Barba Og Harra Pál

by Jørgen-Frantz Jacobsen

The only novel by the Faroese author, yet an international best-seller remaining one of the best-loved twentieth century classics in Danish and Faroese literature.

Genres: Fiction, Classics, Danish, Historical Fiction, Roman, Collections, Scandinavian Literature

218 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1939

About the author

Jørgen-Frantz Jacobsen occupies a distinct place in Scandinavian literature. He is the only Faroese writer to achieve international best-seller status. This status derives from his sole novel, Barbara: Roman (1939; translated, 1948), which has the added cachet of being one of the few Scandinavian novels to be translated twice into English within the space of fifty years. It was also adapted as a motion picture directed by Nils Malmros in 1997 (see Barbara). These facts, together with Jacobsen's essays, a study of the Faroe Islands published in the guise of a travel guide, and a volume of his letters, are sufficient to suggest that had he lived longer, he would have been one of the outstanding literary figures in Scandinavia in the twentieth century. He must moreover be seen in the context of his being one of five Faroese writers, all born between 1900 and 1903, who represent a remarkable blossoming of literature in a country which had no tradition of literature in a modern sense. Jacobsen, together with William Heinesen, Christian Matras, Hedin Brú, and Martin Joensen, created modern Faroese literature, whether writing in Danish, as did Jacobsen and Heinesen, or Faroese, as did the others.
The principal character in the novel, Barbara, is based upon Jacobsen's lover, Estrid, who was also the translator of the first English version of the book. Many passages in Det dyrebare Liv refer to the title character of the novel, though it is nowhere directly revealed that she and Estrid were the same. However, Estrid was the Barbara of the novel and by the time Det dyrebare Liv was published, the identity of the two was common knowledge. It is worth noting that Jacobsen once remarked that he had tried to fashion Pastor Poul after himself.
Jørgen-Frantz Jacobsen died 24 March 1938, after suffering from tuberculosis for nearly sixteen years.

Reviews

[Bjørk]

*Keep in mind that this is my personal opinion about the book*

I can't, I just can't. The only reason I started to read this book, is because it is required for our faroese class. But oh my lord, this book is dull.
First of all, I've seen the film 3 times, and all those 3 times was because of school, and surprisingly, I dislike the film more and more and more each time. The plot is... well... there is no plot. Nothing. Happens. This is suppose to be a love story, and this is by far, the worst love story I have ever read. NOTHING HAPPENS.
And the characters, oh my Lord. Barbara, hate her, Pál, an idiot, the rest of the characters, don't care about them.
Am I sorry that I didn't finish the book, even though it is a required read? No. The thought of reading this book fills me with rage and leaves a bitter taste in my mouth. I can't bring myself to read this book. Sorry not sorry.

[Bettie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bettie's Books

[Benjamin Rajani · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading Barbara is like travelling in a time machine and being transported to the tiny isolated island group that is the Faroe Islands. Jørgen-Frantz Jacobsen - who was a historian by training - masterfully captures the faroese society of the time by describing the importance of the national church, the poor means of travelling (the weather is of crucial importance), the clothes, houses and general priviliges of the upper class. Furtermore, as unfortunately remains the case today, gossiping and slandering play a big role in the society, as everyone basically knows everyone here.

The nature is portrayed with razor sharp precision, yet at the same time painted like a vivid dream. The atmosphere across the country is vibrant and tangible (altough I may be biased in that I recognise the streets, houses etc. in my head). The characters are colourful and gripping and Barbara put me through a range of feelings, all the way from intrigue and fondness to irritation and disgust.

It is a shame that this is the only book by JFJ. One can only imagine the heights this great author could reach, had he not died at such a young age. After all, his debut novel was an international best-seller.

[Josefine Sandvad]

“Barbara” er en til tider morsom, altid psykologisk dyb og fascinerende roman om den charmerende, færøske femme fatale af samme navn. Den unge præsteenke er utilregnelig, utroligt smuk og dybt lunefuld. Ligesom den færøske natur, som hun romanen igennem identificeres med. Da jeg læste denne roman var jeg stadigvæk dybt indhyllet i mytologisk Færø-tåge og netop hjemvendt fra det smukke ø-rige langt ude i Atlanterhavet. Bogen havde jeg købt i landets ældste boghandel i smukke Thorshavn. Jeg kan derfor ikke udelukke, at det har smittet lidt af på min begejstring. Men udelukket er til gengæld enhver tvivl om, at denne roman er en vidunderlig fortælling.

