the World Revolution], which included a number of opinions which could be seen as supporting Nazi-Germany. Based on these statements and his opinions in 1940, Brochmann was convicted for high treason in 1945, and was given three and a half years in prison. In the end he was let off without serving the sentence, but was actively ostracised from Norwegian social life by the media and academia until his death. ('Samfundspartiet', reviewer's own translation)
2. I'm referring to Matthew 13:16-17:
“But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear. [...] many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.�
As I understand Brochmann he considered this quote to mean that not everyone can see the truth in the Bible and that is why you have to be in the right state of mind and see things the right way to understand what is the real truth hidden underneath the text. So, it makes sense that the way to understand any of his theories is to try to somehow see and hear what he did. ...more
The seventies and early eighties were what is often called 'the golden years of Norwegian science fiction,' and much of the sci-fi that was written back then had things to say about the contemporaneity. The three novelettes of ³¢±ð³¾±ð²Ô³óæ°ù±ð²Ô (translation: The Army of Lemmings) were origi Brutal and hardboiled science fiction passionately conceived in the Norwegian golden era of it, shown on ultrasound separately in magazines, anthologies and other books, and now finally birthed all these years later.
The seventies and early eighties were what is often called 'the golden years of Norwegian science fiction,' and much of the sci-fi that was written back then had things to say about the contemporaneity. The three novelettes of ³¢±ð³¾±ð²Ô³óæ°ù±ð²Ô (translation: The Army of Lemmings) were originally intended to be released within one cover sometime between 1977 and 1979 â€� STOWA, the publisher, went out of business and therefore nothing more came of that plan back then â€� and they are definitely products of their time, laden with thoughts on it. The author himself has in an interview (Lien, Ø.; '- Noen vil si jeg er en fantast' in Nordlands Framtid, May 15th 1979) stated that he considers them socially relevant and that he believes that sci-fi like this can both make itself useful and elevate the genre in the eyes of the readers. This reviewer will endeavour to read these works in the light of this.
The rationales of the author are unique in that they often belong to the Brochmann school of thought, a school which has few followers nowadays, but which was a lot bigger between the world wars. Brochmann was sentenced as a Nazi-sympathiser after the second one and his reputation went downhill after that.¹
Bertram Dybwad Brochmann (1881-1956) was of the opinion that the church needed to find a new foothold if it was to survive as a part of his current times. The result was a social-occultist approach (i.e. the secrets to a proper sociology can be found hidden from the regular viewer in the Bible) to theology, socialism and politics. The only way to understand God's plan is to study Jesus closely, see what he does and what he says, because that is where the truth lies hidden. Presumably it's also the way to understand The Army of Lemmings, although I can't find that the author has ever stated this directly. My reasoning bases itself on just how much time the author has spent on spreading information about Brochmann's theories and writing about them, and at least some of his science fiction books are openly dedicated to them. It seems like these theories have had a fundamental impact on the author and I find it unlikely that these stories are unaffected by that, but I might be wrong.
This reviewer wasn't familiar with Brochmann's teachings until I made the decision to read The Army of Lemmings. Using religious texts to sniff out the occult meanings of a sci-fi collection makes me feel like a self-aware Dan Brown protagonist � I am an outsider of this society and as such biased, i.e. I don't take it seriously and I feel a responsibility to be honest about that. My conclusions might be coloured by this, and in my ignorance I might even reach conclusions that are entirely off the mark. However, I will try as best I can to actually understand what I am supposed to see underneath it all, to see the book as if I have 'eyes' and 'ears',² and from there draw two conclusions: Firstly, am I able to figure out what, if anything, of Brochmann's teachings are to be found in these tales? � and secondly, will I be left any wiser if I were to figure this out? Fortunately, a master's thesis have been written which summarises Brochmann's thoughts: 'Den plagsomme profeten' (translation: 'The Bothersome Prophet'), by Knut Straume (2014). It has enabled me to read up on what will hopefully be enough to allow me to interpret this collection.
