Peter Owen modern classics
2 total works
Two 11-year old girls, Unn and Siss, meet. Unn is about to reveal a secret, one that leads to her death in a formation of ice caused by a large waterfall. Siss's struggle with her fidelity to the memory of a friend, the strange frozen world of the waterfall, and the description of Unn's fatal exploration of the ice palace are described in prose of a lyrical economy that ranks among the memorable achievements of modern literature.
SPRING NIGHT relates the events that overtake a girl and her young brother when they are left unaccompanied for the night on their parents' farm. They have to cope alone when a group of strangers call at the house after their car breaks down. The strangers are an ill-assorted family who inflict their personal problems and neurosis on the two young siblings. On a deeper level, this extraordinary novel from 1954 is an account and remembrance of how it really feels to be young; self-growth, self-knowledge and love are explored as the children experience the abrupt change from childish dreams and security to adult responsibility and happiness. Vesaas develops these themes with real empathy and insight.