[Meaghan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I know this is supposed to be a great classic of Scandinavian literature, and was a bestseller in its time, but I found it incredibly dull, dull, dull. The only parts I liked were the author's descriptions of the difficult day-to-day life on the Faroe Islands. (Having your travel depend on the whims of the sea, for example, and waiting all the time for supply ships to come in.) And that wasn't enough to redeem the story for me.

[Leonardo Holberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

"da du tog min hånd før var du som en smuk svaneformet kaffevarmer" - Poul

[Gail · Rating 2 out of 5]

In preparation for a trip to the Faroe Islands, I chose to read this book. I. did. not. like. it. The translation into English from the original Danish is awkward and the story, with virtually no plot, was incredibly dull. The geographical descriptions of the grueling terrain, unpredictable sea, and the tedium of life in this isolated place in the 18th century were well portrayed, but I found the characters unlikeable, mean spirited, petty and slanderous. Even the central character, the silly temptress Barbara, was one dimensional and shallow. I could not discern what her motivations or true feelings were. Several reviewers have characterized this story as a great romance, but I failed to see this. What I did take from my reading of BARBARA is that life was incredibly difficult for the Faroese people in centuries past and that the same evils that abound in large populations are every bit as evident in sparsely populated ones.

[Morten Greve · Rating 4 out of 5]

Der er meget godt at sige om Barbara - underholdende og dramatisk, ganske humoristisk og fyldt med 1700-tals færø-atmosfære og sprogtone (om sidstnævnte er tidstro, skal jeg ikke kunne sige).

Man kan godt være lidt i tvivl om, hvorvidt en kvinde som Barbara kan findes i virkeligheden - eller om hun blot er Jacobsens feberhede fantasme, er jeg i tvivl om. Det er nu udmærket at tilbringe et par hundrede sider i selskab med hende.

[Heba badr · Rating 1 out of 5]

هذه رواية انصح بها اذا كنت مصاب بالأرق وتريد ان تنام رواية مملة جدا علي الرغم من صغر حجمها الا ان الملل جعلني اظن ان صفحاتها لا نهائية ، لم أحب او اتعاطف مع اي شخصية في الرواية حتي القس بول اختار مصيره بنفسه .

[Craig Rowland · Rating 3 out of 5]

Barbara by Jørgen-Frantz Jacobsen is a classic of Faroese literature. It was originally written in Danish and published in 1939, one year after the author's death. I read a new translation (by George Johnston) from 1992. The novel centres on the new pastor, Paul Aggersoe, and his relationship with Barbara Salling, the islands' notorious femme fatale and, some might even say, murderer. Barbara had been married to the two prior pastors, both of whom had died suddenly. By the time of Paul's arrival in the islands, the locals considered it a foregone conclusion that he would marry Barbara. It is no secret and not a spoiler to reveal that they do marry, but Barbara, however, pays no heed to her marriage vows and soon is off with another man. The pace of the novel is slow in the first half but picks up at the end as Paul tries to find Barbara.

I am reading all of my books about the Faroe Islands before my second visit to the islands this July. I certainly know what Faroese fog and rain are like (my flight back to Copenhagen was cancelled because of it) and I hiked across two islands during my first trip in 2003. Now imagine doing all of this hiking in the rain by lantern light. Such was the experience of Paul in his search for Barbara. Jacobsen accurately captured the look and feel of the Faroese landscape, such as in this passage:

"They had now rowed a full three hours. Suddenly the mighty Konufell lifted out of the clouds overhead, like a petrified roar. Rags of cloud still hurried by this broken mountain, hid the gigantic bluffs and then uncovered them, wrapped the crags and then laid them bare again, danced, drifted and mounted like smoke up through wet crevasses and fissures. The crew looked up as though into a giant organ, that was playing an inaudible but visually wild music."

