Jokeren

by Lars Saabye Christensen

Hans Georg Windelband bor på et krypinn i Thereses gate. En morgen leser han sin egen dødsannonse i Aftenposten. Hvem er det som har dødd i hans sted? Og hvorfor?

Genres: Fiction, Roman, Crime, Classics, Scandinavian Literature, Novels

217 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1981

About the author

Lars Saabye Christensen is a gifted storyteller, a narrator who is imaginative, but equally down to earth. His realism alternates between poetic image and ingenious incident, conveyed in supple metropolitan language and slang that never smacks of the artificial or forced. His heroes possess a good deal of self-irony. Indeed, critics have drawn parallels with the black humour of Woody Allen. But beneath the liveliness of his portrayal melancholy always lurks in the books.
Since his début in 1976 Saabye Christensen has written ten collections of poetry, five collections of short stories and twelve novels. His great break through came with the novel Beatles in 1984. The book store sale of over 200,000 copies of the Norwegian edition has made this one of the greatest commercial successes in Norway, and it was voted the best novel of the last 25 years by Dagbladet's readers in 2006.

Reviews

[Andy Weston · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a noir novel written in the style of pulp fiction from the 1930s but set in Oslo in the 1970s. It unfurls well, at a fast pace with short sentences and plenty of dialogue, and has a few scenes that are really well done. But in mimicking the greats of pulp, Christensen doesn’t take in board the length of their work; this would have been a lot better if 50 pages shorter.

It begins with Hans Georg Windelband opening his newspaper and finding his own obituary. He apparently died three days earlier. It’s been done before as an opening, but it still works quite well. Windelband is without family or friends, and has spent some time in prison. Since then he has laid low and can’t fathom why anyone would think him dead. Under an alias, he goes to the morgue and views corpse. In its highly disfigured state it could certainly pass for him.

There are some things Christensen does that don’t work, it’s neither hard-boiled nor police procedural nor cosy, and would read better if it was darker, but it’s an easy read, with a rewarding and tidy ending.

[god knall · Rating 4 out of 5]

hvis Rett inn va ein bok ville den vært denne

[John M. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read the English translation of this novel, published in 1991. It was every bit as good as I remember when I read it again last year (I first read it in 2002).
The story opens with Hans Georg Windleband reading his own obituary in the newspaper; from there the plot delves into Windleband's shady past as he sets about trying to find who wants him dead and why.
The background of social upheaval in Norway in the early 1970s is the genesis of the events leading up to the present day goings-on.
I liked this book because it really held my attention. It had moments both wistful (Windleband's flawed relationship with Berit) and gritty (as the plot slowly unfolds the story of Windleband's sordid past).
All the characters introduced have a significance to the storyline even if it is not obvious at first exactly where they fit in. Windleband is the thread that runs through it all and the story's resolution is both satisfying and hopeful.

[Terje · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lars Saabye Christensen anno 1981 får meg til å tenke på en VSOP konjakk. Helt grei, men med noen års modning vil kvaliteten heve seg vesentlig. Saabye Christensen modnet ganske raskt, for tre år senere ble den fenomenale "Beatles" gitt ut og gjorde ham til en XO av ypperste klasse.

"Jokeren" handler om Hans Georg Windelband som oppdager sin egen dødsannonse i avisen. Hvem var det som døde og hvorfor? Dette må hovedpersonen nøste opp i. Han har en tvilsom fortid og mange tvilsomme mennesker krysser hans veier. Det er en ganske sår og brutal historie, men den blir aldri særlig spennende. Jeg lar meg ikke rive med av krimplottet og jeg klarer ikke helt å tro på dialogen. Oslos innbyggere snakket da vel ikke sånn i 1981?

[Halvor (Raknes) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jeg er snill når jeg gir denne fire stjerner, men jeg syns den var akkurat passe «litt ekstra» intrikat, så det får stå seg!

[Erik Måland · Rating 4 out of 5]

Herlig persongalleri, masse interessante tanker og formuleringer og en ganske så spennende handling! Rufsete tidlig Christensen med Ambjørnsen-vibber. Absolutt verdt å sjekke ut!

[Ingrid Blindheim]

Hørt som lydbok

[kattsann · Rating 2 out of 5]

Treg bok med få spenningstopper. Hovedkarakteren er innledningsvis irriterende passiv men har heldigvis en form for utvikling personlighetsmessig.

[Lotte Lundemo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Skildringene i denne boka er det som holder meg interessert, helt utrolig mange morsomme og øyeåpnende sammenligninger og beskrivelser. Handlingen var helt ok.

[Lee Wiley · Rating 5 out of 5]

loved it