Telegram Books: The Old Man and His Sons

Heðin Brú

Translated by John F. West

These are the Faroe Islands as they were some fifty years ago: sea–washed and remote, with one generation still tied to the sea for sustenance, and a younger generation turning towards commerce and clerical work in the towns.

At the post–hunt whale–meat auction, the normally cautious Ketil enthusiastically bids for more meat than he can afford.

Thus in his seventieth year, Ketil and his wife, along with their youngest son, struggle to repay their debt. They scavenge for driftwood and stranded seals, and knit up a storm of jumpers to sell in town.

A touching novel that deftly captures a vanishing way of life.

Posted by Nancy on September 10, 2008 12:34 PM to Telegram Books