Sickle by Ruth Lillegraven translated by May-Brit Akerholt

I received three days ago Sickle by Ruth Lillegraven translated

by May-Brit Akerholt published by Seagull Books. It is simply enchanting. Wonderful!

It is, this one, the story in poetry, of a Norvewgian family's farmers in the 1880s and of their children, in particular Endre; the only one who would have remained in the farm, the only one who would have followed the same destiny of his ancestors, of his father.

"That's how it is

that's how it goes

This is our fate

This is our fortune

and you are

only a small leaf

on the larger tree"

The meeting with Abelone, a girl different from him and his education devoted to heavy work and farm life meant to him an abrupt passion and the desire of building an existence with her.

Marital problem will born when Endre will fall sick. The arrival of a book from one of his distant brothers emigrated in the USA means to him the discovery of a new language and particularly new worlds. History, nature, astronomy. Endre, sick, didn't want to speak anymore in his language, norwegian, but just in this new one, english. His wife won't be tolerant.

In this sense I see a metaphor, because sometimes couples are like "interrupted" and what they do is just to going on, although the man and the woman with the time became to speak unrecognizable "languages" for the other one, growing up differently, becoming someone else. It will be only when one of them will start to speak the same language of the other one that the couple will return to be united. It's a book this one about the circularity of life, the seasons of life, with new arrivals and departures, seasons and farmer's work; sacrifices, animals, a different destiny for Endre as you will read and much more.

A book speaking of broken traditions and discoveries, intellectual ones. Incredibly delicate and intense, touching, profound, this book of poems narrating the story of Abelone and Endre will enter in your heart for staying there forever.

I loved these phrases: "All is different and all is the same"

...

"For all that happens has happened before,

and all that happens will happen again"

I warmly suggest it to everyone.

I thank Seagull Press for the physical copy of this book.

Anna Maria Polidori