Choral am Ende der Reise

by Erik Fosnes Hansen

Die Geschichte beginnt am 10. April 1912. An diesem Tag gehen im englischen Southampton sieben Musiker an Bord eines neuen Riesendampfers, der auf seiner Jungfernfahrt mehr als zweitausend Menschen nach New York bringen soll. Das Schiff heißt "Titanic", und die Musiker bilden das Schiffsorchester, eine zusammengewürfelte Truppe aus aller Herren Länder. Während der fünf Tage, die ihnen an Bord verbleiben, lernt der Leser ihre höchst unterschiedlichen Lebensgeschichten kennen - Biografien voller Hoffnungen und Niederlagen, voller Leidenschaften und Verzweiflung -, und man erlebt mit ihnen die letzten Tage ihres Lebens auf dem modernsten und größten Passagierschiff seiner Zeiten.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Novels, Roman, Music, Literature, Drama

507 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1990

About the author

Erik Fosnes Hansen is a Norwegian author who made his debut at age twenty with the novel Falketårnet. His most famous work is his second novel, Psalm at Journey's End, which in separate but steadily more interwoven stories follows the individual musicians that end their careers and lives at Titanic. The book has been translated into more than twenty languages. A Part II follow-up to Beretninger om beskyttelse (Tales of Protection) has been announced but is not yet completed.

Fosnes Hansen has also published poetry, and is a frequent contributor to contemporary public cultural debate.

Reviews

[Marko Vasić · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sa svakim približavanjem aprila, mene uhvati želja da iznova čitam o „Titaniku“ i njegovom usudu. Da pisac nije ovoliko dobar pripovedač, celokupni utisak bi bio mnogo slabiji, budući da je roman nekako nekoherentan i sekvence su vrlo labavo povezane. Opis na zadnjim koricama kaže da je radnja smeštena na „Titaniku“ i da su protagonisti petorica (od sedmorice) muzičara – Englez, Rus, Nemac, Austrijanac i Italijan, koji su bili angažovani tamo kao brodski muzičari. Sve je to lepo, osim činjenice da je pisac o samom „Titaniku“, ulozi muzičara i čitavoj atmosferi neumitne smrti ispričao malo, na možda tek pedesetak strana od 515 koliko broji roman. Potku romana, zapravo čine četiri sasvim nezavisne životne priče i pismo ispovesti petog muzičara. Svi su različite dobi – najstariji bi najmlađem mogao biti deda po godinama, ali zajedničko svoj petorici jesu teskobne životne priče i talenat koji ih je spasio. Hansen na vrlo pitak i uzbudljiv način upoznaje čitaoca o lepotama, gadostima i porocima Londona s kraja XIX i početka XX veka, momačkim uličnim tučama i odrastanju u visokom društvu kome je pripadao šef orkestra Džejson Kaurd koji je rano ostao siroče i čitav život proveo boreći se za goli život, konstantno se uplićući u sve veće dugove. Druga životna priča Nemca pod pseudonimom „Spot“ odnosila se na njegovu sklonost ka kokainu, koja ga je dovela do ruba egzistencije i života, od čega ga je spasao iznenadni poziv da bude brodski muzičar. Najmlađi David, austrijski Jevrejin, na brod je dospeo pobegavši od ljubavnih jada koje je ostavio u rodnom Beču. Italijan Petronijus boluje od šizofrenije, egzacerbirane kako su godine prolazile, i svoj talenat za muziku pripisivao je umišljenom duhu koji je „stanovao“ u njegovom kontrabasu i, po njegovom ubeđenju, zapravo, umesto njega svirao instrument. Pisac je, koristeći stvarne podatke o Titaniku, jako slikovito i lepo opisao samu atmosferu i žovijalnost ukrcavanja na isti, ali je ideju pomalo ugušio ovim nezavisnim životnim pričama koje nije najbolje uspeo da poveže zajedničkom sponom. Bez obzira na obim, roman se čita silovito brzo i razonodi čitaoca.

[Saj · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was not able to put this book down. It captured me from the start, held me tight until the unevitable ending and left me crying with that odd sense of satisfaction that a really good story can evoke.

These life stories, even if fictional, were moving and interesting. The author isn't trying to influence me with cheap tricks, but rather let's the characters tell their story and the reader decide how to feel about it.

I have nothing but love for this book.

[Saturday's Child · Rating 2 out of 5]

It always pleases me when I find another novel that features the Titanic in its plot, so this one was a happy discovery. I started to read it and just could not get into it. I put it down and read several other books before returning to it and forcing myself to finish it. The stories of the band members is the main focus of the plot, however they are not the real band members they are fictitious ones. I was left puzzled by this novel.

[Aleksandra Jagielska · Rating 4 out of 5]

szczególny sentyment i sympatia do tej pozycji, zapewne wynika z tego, że będę tesknila za moja polonistka…

[Avd.Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

The novel by Norwegian author Erik Fosnes Hansen, begins on April 10, 1912. Seven musicians board the luxury liner Titanic in Southhampton to entertain its two thousand passengers during the five-day maiden voyage to New York. The musicians are a motley crew of characters from England, Russia, Ireland, France, Austria, Italy, and nowhere in particular. The reader learns their stories during the five remaining days of their lives. Each of these stories focuses on a different part of Europe at the turn of the century. At the end of the journey - on April 15, 1912 the musicians play their final psalm and somehow there is a sense that more is lost than the ship and all those lives... that a part of old Europe has gone down with it as well. This was such a good book.

