The Ice Palace in Never too Late to Read Classics

Apr 04, 2014 Antonomasia added it · review of another edition

Shelves: nordic, decade-1960s, 2014, norway

[4.5] Two thirds of this were perfect. The grumpiest book blogger I've read describes Vesaas as a "writer of incredibly beautiful simple poetic prose. You know, the kind of stuff that every literary writer is supposed to write (according to reviews) but which none of them actually do. Well, Vesaas actually does." Immaculately honed crystal. Elizabeth Rokkan's 1964 translation has the charm of being from the same time as the book (published in Norwegian the previous year), peppered with a few UK [4.5] Two thirds of this were perfect. The grumpiest book blogger I've read describes Vesaas as a "writer of incredibly beautiful simple poetic prose. You know, the kind of stuff that every literary writer is supposed to write (according to reviews) but which none of them actually do. Well, Vesaas actually does." Immaculately honed crystal. Elizabeth Rokkan's 1964 translation has the charm of being from the same time as the book (published in Norwegian the previous year), peppered with a few UK English idioms, especially in the way the children talk to one another. It feels like the same world as British books of c.50 years ago, yet also appropriately far away from them. Knowing of the divide in recent Norwegian history and culture between pre-oil and afterwards, this small rural story seems a perfect example of the former. (Something contemporary which harks back to that world, like Per Petterson's Out Stealing Horses has a comfort and awareness of consumer trappings which are simply absent here.)

There must be great potential for symbolism in this little book, but it was the story itself which elicited the strongest response from me.

There are some books it's surprising so many other people like because they address some attribute or taste which it seems as if huge numbers of other people don't have. It was only after joining GR that I was aware of what a popular behemoth my teenage favourite The Secret History actually is. I think The Ice Palace is loved by many simply for its literary qualities. But I have never, by a long way, read anything better about when you know at first sight that you really like someone. Love at first sight is well enough documented, but my experience is that with a handful of people you just know on sight and lust may or may not be a part of that. By having Siss and soon-lost Unn so awkward with one another in conversation, yet so sure of their bond, standing on the verge of some revelation Unn doesn't feel ready to say (and which might not even be a big deal to anyone else) he captures something so much harder to sum up than if they had instantly talked nineteen to the dozen. An idea that people have some ineffable essence.

'Unn's tend to be somewhat elusive and that's probably part of their magic. They remain special as memories even when they've rarely been in touch for years, or in one case, I decided to stop speaking to one because of certain clashes; but that essence means they are emotionally more important than many people I've spent more time with. I think the internet era has given this sort of thing a bad name, as creepy, because certain popular imaginations equate cherishing a memory with bothering people or looking constantly at their Facebook page - and think that the memory of someone can never have the same sepia beauty as it did before social media. (But it can, if you or they don't use it, or you simply never go into their orbit.) Even missing the dead for very long seems to be frowned on to some extent. And some younger commenters appear to back-project this set of assumptions. Siss' sorrow for Unn is just the sort that seems unfairly taboo, because she hadn't known her for long, which can be taken as the only correct measure of meaning and importance (besides, it's not as if she's doing anyone any harm).

A little less is also more in Vesaas' descriptions of landscape. These snow and ice scenes are exquisite, but never baroque and overdone as can easily happen (e.g. the bits I've read of Jón Kalman Stefánsson's highly praised writing.) It is very odd to marvel at the beauty of the writing and scenery when you know awfulness is going to befall a character who personifies something so treasured.

The people around Siss are far less harsh than they would surely be in a British novel of this time: they are very person-centred , and it is heartwarming that after the first few days they don't press her too much about Unn and that she gets to keep the secret which as yet had no substance, as the adults have accepted it's nothing to do with where Unn went.

SPOILER, ALTHOUGH IT ISN'T REALLY THAT KIND OF BOOK.
The last third develops in too self-helpy a way - crashing disappointment because the earlier part of the book was so lovely. It goes rather into a mode of pull-socks-up, now it's time to move on because we say so, with Siss going along with it, rather in contrast to the way people treated her before. I would have liked to see this happen more organically, where Siss of her own accord participates incrementally more in the other things of life - she would because she's clearly a resilient, outgoing kid at heart - and can enjoy them again. Where is still a little corner for Unn, who doesn't have to be entirely forgotten, even if it is no longer the era of the Promise in deepest snow from Siss to Unn (p.96), to think about her constantly; from time to time, and even when she has grown up, the memory of this friend still occurs from time to time.

More prosaically, I wonder about the name Tarjei Vesaas. It looks Finnish, not Norwegian, to me - but bios of the writer don't mention it, and my knowledge is limited (though at least now, thanks to Babbel, I can distinguish between Swedish, Danish and Norwegian in films) and I have noticed a few Norwegian names that look Finnish-ish, in cast lists and so forth. ...more

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Jul 28, 2013 GONZA rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: posseduto

Ci voleva un corso on line per scoprire questo autore norvegese sconosciuto ai più che ha scritto un piccolo gioiellino di storia, una di quelle che ogni tanto tornano in mente e fanno immaginare un milione di diversi finali. La storia di due undicenni, della loro strana relazione amicale appena cominciata, di promesse fatte e segreti non detti e di un "palazzo di ghiaccio" che ricordava tanto scenari Kinghiani, brividi compresi. ...more

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Dec 28, 2021 Karen rated it really liked it

This is the third book I have read by Vesaas, a 3 time candidate for the Nobel Prize, but has never won His writing is gorgeous, even in translation. I'm not going to give much of a review, except that I thoroughly the writing. ...more

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Dec 31, 2022 Michelle rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: already-own

I felt this book started off awkward and strange and a bit uncomfortable. But it turned into an interesting look at grief and uncertainty and winter landscapes. I will be contemplating what "the secret" was for quite a while. A few bits seem to have been lost in translation, and perhaps that (and missing knowledge of the culture/time) could contribute to what seemed awkward and strange at the beginning. ...more

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