The collection begins with 'Til siste åndedrag' (translation: 'To the Last Breath'), the story of Jim Colter, an action hero in a post-apocalyptic City of London, ever chasing for the next tank of oxygen so that he can live a few hours, perhaps even a few days, longer. He is a Solo, a lone wolf, who faces the world on his own, free from any worldly laws and power structures. His enemy is O, the organisation which manufactures the oxygen and protects the manufacturing plant on Trafalgar � perhaps more beyond that, but that is also beyond the scope of the tale. After an attempt by O to brainwash him, he attempts to destroy O from the inside by pretending to be loyal to the organization, sacrificing innocent Solos and allying himself with one of them to reach his goal.
Brochmann considered the individual to be above society � Jesus was condemned to the cross to pacify the tempers of the people, which he perceived as Jesus teaching the lesson that the individual cannot be sacrificed for the good of everyone else, the individual is above the group. His political and sociological vision lies somewhere between radical Libertarianism and Anarchism, actively opposing most forms of group control. That 'To the Last Breath' seems to treat Solos as the correct state of being, is therefore unsurprising. The only appropriate form for government, is the Logocracy, where the Ten Commandments is the only source of morality, and the Holy Spirit the only being that can anoint leaders/humble servants of the community. A Bookkeeping Central (originally: Regnskapssentral) is supposed to distribute what is required to cover the basic needs of every inhabitant. In the story, O challenges just about every, if not all, the Commandments, greed prevents it from tending to the basic needs of everyone. and the setting is post-apocalyptic since Brochmann postulates that it's the kind of ungodly government which O represents that will bring about the End Times. Or so I gather.
It would seem that the second story, 'Miljø 89' (translation: 'Environment 89'), is partially based on the same ideas as 'To the Last Breath,' though there seems to be more of Brochmann's thoughts on psychology in there. He was a Freudian, but considered Jesus to be the original Freud, and the modern state to be the source of our mental complaints.
In 'Environment 89' the protagonist, Joro, spends as much time as possible in an artificial environment that realistically simulates the nature of Northern Norway before whatever disaster, presumably state-made, happened, and real nature either succumbed to it, or it otherwise caused most people to be denied access to it � the exact shape of the disaster is not divulged, however, so I assume it's of no importance to the point being made. In any case, Joro spends his time there because that is “where his God was� (p. 63; reviewer's translation), and so it seems implied that when Joro runs away from civilization to live out his days in that environment, he is really going there to stay with God. God is the only source of mental equilibrium, if I understand Brochmann correctly, so it's a good thing that he seeks it out. When the state seeks to retrieve him, they are trying to deny him his relationship with God. And Brochmann, in tune with Freud, seems to view mental issues like this:
man's perception of the world is driven by subjective sensory impressions and therefrom constructs � often irrational � chains of thought which in extreme instances manifest through phobias, mania, and psychoses, but that also exist less detectably within most individuals, albeit in varying degrees. (Straume, 2014, p. 72; reviewer's translation)
It would therefore seem that Joro's irrationality, and following psychosis, is caused by his 'subjective sensory impressions', i.e. that he is being denied his proper place in the world. Whether or not he is aware of this being a need to be close to his God, or that is just instinctual/a breath of the Holy Spirit, isn't something the story reveals to the reader. Of course, I might be entirely wrong about this. Freud is akin to Brochmann in that most of their ideas lack observable causality � whereas Freud saw himself as the proper origin of all knowledge on the mind, Brochmann uses God as a source in the same manner; Freud is dead and God isn't answering his phone, so the link of causality is broken, as opposed to if the knowledge had been obtained through the observation of the world around us, which is still readily available � and so I have no way to tell if any of my assumptions are true.
