Vera & Linus - Softcover

Jesse Ball; Thordis Bjornsdottir

Softcover

ISBN 10: 9979971568 ISBN 13: 9789979971566

Publisher: Nyhil, 2006

Synopsis

Fiction. VERA & LINUS is a series of short sketches. The book's theme is the love between the two protagonists, Vera and Linus. They are mischief makers and tricksters of the most daring sort, and they are constantly up to no good, but the language holds them with a clear restraint, a restraint born perhaps out of the peculiar nature of their love, a love both for each other and the things of the world. Their mastery, and shifting natures allow them to compel the workaday world as they see it, but not to rule over each other, and so their game begins, as Vera struggles to outwit Linus, and Linus to outwit Vera.

About this title

About the Author

Jesse Ball (b. 1978) is the author of "Samedi the Deafness," (Vintage 2007), "Og svo kom nottin" (Nyhil 2006), and "March Book" (Grove 2004). His work appeared in Best American Poetry 2006. Thordis Bjornsdottir (b. 1978) is the author of "Ast og appelsinur" (2004), her Icelandic debut, which has been made into a show, and also set to music by the violinist Szymon Kuran. She wrote, "Og svo kom nottin" (Nyhil 2006). This is her first English-language publication.

Reviews

In this unusual collection of what are arguably prose poems, sketches or pieces of flash fiction, husband and wife Ball (March Book, 2004) and Björnsdottir introduce a charming yet gruesome pair of protagonists: Vera and Linus. They are childlike, living in a world where giving presents and playing are top priority, but they are also devoted lovers and perhaps siblings. Their twisted fairy tale world is as magical as it is disturbing: in it, a treasure chest opens up to reveal an entire lake inside, and children and animals are tortured for the protagonists' amusement. Episodes of violence ("Vera and Linus broke the dog's neck and put the body into a brown canvas bag which they tied neatly with great satisfaction") are often sewn seamlessly into scenes of fanciful beauty: "...their sorrows were carried away... to the court of the sea-king, and dined on there to much acclaim...." The light touch and often archaic feel of the prose owes as much to Kafka as to classic fairy tales. Certainly many readers will find this book unsettling, but most will also find it hard not to remember a time when the world was filled with this kind of fearful mystery and wonder, though hopefully not this kind of violence. (Oct.)
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Edition details

• Publisher: Nyhil
• Publication date: 2006
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 9979971568
• ISBN 13: 9789979971566
• Binding: Paperback
• Illustrator: Jesse Ball
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 228