I Curse the River of Time
- I Curse the River of Time
- Per Petterson
- Harvill Secker, London, 2010
Yet another stellar work of fiction by Norwegian author Per Petterson. I Curse the River of Time won the Nordic Council’s Literature Prize, the Brage Prize, and the Norwegian Critics Prize for Literature before it was translated into English. I’ll keep you up to date if it should win anything more.
Petterson is probably best known for his earlier novel Out Stealing Horses, which I have featured in a previous post.
This is a signed limited edition of the true first English language publication. It is in fine/fine condition.
I ordered this directly from the publisher. As you can see, it has the Out Stealing Horses bug on the front of the dust jacket, and it is signed on a specially tipped-in linen card. It is very unusual for a signature card to be placed, as these ones have been, on the first chapter page.
The U.S. first edition came out later, and they also put out a signed limited edition; the American limited edition is in a cloth covered slipcase and is limited to 850 signed copies. I will showcase this edition some time down the road.
Today, both limited editions can be found for between $35 and $200. The values will increase if Petterson should win any major international awards. My advice: buy now before prices rise.
While this novel won every major prize in Norway and garnered a starred review from Publisher’s Weekly and other literary magazines, many North American reviews have a generally undecided feel to them. But I think this reviewer hits the nail on the head: “The atmosphere of this latest from Petterson is as gray as the stark Norwegian landscape. Melancholy permeates every character like a dense Oslo fog. …this author’s gift is his ability to convey so much emotion in such a sparse prose style.”– Library Journal Starred Review
