L (novel)
Encyclopedia
L is a novel
written by the Norwegian writer Erlend Loe
. It is about a group of young men who go on an expedition to the small island Manuae in the Pacific Ocean
. It was published in 1999, and was a big success.
on skates. This is, of course, an impossible theory, but the story is kept alive with Loe's personal, at times naïve, style.
The book is divided into two parts. The first part is about how Erlend, inspired by Thor Heyerdahl
's Kon-Tiki
, came up with the theory, and the planning of the expedition. The second part is about the expedition itself, which takes place on Manuae in the Cook Islands
.
The seven boys in the expedition, including fictionalized versions of Loe and artist Kim Hiorthøy
, all feel that they have not contributed to "build Norway", so this trip is like their way of saying "sorry", and placing Norway
on the map once and for all.
Erlend strongly believes that his theory is correct and that they will be praised as heroes when they return.
In the end of the book the boys feels like this wasn’t enough to place Norway on the map, so they start another experiment, where they try out the different ways of governing a country. For example, they try out apartheid and communism
.
They spend the last days on the island sitting around and waiting for the boat to pick them up. When they come home there is no marching band waiting at the airport, and realise that it will take more to get Norway "out there".
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
written by the Norwegian writer Erlend Loe
Erlend Loe
Erlend Loe is a Norwegian novelist and screenwriter. He has gained popularity in Scandinavia with his humorous and sometimes naïve novels, although his stories have become darker in tone, moving towards a more satirical criticism of modern Norwegian society.-Biography:Erlend Loe worked at a...
. It is about a group of young men who go on an expedition to the small island Manuae in the Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
. It was published in 1999, and was a big success.
Plot
The main theme in the story is an expedition to prove main character Erlend's theory about Pacific islands. He believes that their inhabitants came from South AmericaSouth America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
on skates. This is, of course, an impossible theory, but the story is kept alive with Loe's personal, at times naïve, style.
The book is divided into two parts. The first part is about how Erlend, inspired by Thor Heyerdahl
Thor Heyerdahl
Thor Heyerdahl was a Norwegian ethnographer and adventurer with a background in zoology and geography. He became notable for his Kon-Tiki expedition, in which he sailed by raft from South America to the Tuamotu Islands...
's Kon-Tiki
Kon-Tiki
Kon-Tiki was the raft used by Norwegian explorer and writer Thor Heyerdahl in his 1947 expedition across the Pacific Ocean from South America to the Polynesian islands. It was named after the Inca sun god, Viracocha, for whom "Kon-Tiki" was said to be an old name...
, came up with the theory, and the planning of the expedition. The second part is about the expedition itself, which takes place on Manuae in the Cook Islands
Cook Islands
The Cook Islands is a self-governing parliamentary democracy in the South Pacific Ocean in free association with New Zealand...
.
The seven boys in the expedition, including fictionalized versions of Loe and artist Kim Hiorthøy
Kim Hiorthøy
Kim Hiorthøy is a Norwegian electronic musician, graphic designer, illustrator, filmmaker and writer.-Biography:Hiorthøy was born and raised in Trondheim, Norway, and studied at the Trondheim Academy of Fine Art as well as the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen...
, all feel that they have not contributed to "build Norway", so this trip is like their way of saying "sorry", and placing Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
on the map once and for all.
Erlend strongly believes that his theory is correct and that they will be praised as heroes when they return.
In the end of the book the boys feels like this wasn’t enough to place Norway on the map, so they start another experiment, where they try out the different ways of governing a country. For example, they try out apartheid and communism
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
.
They spend the last days on the island sitting around and waiting for the boat to pick them up. When they come home there is no marching band waiting at the airport, and realise that it will take more to get Norway "out there".