While Paul is presiding over Christmas services and visiting various islands, he is stranded on Mykines, the westernmost Faroe island, for over a week. During his absence, Barbara couldn't wait to hop into a warm bed and flee across the Faroes with Andreas Heyde, for he was always lurking in the shadows:

"[Paul] knew now that a single danger threatened him. Andreas Heyde was always in the back of his mind, though he never named him. Neither did Barbara name him.
"Yet he was present, for all that, in their talk."

The two go into hiding as they try to elude Paul. I will not reveal what happens to them but there are threats and deception that come out of the blue. The final chapter with Barbara and crew rowing out to sea is powerful. I could feel the calluses forming as if I frantically rowed along with them.

Although I read a modern translation, I still found the English to be awkward in places. Often I had to reread passages to understand them. I blame the formatting for most of my incomprehension. It would have been far easier to follow the story if quotations were not rendered within paragraphs by introductory em dashes. As a result I could not tell by sight alone when a quotation ended and the rest of the narrative resumed. I had to reread the paragraph to reset my mind when a character had finished speaking.

[Kathy Yu · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would like to start with an interesting quote by the wise “Judge’ in the book who says :”What one understands from a book is only what one approves of, and what one approves of is only what one in one way or another knows beforehand. Or what fits in with one’s own ideas. The rest is smoke.”

What could readers understand from this book and approve of really depends. Is it a story about a woman with insatiable desire from men to the point of shamelessness? Is it a story about god’s calling and refrain from sin? Is it a story of man’s or woman’s own pursuit of freedom and happiness? The author writes in an unbiased, mutually tolerating way so that readers could explore what the readers can approve of.

On the surface, Barbara is a liar and cheats on her husband or lover. She has her ways around men and always gets what she wants. Men desire her, some secretly, and some is hooked and get married to her such as Pastor Poul and in the end is cheated out again by a young artist from Copenhagen Andreas. Eventually when Barbara tries to make a leave for Copenhagen with Andreas, the powerful men society work together and send Andreas (with his consent) away without Barbara, as a way to crush Barbara’s dreams.

However I do not view this novel as a out cry for women’s repression in the background of early 20th century Faroe Island. On the contrary I think Barbara was given a lot of encouraging characteristics of early feminists in this Nordic region. Compared to the fate of Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy, Barbara was described to marry different clergymen for 3 times and goest away with a lover during her last marriage. The last husband and law enforcer (a jealous admirer) tried to bring them down with some shame and punishment but end up only destroying some of Andrea’s writing and the husband pastor went down to drink himself out of anger. A rather mocking result. The female friendships in the book also unconventionally demonstrate understanding and support of Barbara instead of rivalry, jealousy and mutual destruction.

Set in the early 20th century Nordic region, the novel of Barbara offers a refreshing view of feminism in the making. Barbara is symbol of free will , a woman who pursues men for her own desire and enjoyment, a woman who gains an all encompassing love from men because in a way she is like mother nature who is free of God’s will and social restrain. She brings a breath of fresh air, “ruled entirely by her heart”, and unguided by reason, something men would like to do but mostly could not.

Concluding with another wise quote from the “Judge”. “ "Here I am reasoning and studying the chart of the ocean called human life. And then you suddenly come along and put out to sea with all sails unfurled.”, I think this is the Barbara that fits my own idea- a Nordic Goddess that set out to sea wind or storm.

[Lea Kielsholm · Rating 2 out of 5]

Jeg ledte efter en færøsk roman, inden første rejse til Færøerne, og endte med at vælge denne bog, da den lovprises som noget af det bedste litteratur Færøerne har produceret......... det håber jeg virkelig ikke er sandt, for jeg synes den var umådeligt dårlig. Titlen burde være "En langtrukken historie om en flok mænd med gevaldigt madonna/luder-kompleks, som elsker at hade den kvinde de begærer".
Den hiver sig selv op på 2 stjerner, fordi den giver et fint billede af livet på Færøerne for et par hundrede år siden. Men ellers er det længe siden, at jeg så utålmodigt har ventet på at være færdig med en bog. Historien er så dårlig og kvindesynet så rædsomt, at jeg faktisk ikke orker at bruge mere energi på skrive om det.
Det sidste jeg vil sige er, at jeg håber det var i febervildelse forfatteren skrev bogen (det var angiveligt mens han var ved at dø af tuberkulose), og at det færøske kvindesyn har ændret sig de sidste 90 år.

