Twilight Country

Uår #1

by Knut Faldbakken, Joan Tate (Translator)

Although the author is Norwegian, his quietly alarming novel is set in a generalized projection of a society disintegrating from the effects of industrial pollution and economic inadequacy. Air is unbreathable, water is undrinkable, all goods are in short supply, and all services are erratic. Nothing flourishes except bureaucracy, as a baffled government grinds out cradle-to-grave regulations that complicate a citizen's life without improving it in the least. Mr. Faldbakken's hero escapes from the mess with his wife and small son by fleeing to the vast dump that borders the city. There they find a few other refugees with whom, through ingenuity and a little violence, they construct the beginnings of a community.

Genres: Dystopia, Science Fiction, Novels, Fiction, Roman

240 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1974

About the author

Faldbakken studied psychology at Oslo University, and then worked as a journalist. He visited a number of countries, working variously as a bookkeeper, sailor, and factory worker, and began writing books in 1967 while living in Paris.

Reviews

[Charlotte Cronquist · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dystopi a la 1970-talet.

[Joachim Boaz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full review: https://sciencefictionruminations.com...

I finally reviewed my 2nd favorite SF read of 2020.

"In 1968, the moody Canadian psychedelic pop group The Poppy Family released “Of Cities and Escapes,” a haunting song of urban emptiness. The song’s narrator intones: “I live in a one-room apartment, with windows on one side / I stare through the glass ‘cross the water, to where the big, ugly city lies.” In the second verse, later sampled by Deltron 3030 on “Madness” (2000), the narrator cannot escape the death spiral: “I’m caught in the grip of the city, madness and smog.” Twilight City (1974, trans. Joan Tate, 1993), by Norwegian novelist Knut Faldbakken (1941-), delves into a similar dystopian urban gloom. The refugees of a decaying city [...]"

[Terje · Rating 4 out of 5]

Det er interessant at denne boka ble utgitt for 50 år siden. Kanskje var det en mørk og dystopisk bok den gangen. I dag er den adskillig nærmere å være aktuell i sine skildringer av et miljø som har begynt å kollapse. Tørke, kvelende varme, styrtregn, mangel på mat og drikke og normer i oppløsning. En gruppe merkverdige mennesker finner fram til hverandre på en søppelfylling de har bosatt seg på og erfarer at fellesskap fremmer overlevelse. Det er en moral jeg kan applaudere. Knut Faldbakken var tidlig i 30-årene i 1974, men hadde fått et godt grep om sitt forfatterskap.

[Malin Kvitvær · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book has not aged well! Couldn’t stand his view on women. The main caracter met his childwife (as he refer to her himself - unironically it appears!) when she was 13 and he was over 20 years old. He keeps depicting her as stupid and lazy. Gets two stars because the plot itself is interesting, about a future civilisation on the brink of collapse. DNF.