Literature and Fiction2010 · 288 pp
The Forest of the Sky Bear
Britt Karin Larsen
The Forest of the Sky Bear (Himmelbjørnenes skog) is an independent sequel to the much praised novel There is a Tree Growing in Mostamägg (Det vokser et tre i Mostamägg) from 2009. We are once more in Finnskogen in the 19th century. While Tanelis is away, Lina, Oluf, the little lad Jussi and the other children struggle to rebuild the burnt-down cottage Mostamägg, but come under threat from the sheriff’s men – are they building on a legal site? The engaging plot also takes us to contemporary Christiania and to Akershus fort, where slave labour is used to cut the stones for the city’s new university.
‘A gripping sequel … Britt Karin Larsen has written another beautiful and wise novel set in Finnskogen. ... Reading it moves me, because Britt Karin Larsen writes about people who might have become little more than stereotypical figures out of a history textbook, yet she makes them come alive in their language, dreams and drive to survive. Psychological portraiture is an art Britt Karin Larsen has mastered to the full. ...we want more of this!’ NRK ‘This is a refined series of novels ... Apparently, the storytelling is straightforward enough, but it is also wise, and sympathetic as well as empathetic. It inspires respect, not least for the Finnish forest culture and the generations of smallholders who have spent their lives in these deep forests.’VÅRT LAND ‘Fantastic stories from Finnskogen … Himmelbjørnens skog is an unexpectedly rich and earthy tale, crudely expressed and yet sophisticated. Superb!’ADRESSEAVISA ‘Linguistic refinement … Himmelbjørnens skog is an impressive sequel to Det vokser et tre i Mostamägg, which was published in early summer last year. This reader remains impressed. ...In this way, Larsen deals unhesitatingly and unblinkingly with relentless, emotion-laden themes and events without once tumbling into the sticky, easy sentimentality.’AFTENPOSTEN ‘Once more, Britt Karin Larsen has written a beautiful, tender novel about darkness and folly, but also, and especially, about the ability and will to survive and, not least, about love as the sustaining power.’HAMAR ARBEIDERBLAD ‘In Britt Karin Larsen’s exceptionally well-informed and sober, simultaneously moving and engaging narrative, the details are exquisitely described ... Larsen writes like a true artist and she keeps improving. Reading Himmelbjørnens skog is pure pleasure.’ØSTLENDINGEN ‘Britt Karin Larsen is a good storyteller with an unmistakeable language.’GUDBRANDSDØLEN DAGNINGEN ‘Britt Karin Larsen narrative is both dramatic and low-key, and told in a prose style that is incredibly strict and trembling with power. I can hardly wait for the next volume, because Britt Karin Larsen is a truly great writer.’ TARA