[Michiel Smits · Rating 4 out of 5]

De vertaling is vaak slordig.
2 mooie zinnen:
* Hoofdstuk III (Geluk op krediet), p. 51 > ... en de gedachte kwam in hem op dat in een gesprek met vrouwen het onderwerp maar een voorwendsel was en dat het werkelijke genoegen er uit bestond elkaar aan te kunnen kijken ... blikken die elkaar ontmoetten, stemmen die samenvloeiden, zielen die elkaar toegenegen waren.
* Hoofdstuk XI (Doodtij), p. 189 > Wat je begrijpt van een boek is alleen dat waarmee je het eens bent en dat waarmee je het eens bent, is slechts wat je op de een of andere manier al van te voren wist. Of wat in je kraam te pas komt. De rest is rook.

[Per · Rating 4 out of 5]

Boka er om en kvinne som er i sine følelser vold, hun er flyktig, uforstandig og volder mange skade uten selv å se det og ville det. Hun er 28 år, enke etter to prester og gifter seg så med en tredje. Hun er ustadig og forelsker seg i en 23-åring som er færøying i slekt med øyas embetsmenn. Han studerer økonomi og skal etter oppdrag fra et departement i København lage en oversikt over situasjonen på øygruppa. I løpet av vinteren på Færøyene gjør han intet annet enn å fjase og ligge med Barbara. Til slutt tar en onkel av unggutten, Andreas, affære og får sendt ham tilbake til København til Barbaras store fortvilelse.

[Elisabeth Froholdt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute well-written story but I feel like it’s pretty obvious that Barbara as a character is written by a man. Her reckless nature is always presented in a bad light and there is way more focus on the men’s (mainly Pastor Poul and Andreas) feelings about Barbara rather than Barbara’s own emotional life. Nevertheless to me it was a great experience reading it while being on the Faroe Islands myself. It just made the story way more vivid to know what mykines look like and Poul’s despair feels more real when you have done the hike between Thorshavn and Kirkjubøur yourself.

[K's Bognoter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jørgen-Frantz Jacobsens klassiske, færøske kærlighedsdrama om den underskønne Barbara, der på én gang er skabt uden et gran af ondt i sig, men samtidig er prisgivet sine sanser og følelser, hvorfor hun er dømt til at volde sine omgivelser og i sidste ende sig selv stor smerte. Den er stadig værd at læse, selv om årene ikke er gået upåagtet hen over romanen.

Læs hele anmeldelsen på K’s bognoter: http://bognoter.dk/2018/06/27/joergen...

[Kristín · Rating 2 out of 5]

I almost never put away a book without finishing it which is why I finished this one even though I really didn't care for it. The main reason is probably that I just can't figure out what all these guys see in Barbara. I know guys can be stupid and fall for beautiful women even when they know they are bad news but all of them more or less???? What I liked about the book was that I got to know a bit more about the Faroe islands and how it was to live there in these days. But that's about it.

[Grete Larsen]

Emne: erotik ; kærlighed ; Færøerne ; Tórshavn ; 1700-1799

I 1700-tallets Thorshavn besnærer præsteenken Barbara mændene med sin erotiske udstråling og naive forelskelser. Der sladres, og med Færøernes vilde natur som baggrund indhentes hun af skæbnen

5. udgave, udgivet med efterskrift af William Heinesen, 3. oplag
Kbh., Gyldendal, 1997
265 sider
ISBN: 87-00-29826-3

Kilde: DBC

[Amanda Andersson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a book I enjoyed and hated at the same time. I love the characters, especially Barbara. The plot is good, and I was not able to figure it out until I read the last sentence of the book. Despite of this, it became quite boring several times, and really, the "only" good thing about the book is the characters.

[eliseazanotti · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sarebbero state tre stelle (posso tollerare solo fino ad un certo numero di preti irrilevanti descritti in modo troppo dettagliato nello stesso libro) ma quel finale è stato superbo. E il personaggio di Barbara è scritto fin troppo bene.

