Journey in Blue: A Novel About Hans Christian Andersen - Softcover

Dalager, Stig

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0720612691 ISBN 13: 9780720612691

Publisher: Peter Owen Publishers, 2003

Synopsis

Hans Christian Andersen is on his deathbed. Doses of morphine cause his brain to oscillate between dreamy states and fleeting moments of clarity. The complex and elastic mind that drives his personality and his work wrestles with his own perceived fate as a stranger in the world, his longing for love, and his religiosity. To believe in his own talent to the extent that Andersen has done and to have lived so one-dimensionally has left him socially deficient and isolated. There is also torment: although internationally renowned, he was rejected in his own country until late in his life when a leading Danish literary critic discovered his fairytales and confirmed their importance to his fellow countrymen. As Andersen's death approaches, his memories grow more vivid and material, yet at the same time fairytale-like. In this remarkable novel, Stig Dalager takes the reader on a journey through the mind, body, spirit, and works of one of the truly great names in world literature.  

About this title

About the Author:

Stig Dalager is the author of Two Days in July as well as several other novels, poetry, story collections, plays, and scripts for film and television. One of Denmark’s most distinguished writers, his internationally known works include the Sarajevo play and The Dream and I Count the Hours, which both premiered at the famous La Mama Theatre in New York. His play, Lord and Shadow, an interpretation of H. C. Andersen and his world, was staged at the Scena Theatre in Washington, D. C.

From Booklist:

Dalager's highly stylized novel paints a poignant, loving portrait of Hans Christian Andersen at the end of his life. The story opens to find the Danish author on his deathbed, delirious with morphine. "GLIDING, weightless. Like a swan," Andersen drowsily reflects on his artistic career, recalling details from his impoverished childhood, unsuccessful stage career, and difficulties developing his voice and critical acceptance as a writer. Reviewers praised Andersen for his natural talent but found his poetry affected and his theatrical productions slapdash. When Andersen's lyrical fairy tales finally earn him international recognition and respect from such notable figures as Charles Dickens, he finds himself standing peerless with mixed emotion. Reminiscent of The Master (2004), Colm Toibin's richly rewarding novel about Henry James, Dalager's work exquisitely captures the story of a man of extraordinary vision and creative prowess whose private life is haunted by profound loneliness. Miriam Tuliao
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About this edition

• Publisher: Peter Owen Publishers
• Publication date: 2003
• ISBN 10: 0720612691
• ISBN 13: 9780720612691
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 240