Review: Tynset
The story is told through the eyes of the main character during a long sleepless night. Inspired by a guide to Norwegian trains, his only hope and passion, he decides to escape his insomnia via an imaginary journey to the Arctic. The novel takes place in the small town of Tynset, between Hamar and Stören, during an eternally long Arctic night. He chooses Tynset because he believes it a beautiful name. In fact, music and sounds are important aspects of the story as Mozart and Beethoven appear frequently. The author even attempts to transcribe the sound of death. This is not really surprising given that Hildeheimer was a renowned music lover and his most famous work to date remains a biography on Mozart. The main character, whose name remains unknown, confesses that he spends his time calling random strangers from a telephone directory. During his phone calls he warns them that they have been discovered and they should flee. None of them proclaim their innocence. They don’t even ask what they have been accused of. This universal feeling of guilt, which is also described in The Fall by Albert Camus, reflects the situation in Germany in the aftermath of World War II. When by himself, the main character is accompanied by Celestina (a drunken and excessively devout maid), the ghost of Hamlet’s father and all the ghosts of those who have slept in the main character’s huge bed. The stories of these spirits, like Gesualdo, a murderous prince and musician from Venosa are intertwined with the main character’s memories in a literary composition which is reminiscent of a musical. Mystery and doubt accompany the reader throughout the book. We are not sure whether everything the main character is saying is true, or just a joke. However, one passage stands out to give some illumination - “no-one expects a reply. Everything now IS a reply. No-one asks, so no-one knows what you can actually ask”. Tynset itself is a mystery, a place which seems to be hiding something from the main character, in the same way that the novel seems to be hiding something from the reader. In spite of the compulsive morbidity that drives this insomniac, the author still manages to give Tynset a touch of humour, an irony with the slightest, most subtle touch. Finally, the prologue, written by Vicente Luis Mora from Cordoba, Director of the Instituto Cervantes in Albuquerque and well versed in contemporary Spanish literature, has produced a fine introduction to the novel which encourages us to read more of Hildesheimer’s work. |
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