Prince

by Ib Michael, Barbara Haveland (Translator)

For lovers of Howard Norman's The Bird Artist , Prince is an evocative, richly imagined novel about a defining season in the life of a young outcast. In 1912 at a provinical Danish seaside hotel, twelve-year-old Malte, a charity case from the city, revels in the freedom of summer. Largely a solitary boy, Malte spends his days on the beach, transfixed by the sea. When a coffin containing a young sailor drifts ashore, Malte is soon absorbed in the sailor's tragic love story and dramatic death, and their fates become dangerously intertwined.

Genres: Fiction, Danish, Denmark

320 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1997

About the author

Ib Michael was born in Roskilde in 1945. He studied Central American and Indian Language and Culture at the University of Copenhagen. Ib Michael has travelled widely, including trips to Latin America, China, and Tibet. He has also crossed the Atlantic and sailed in the Pacific to the Polynesian Islands. Among many grants and awards, Ib Michael has received The Booksellers Club Golden Laurel (Author of the Year) in 1990, The Danish Author Association Peace Prize 1991, The Critics' Award in 1991 and the Danish Academy Prize 1994. Ib Michael's fantastical novels and poems merge space and time, presenting the reader with an expanded version of reality, including myths and magical elements. His writing style has been described as magical realism. His works include:

En hidtil uset drøm om skibe, 1970
Den flyvende kalkundræber, 1971
Indianerliv i regnskoven, 1973
Mayalandet, 1973
Hjortefod, 1974
Rejsen tilbage, 1977
Vejen rundt om svømmebassinet i den skønne have med kolibrier så talrige som Tågeøernes gråspurve, 1978
Rejsen til det grønne firben : en dokumentarisk beretning, 1980
Kejserfortællingen : roman, 1981
Snedronningen : beretning om Alta - et nulpunkt i Sameland, 1981
Joy og tigeren, 1984
Troubadurens lærling : roman, 1984
Det døde guld, 1985
Himmelbegravelse : digte fra Tibet, 1986
Det sidste hav, 1987
Kilroy Kilroy : roman, 1989
Vinden i metroen : digte, 1990
Det lukkede øje : rejsedagbog Mexico 1971, 1991
Lars Dan, 1991
Vanillepigen, 1991
Hajskygger, 1993
I virkeligheden : et portræt af Ib Michael, 1993
Den tolvte rytter, 1993
Alfabetets have, 1994
Det er ikke virkeligheden der er underlig, 1994
Objekt, maleri, collage 1987 - 1994, 1994
Sig noget, Pjerrot, 1995
Brev til månen, 1995
Surfer : novelle, 1996
Prins : roman, 1997
Atkinsons biograf - en vandrehistorie, 1998
Atkinsons biografi - en vandrehistorie, 1998
Undervejs er altings mål : Ib Michaels forfatterskab, 1999
Mit år, 2000
Rosa Mundi : digte, 2000
Kejserens atlas : roman, 2001
Paven af Indien : roman, 2003
Pierre eller Flertydighederne, 2003
Grill : roman, 2005
Vanilletrilogien : Vanillepigen, Den tolvte rytter, Brev til månen, 2005
Blå bror : roman, 2006
Sorte huller : roman, 2007
Vilde engle : roman, 2009
Orbit : roman, 2010
Hjertets hemmeligheder, 2012
Himlen brændte, 2013
En anden sol, 2015

Reviews

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took me a while to get into this book ( despite the lovely, poetic syntax) but ultimately I loved it. While the story unfurls slowly, the tale that forms by the end is strange, multifaceted and gorgeous. Prince weaves together a coming of age tale, a mystery, a ghost story, and a tragic love story, and somehow it all works. I found myself reminded of everything from old ballads of doomed sailors and selkies to Gabriel Garcia Marquez (there are obvious parallels to "The Handsomest Drowned Man In The World") and yet I was still left feeling that I had read a truly unique novel.