[Kristel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un bémol: les passages plus mystiques.

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m rating this at three stars, not because it didn’t have a good story, it just wasn’t my kind of story. The writing wasn’t really my favorite and I think it may have been because my frame of mind was along the lines of “I want to read a titanic story”, yet the book barely took place on the titanic.

What this book did, however, is tell a factionalized story of the musicians on the titanic. I thought that was a nice way to pay homage to the real musicians, because I rarely ever hear anyone talking about them. Some of the stories were interesting and gave me a good idea of who the characters were and what lead them to the titanic, and the others I lost interest with.

Would I recommend this book? Yes and no. I’d say, go ahead and take a chance, read it. You might like it more than I did. Different people have different reading preferences, so you never know what someone will find interesting.

[Ariel · Rating 1 out of 5]

Okay. So, to bascially put it. This book sucked. Like, more then a book should. I got it cause I'm a big Titaicologist. Anyway, The book is based on a fictitious band, meant to represent the real band on the Titanic. In all honesty, I'm highly displeased that the book was even 'related' to the Titanic. There was almost nothing in the book that suggested it was even related. There's only like five real parts of the book, and four of them are about four of the band member's lives. Another thing. I don't know if this book was written in a different language or what, but the grammar is awful. If it was written in a different language and translated, it was done poorly. If not...then the writer really needs to study a grammar book or two. Learn what narratives are! I honestly could not have gotten done with this book sooner, and I'm glad I didn't have to pay a fortune for it.

[Jessie (Zombie_likes_cake) · Rating 4 out of 5]

A splendid novel, historical fiction yet so much more.
The story is filled with the questions of what home, belonging and ultimately life's path could mean to a single person, even more importantly the question what you do if you don't belong, if you don't meet your fate.
The reader follows their lives and discovers how the members of the Titanic's musical band end up on that fateful trip across the Atlantic. Their personal journeys are mirrored, framed and captivated in the ship's destiny.
All is fictional but it speaks so real to one's heart, it is a sad journey you take when you read this novel, you know about the doom that awaits you at the end. But the bittersweet tears are worth it!

[Tarissa · Rating 2 out of 5]

What I like:
This book had me enchanted. The poetic prose is sometimes breathtaking. And that's with it going through a language translation. The detailing goes deep. We learn of scientific things, such as biology, astronomy, and, of course, music... and it all ties the story together.

What I didn't like:
Contains mature content, which surprised me greatly for a book listed under the Christian Fiction genre. Contains some mild foul language. Also didn't like the fact that Jason loses sight of God and listens to evolution instead.

To the Titanic buffs:
This story is not about Wallace Hartley and the other musicians. The characters in this book are fictional. Also, very little of the plot takes place on board Titanic; most of the plot is about the back-stories of these characters.

[Estela Anders · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful book that tells the story of a group of musicians, thrown together by chance, to play on the Titanic's maiden voyage. While the musicians in this stories are fictional and not the actual musicians that played on the Titanic, each story is moving and well crafted, and it shows how each of them became the person they were at that point in 1912. I absolutely loved this book.

[Liam Ostermann · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an absolutely marvellous novel with a wonderful collection of musicians from across Europe and their back stories before they all join up on the Titanic. This is not the story of the real Titanic musicians but it is all the better for it. Amazingly it still has the most powerful and emotionally powerful resolution. It is a fantastic novel.

[Tor Berg · Rating 3 out of 5]

Historien om forliset i 1912 er fortalt i utallige variasjoner, både faktabasert og fiksjon. Mest suksess hadde James Cameron. Men Fosnes Hansen høstet også lovord for romanen som kom sju år før filmen. Jeg er ikke like entusiastisk. Hvorfor bare tre stjerner? Deler av historien er godt fortalt, men oppleves mer som uavhengige noveller som er satt i samme perm. Historier som ikke helt hører sammen. Og det flyter ikke (pun not intended) Den sammenhengende fortellinger er ihvertfall ikke åpenbar for meg. Dessuten er det litt for mye flinkhet: vanskelige setninger og ordvalg gjør ikke historien bedre men gir det hele et snev av litterært snobberi. Boka er best når den er presis og beskrivende av virkelige hendelser og motsatt - når den beskriver unaturlige «hendelser» Men når historien beskriver følelser og mellommenneskelige anliggender blir det mer haltende- som poesi kanskje?

[Lilly · Rating 5 out of 5]

"No one had a thought for music and no one heard what they were playing. No one knows what the musicians were thinking during those last minutes....What they saw was the lights on board flickering, flickering once, then vanishing altogether. The ship and the sea were in pitch darkness....Then they could see the stars. They were unusually clear. Then the ship sank."