The final story is 'Blu', and it's about the young delinquent who calls himself Blu. He runs a gang which is opposed by a former member of it, Blak, and his new gang. Much of their time is spent gathering animals to torture and kill � this is something they have to do because of “the unbreakable Law� (p. 104; reviewer's own translation), a law they don't really know anything about, but still speak of solemnly. Brochmann spoke of ritual sacrifice as something a state would do to appease its populace (which is part of the reason why he opposes the formation of any state), and the 'Law' might be something along the line of that scape goats are required for the state to function. Blu and the gang are children of negligent families and haven't learned the proper rules of society, so they might have misunderstood what the 'Law' is about.
Blu is a leader, and in 'Blu' we get to see the opposite end of the clash between state and individual that we saw in 'To the Last Breath.' Our original sin was punished by giving humanity a sense of imagination, which let us deviate from God's plan and cause chaos. Deviancy, or delinquency to God's will, inevitably causes problems, and when those problems arrived for Blu, he tightened the reins on his crew and made his own little independent state. Without guidance this state grew more violent as Blu's insecurity rose, I assume this equates to how the individual without God as their guide, will lead others to form states and to despair. The original name for 'Blu' was the titular 'The Army of Lemmings', presumably relating to this dynamic. It seems that Brochmann would have argued that if Blu truly had followed Jesus, i.e. followed The Ten Commandments and had the Holy Ghost talk to him, then he would have known what to do and the tragedy that followed would have been avoided, as would the animal mutilations. Or, at least, that is how I understand him.
To finish with Brochmann's (potential) part in this: I see him as a man of many ideas and with a wish to improve the world, but while he seems to have considered his reading of the Bible to be objective, it's difficult to imagine reading it as anything but subjective � Brochmann did say that he had the Holy Ghost in him so he knew his interpretation was correct, but that doesn't help anyone else to verify his conclusions, especially since others who claim to have been visited by the Holy Ghost have come up with different conclusions than his. In short, knowledge according to Brochmann comes from 'because I said that God said so.' His ideas have some internal consistency, but causality from the real world is absent. As I tried to rediscover the patterns of his works in these stories it became clear to me how difficult it is to do so with the Bible in absentia. Because his conclusions is based on the secrets that lie between the lines of the word of God, and not reality, there is no room for the patterns of the world to have any valid causality of their own and thus they become abstract. I can only see what Brochmann would have applied his ideas onto, not what they are based on, and since a lesson comes from what it's based on, thus functions causality, it's impossible to see what lessons he would have applied. What I mean to say is, because the stories don't refer to the Bible (at least not as far as I can tell), I am unable to see with clarity which of Brochmann's arguments are involved at any given point.
Of course, perhaps all of this is answered directly in his books or texts, but even if that is the case, there should be no reason to look it up. Reality is real and every cause and effect in reality is real. If Brochmann's theories reflect reality then they should be observable even without the Bible, if they are not, then they have no bearing on our reality.
Having said that, I'm going to repeat something of high importance. I have assumed that Brochmann's theories are involved here since the author has spent so much of his life dedicated to the study and furthering of them, but I don't know for certain if they are.
And so I argue that, whether or not the author had any of Brochmann's theories in mind when he wrote these stories, The Army of Lemmings is best treated without referring to them. They are best studied on their own, or by comparisons that are more readily available to our Earthly existence. Interestingly, I think Brochmann might have been inclined to accept this in that he fully supported less than perfect approaches as long as they led in the right direction, even fiction despite of how he seems to have seen it as part of the perpetuation of the original sin.
Returning to 'To the Last Breath'; despotism was a world problem back in when these stories were written and that hasn't changed much. The despots are new, but despotism is the same. O is therefore very recognizable to me. By controlling the access to essential necessities, in this case air, a despot can gain a lot of power over the subjects they are robbing of said necessity. But that is also an antagonistic thing to do, effectively maintaining at best a stalemate animosity between subject and ruler. For Colter to oppose O even after his needs are met is only natural, the animosity is still there since the threat of having the necessity, oxygen, taken away again is still present. A despot is as much an enemy of his own as of those who are not, and this story shows that well.