[Nana-Margrethe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Vidunderligt smuk bog, der rammer direkte i mellemgulvet flere gange undervejs i læsningen. Handlingen er fængslende og sidedrejende - Michaels rørende udfoldning af en ung drengs fortælling sker langsomt efterhånden som facet efter facet afsløres og alt sammen samles til en smuk komplethed i enden af bogen. Handlingen er lige dele mysteriøs og klokkeklar, karakterne tjener medfølelse og intet føles overladt til skæbnen. Smukkest af alt er sproget, der binder fortællingen sammen med sirligt maledede billeder, der finder magien både i menneskers relationer til hinanden og til den verden de lever i.

[Klaudia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is intertwining lines of story and poetry and I loved it.

[Judith Worthington · Rating 5 out of 5]

Prince: A Novel of Icebergs and Amber by IB Michael

5 Stars

I sit here unable to find words for this masterpiece.

It was a difficult read, requiring me to pause after most chapters and do something else. It is so deep and the verbiage so complex. Yet it was utterly beautiful and immersive.

It feels like a Shamanic Journey, which is likely why I enjoyed it so thoroughly. I laughed when towards the end, the narrator mentions being taken on one by a Greenland Shaman.

The main setting is a Guest House type Resort in a remote fishing village in the North Sea during the summer of 1912. The two main characters are a 12 year old boy - a charity case, and a Spirit. The Spirit is as old as time or has been reincarnated many times or is the Devil or a Demon or an Angel or a Ghost. I do believe it is meant for the reader to ultimately decide.

It took a great deal of concentration and I couldn't abide with any noise while reading. The language so thick and unique it needed everything within me to be completely present.

Excellent writing.

[Morten · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is difficult to describe, but I really like how prettily Ib Michael writes (or the protagonists) tells the story. My interest for the characters grows throughout the book no matter what kind of silly things they do. It takes a while for me to locate the story geographically and timely, but I early on get a feeling for when I think it is, which is confirmed later. I think this illustrates that the way of writing resonates with the thoughts I get of the book. And even though the book is written quite high culturally/'look how I can write everything so it completely capturing the setting, while not giving everything away', I really appreciate the style.

[Lea Küünal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lugesin raamatut jaanipäeva ajal, see sobis kesksuvise meeleoluga imehästi. Ka raamatus on suvi, on Taani väike rannaküla, kus veedab oma suvepuhkust 12aastane linnapoiss Malte. Raamat on Malte tegemistest ja kogemustest ja on ühe salapärase hukkunud meremehe lugu ja pansionaadi teenijatüdruku ja tumesilmse noormehe armastuslugu ja lisaks veel mõni lugu. Helge lugemine, samas ka põnevust.

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

The language can be poetic, flowery and sometimes feels the author is being arty for the sake of it, but this choice does ultimately work to transport you to a dreamy otherworld where a mysterious dead sailor washed up in a coffin can watch the events in a 1912 seaside town centred around a young boy unfold before revealing his own story.

[Kristen · Rating 3 out of 5]

The prose is brilliant and beautiful at times but I struggled with the book. It was dark and cold in a cold world of the North Sea.

[Ann · Rating 2 out of 5]

Het verhaal was niet slecht maar de keuze om het te laten vertellen door een vage etherische figuur maakt dat je geen band krijgt met de personages.

[Filippa Emilie Vittrup · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best book I have ever read.

[Kokeshi · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

[Louise TM · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jeg har altid syntes, at Ib Michael var en smule irriterende. Det er fuldstændig ubegrundet, og jeg har ikke noget at hæfte det op på. Men sådan har jeg nu engang haft det. “Prins” er derfor ikke en bog, jeg selv har købt. Bogen blev en gang ved en fejl leveret fra en bogklub, og da de ikke ville have den retur, kunne man jo ligeså godt beholde den.

Efter ca. 15 år i bogreolen blev det nu endelig tid at læse den…

Jeg synes stadig, Ib Michael er irriterende, men jeg har fået en helt ny respekt for ham efter at have læst “Prins”. Handlingen var temmelig sort, og det var først langt inde i bogen, at jeg forstod bare lidt af, hvad den handlede om, men – nøj! – hvor synes jeg, den er godt skrevet. Jeg vil derfor for en gangs skyld undlade at fortælle, hvad den handler om (det kan under alle omstændigheder Googles), og i stedet bringe et citat fra bogens 4. Kapitel.