A piece of art. Hansen's mastery over language and the craft of writing will make your chest ache. Each character is palpable, and despite their deaths being the only certainty throughout the novel, they are each dimensional and complete. Jason's story, in particular, will stick with me always.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay novel with nice language and good stories about the lives of some of the musicians playing on the Titanic. However I was quite disappointed since this novel is portrayed as being about the sinking of the Titanic. It’s not really. It’s set on the Titanic maybe 10% of the book. The end was gripping though (but we all know how it ends). Overall a sad book, not only because of the fate of the majority of the people onboard, but because the musicians’ lives portrayed before the voyage were all sad as well.

[Amanda Borys · Rating 3 out of 5]

The 3 star rating is probably a little bit high, averaged out over the book. I really enjoyed it at first, but then it started to drag a bit. Interesting characters, but their stories could have been shorter.

The thing that confused me about this book is why the author chose to put fictitious musicians on board the Titanic, who's own band are so well remembered for their actions. Why not put them on a fictitious ship as well. I don't think it would have distracted from the story and might have actually made it flow better. But I just found the contrast of real ship and events about imaginary people a bit jarring.

[Owl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mh... stellenweise war ich sehr begeistert und dachte, dass ich doch in der falschen Zeit geboren wurde. Mir imponierte dazu sehr, dass dieses ganze Katastrophen-Drama-Gedöns rund um den Untergang der Titanic aufs wesentliche reduziert wurde und nur am Rande auftauchte und dort sehr sachlich und fast nüchtern gehalten. Denn um die Titanic primär ging es hier gar nicht. Es ging um die fiktiven Lebensgeschichten der Musiker (übrigens auch nicht die "Originalmusiker", aber das ist, denke ich, gar nicht unbedingt der ausschlagebende Punkt).
Für ihre Geschichten, die auch nicht alle ausführlich betrachtet wurden (aber bei 7 Leuten wäre das ja ein 2000 Seiten Schinken geworden) hätte ich mir etwas mehr "Abwechslung" gewünscht. Bei aller Unterschiedlichkeit war die Grundidee doch meist die gleiche.
Ein wenig schwer tat ich mich zwischendrin mit dem Schreibstil. Vielleicht lag es auch an der Übersetzung :)
Es war aber dennoch ein sehr schnell zu lesendes Buch, das mir unterm Strich sehr gut gefallen hat.

[Catherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting way of combining several tales - the stories of some imaginary members of the band of the Titanic. While each was good in its own right, the resonances between them were too slight to make this feel completely coherent. The stories were embedded within the tale of the fatal voyage, but each would stand alone just as well, a bit like the movements of a complex symphony for those of us without a finer appreciation of the development of a theme.

The story that engrossed me most was that of David, driven to despair when his love was no longer requited, yet at the same time that was the most cloyingly sentimental: that of Jason, for example, was far better written.

Overall, this book was wistful and sad, as one would expect, and enjoyable enough in that way, but I had hoped for more.

[Cheryl Leon Levy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was very excited to read this book because I was fascinated by anything having to do with the Titanic. I did not realize that this was fictional. I had no idea that it was making up all of the stories about these people. I'm not sure why it even felt like it had to. Super disappointed because I found that out at the end of the book as I was wondering how the author would know so much about the musicians, and where the author got all the information. When I found out it was all made up I was pissed. LOL!

[Dina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dette var en af de bøger, jeg havde svært ved at lægge fra mig. En "pageturner".
Meget spændende at læse om at disse musikere på Titanic også havde et liv bag sig, og kunne have haft en fremtid.
Desværre er det musikerne opdigtede, og ikke de rigtige personer, der er skrevet om, men dette lægger forfatteren ikke skjul på.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This totally absorbing book is about the musicians on board oof Titanic the days before it went down, but also tells a whole lot about their lives, and the reason for their behaviour in different situations.They all have very different backgrounds, but when the ship sinks, their future is the same.

[Isabelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting fictional description of the musicians that played on the Titanic. The author allows us to get to know each musician's life, who they were as a person. I enjoyed the descriptive style of the author's writing, and the poignancy he brings to each man.

[Kristina · Rating 1 out of 5]

So I don't know if I just didn't "get" this book but it was a serious struggle to get through it. The writing was really weird and I didn't connect with any of the characters. It was exceedingly boring, even though it was about my favorite thing ever, the freakin TITANIC. Disappointed.

[Berita · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book disappointed me. I didn't bother to read the last 100 pages, I got so bored with reading so much about each and one of the band members' (long and winding) past. Too much blah blah blah for me. I will not read it again, nor recommend it.

[Linden · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really affecting story of the musicians on the Titanic.

[Noel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great character stories

[Indra Barrios Lasso · Rating 5 out of 5]

Couldn't put it down 'till the end!

[Nadja · Rating 5 out of 5]

A more detailed review is up on my blog.

All in all did I love this book. More language wise than story wise but it all came together beautifully.

[Kristín · Rating 2 out of 5]

Each story was interesting but connecting it to the Titanic was a cheat.

[Jan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Aldeles fremragende. Original og monumental roman i mol.