I firmly believe that because humanity came from nature, has adapted to being in nature, and seems to have a need to bring nature with them, pot it and place it in the living room � that we aren't, in our current state, able to function properly without it. This is what I read into 'Environment 89.' Joro's apparent psychosis is, however, very Freudian and seems implausible � a relic of Freud's time where theories on mental issues were still coloured by the theory of the four temperaments even as they were beginning to deviate away from it. Yet, Joro's desperation is very familiar. The feeling of freedom that I find under a fir tree or on a moor does wonders to the mind. Under certain circumstances I could see myself entertaining the thought of punching someone to preserve that peace � it would probably do more harm than good, but the temptation is understandable.
Then there is 'Blu.' Every comment I have seen by others make it clear that they feel that this story is stating something important. I don't see it as accurately depicting how faulty leadership rises except in a person of Blu's age, just like I don't see it in The Lord of the Flies neither. On the contrary, youth culture functions in ways that are often very different from the cultures of adults. Roles are different, life situations are different, and even the purpose of forming a group is different in many ways. However, having grown up nearby a sociopathic kid of roughly my age, I can say that Blu is a character which I recognize from reality. The author was a teacher so he had probably made the same observations where he worked. The story seems to indicate that there is quite a bit of negligence in his life and the lives of his gang members. Painting a picture of angry, desperate delinquents with this kind of background feels accurate and important, though it would have felt more relevant back in the day. Fortunately it was printed as a bonus to the novel Ond sirkel (translation: Evil circle) in 1984, and was given a chance to be debated by contemporary readers. Less fortunate is that an archive search shows that not many did.
The Army of Lemmings clearly deserved to be published after all these years. Each story is both interesting and thought provoking, and each of them are unique enough to draw the curiosity of the reader. But besides Blu, and to a degree Braun, another character from the same story, the characters don't grip the reader with their story. The world building sometimes also feel incomplete, leaving the worlds outside the slices of them blank and unknowable. Of course, these are stories that wants the reader to focus on certain parts of them and therefore sheds much that would otherwise be a distraction. It's a trade, and a fair one, but it leaves the book as a heavier read than one more focused on entertainment.
1. According to PolSys, a knowledge database on the Norwegian political system, owned and run by the Norwegian state, this is what happened � (Samfundspartiet (translation: The Society Party) was a political party which Brochmann started; NS, Nasjonal Samling, was the Norwegian Nazi Party, and Quisling it's leader and the minister-president of Norway for much of the war; Nygaardsvold was the prime minister when, on the 9th of April 1940, Nazi-Germany attacked Norway and his government was forced to flee to the UK):
Both The Society Party and party leader Brochmann was given a sad report in Norwegian politics. In the middle of the 30's Brochmann had warned against the growing Nazism in Germany, and he was openly critical to NS and Vidkun Quisling. When the Germans occupied Norway, Brochmann nevertheless made a speech on the radio where he was was especially critical of the Nygaardsvold government's flight from the country. The same year he published the book "Den 9. april. Norge og verdensrevolusjonen" [translation: April 9th. Norway and the World Revolution], which included a number of opinions which could be seen as supporting Nazi-Germany. Based on these statements and his opinions in 1940, Brochmann was convicted for high treason in 1945, and was given three and a half years in prison. In the end he was let off without serving the sentence, but was actively ostracised from Norwegian social life by the media and academia until his death. ('Samfundspartiet', reviewer's own translation)
2. I'm referring to Matthew 13:16-17:
“But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear. [...] many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.�
As I understand Brochmann he considered this quote to mean that not everyone can see the truth in the Bible and that is why you have to be in the right state of mind and see things the right way to understand what is the real truth hidden underneath the text. So, it makes sense that the way to understand any of his theories is to try to somehow see and hear what he did. ...more
1 like · Like
· see review
Jun 11, 2024
Elin Korneliussen
rated it
did not like it
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review of another edition
Shelves:
challenge-2024,
norsk-fabelprosa
Jul 06, 2024
Solveig
marked it as to-read
Aug 04, 2024
Mina-Elisabeth
marked it as to-read