[Warwick Conway · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this historic depiction of the Faroe Islands. Reminiscent of Thomas Hardy and Halldor Laxness.

[SnezhArt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Этакий Томас Гарди на фоне фарерских островов.

[Elisabeth Hjartdal]

Gen-lyt til min eksamensopgave om romanen. Velskrevet og detaljeret ifm. Færøerne og havet.

[Mads Kamp · Rating 4 out of 5]

En urkraft, en huldre der ikke kan tæmmes.

[Miranda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, such incredible descriptions of Faroese nature and culture, along with a very memorable titular character.

[Huan Nielsen · Rating 1 out of 5]

Isoleret lokalt samfund
Godt indblik i datidens normer
Kristen miljø
Kønsroller
Hierarki, status og prestige
Barbara er en spændende repræsentant for kvinderollen

[Hambørger Sandwich · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mær dámdi bókina. búgvi tætt við Kálvalíð, so tað var nokkso stuttligt at hyggja út gjøgnum vindeyga og ímynda mær hvar Barbara og Poul gingu haha. Nú má eg hyggja eftur filminum! 🙈

[Monica (Tattered_tales) · Rating 3 out of 5]

A classic from the Faroe Islands. A tale about a woman who falls in love easily and with whom men fall head over heels in love. And so it happens that she's either loved or reviled by the total populace. Having a particular penchant for pastors, she finds herself as the wife and the unfortunate widow of pastors, not once but twice. This sparks rumours- is she a husband killer or just unlucky in love? Only time will tell!


Fortunately, or perhaps unfortunately, we are bestowed with the arrival of another pastor to the islands. Will they fall in love, and if they do will this pastor be the one to survive? Only time will tell!


The author Jørgen-Frantz Jacobsen was one of the few Faroese writers of his time period. Barbara, which was published posthumously, was his only published work. His great knowledge of Faroese history helped him in the writing of this book, which is set in the 1700's. It is said that he found inspiration for the character Barbara from his girlfriend Estrid Bannister. This book is one of the best known Faroese fiction till date and has been translated into many languages and has also been made into a movie that is available in Netflix (not in India though, I checked :/)

[Brian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Et vidunderligt færøsk kærlighedsdrama, hvor det rammer lidt ved siden af skiven når titelpersonen kaldes en femme fatale, for der er i litteraturens fatale kvinder som regel noget udspekuleret, og en form for sensuel magtudøvelse, mens Barbara egentlig bare, som de fleste af os, har et flyvsk hjerte, men, som de færreste samtidige, ikke har fået vingerne stækkede af kristen seksualmoral. På den led fremstår hun nærmest som en naturkraft, især i relief mod de vekslende præster og sorenskriveren, der med religion og rationalisme tiltrækkes og frastødes. Når Jørgen Frantz-Jacobsen ikke lader Barbaras historie ende lykkeligt, så skal det nok ikke ses som en morale så meget som en konstatering af livets manglende omsorg for vores velbefindende og lykke.

Det var en bog jeg elskede at læse og allerede glæder mig til at genlæse.

[Val · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are not many authors from the Faroe Islands, but they do include among their number at least one good one, Jørgen-Frantz Jacobsen. He sadly died of tuberculosis before he could write more, but he left us with some journalism, a study of the islands and this novel.
Barbara is a friendly, flirtatious, fascinating young woman with a preference for marrying pastors. When we meet her she is the widow of two, was betrothed to a third and she soon captivates a fourth. The locals are divided in their opinions of Barbara, is she a dangerous femme fatale or a spontaneous, sensual innocent? She is a compelling character, however indulgently or critically she is regarded. Free-spirited women rarely prosper in novels written or set in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, so it comes as no great surprise that Barbara experiences disgrace and trouble or that the reader's sympathy and that of some characters remain with her.
The book includes details of Faroese life at the time. It is a community dependent on poor farmland and richer fishing grounds at the mercy of the weather, especially in the days of sailing ships. Anything out of the ordinary becomes a major event in the people's otherwise monotonous lives. Life on the Faroes is very similar to life on those other windswept North Atlantic islands, the Shetlands, Orkneys and Hebrides, and very different to life in Denmark. Jacobsen may be making a nationalist point here.