Da Malte løber hjem, holder han et skinnende æg i favnen, og skyerne flyver under hans fod. Han stormer gennem klitterne, og jeg tør slet ikke tænke hvad der sker, hvis han falder nu og knuser skallen. Men som gammel sømand ved jeg, at jo stærkere man stormer med lykken, jo bedre bærer den. Det er sådan jeg har fået vinger selv.
Vi lander i dækstolene på samme tid; han i sin og jeg i min. Vi er alene med havudsigten; ingen andre skal bruge den, for vinden er slået om og blæser skyerne mod land. Det er lunt. Der er torden i luften, og svalerne flyver lavt, men luften er balsamisk.

[Anne L. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Do you like puzzles? If so, you might like this book by Danish author Ib Michael. The puzzle is: who is the narrator? He seems to assume a variety of identities, and the question is only completely answered by the end. It’s an intriguing read centered on the occupants of a seaside summer house: Malte, the twelve-year-old boy; Oda, the maid infatuated by the suave Monsieur Charles, who is not what he seems to be; Ida, the mute little girl; and more. The language is beautiful, and I often found myself transported to a rocky beach or field of waving sunlit grasses. Keep at it if you find yourself getting lost; it’s worth the effort.

[Jesper Hauge · Rating 3 out of 5]

En bog fyldt med Ib Michaels karakteristiske prosa, magiske realisme og nostalgiske forhold til rejser og havet. I de bedste passager er det fuldt på højde med Ib Michaels bedste værker, men jeg må indrømme at jeg ind i mellem bliver lidt træt og utålmodig, når sproget og fantasien kører på de høje nagler side efter side.

Jeg kan rigtig godt lide bogens hovedpersoner, en 8 årig dreng på sommerferieophold ved Vesterhavet, og en ånd/sjæl, hvis identitet først afsløres langt henne i bogen. Der er en dejlig kontrast mellem drengens umiddelbarhed og begejstring og sjælens ro og mestring af verden, samtidig med at der er en slags samhørighed og sympati mellem de to.

[Vampire Who Baked · Rating 3 out of 5]

Magical realism is not a genre that I am particularly fond of, but when it comes out of Scandinavia the effect can be mesmerising! Mist, ice, pale sunlight, seashells, fox cubs, amber, lyme grass and a coffin washed ashore serve as the setting for a bildungsroman about a young boy spending his summer as a charity boarder at a sea-side inn. The language is beautifully hypnotic, and the narrative unpretentious, this book is a very comforting read.
Save this one for a rainy day or a misty winter morning!

[Pip · Rating 5 out of 5]

Never before have I read a book with so many lives meeting at one place a day different points in time. (spoilers) A sailor becomes an angel, becomes a fairy, becomes a fox and meets a boy who finds his body from his life as a human.

I don't think I'll ever find another book with such rich, powerful, beautiful descriptions as this book. And as the author is from Denmark and this novel was translated into English, I mourn for how much more beautiful it must be in its original language.

[Ms. S........... · Rating 5 out of 5]

Haunting and beautiful portrait of life/death. I don't have the quote in front of me, but the titular sentence in the book reads something like...to be born into the realm of childhood is to be born a prince....love that!

[Peter Fogtdal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful magic realism from our Danish Gabriel Marquez. A beautiful coming-of-age novel that takes place on a beach in Denmark in 1911. Barbara Haveland's translation is wonderful, the story twists and turns with a mysterious narrator who shows up in many shapes and forms. This novel is a gem!

[Tina Tamman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful book where the storyline is perhaps less important than the images and descriptions, at least while you are reading it. The Danish coast becomes very visual. The hero is a 12-year-old boy who has a good relationship with the lighthouse keeper. All well observed.

[Liz Polding · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very gentle book which has its moments, but which I gave away immediately I finished reading it.

[Lucy Gray · Rating 4 out of 5]

a novel which was very different from what i had expected - I thought it would all be from the point of view of the boy! Overall there was a magical quality to it which reminded me of the myths and legends of the sea. very enjoyable