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Autumn (2015)

by Karl Ove Knausgård

Other authors: See the other authors section.

Series: Seasons Quartet (1)

MembersReviewsPopularityAverage ratingMentions
4471455,309 (3.32)44
Literary Criticism. Nonfiction. HTML:

From the author of the monumental My Struggle series, Karl Ove Knausgaard, one of the masters of contemporary literature and a genius of observation and introspection, comes the first in a new autobiographical quartet based on the four seasons 28 August. Now, as I write this, you know nothing about anything, about what awaits you, the kind of world you will be born into. And I know nothing about you. I want to show you our world as it is now: the door, the floor, the water tap and the sink, the garden chair close to the wall beneath the kitchen window, the sun, the water, the trees. You will come to see it in your own way, you will experience things for yourself and live a life of your own, so of course it is primarily for my own sake that I am doing this: showing you the world, little one, makes my life worth living. Autumn begins with a letter Karl Ove Knausgaard writes to his unborn daughter, showing her what to expect of the world. He writes one short piece per day, describing the material and natural world with the precision and mesmerizing intensity that have become his trademark. He describes with acute sensitivity daily life with his wife and children in rural Sweden, drawing upon memories of his own childhood to give an inimitably tender perspective on the precious and unique bond between parent and child. The sun, wasps, jellyfish, eyes, lice-the stuff of everyday life is the fodder for his art. Nothing is too small or too vast to escape his attention. This beautifully illustrated book is a personal encyclopaedia on everything from chewing gum to the stars. Through close observation of the objects and phenomena around him, Knausgaard shows us how vast, unknowable and wondrous the world is.

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» See also 44 mentions

English (10)  Dutch (2)  German (1)  Norwegian (1)  All languages (14)
Showing 1-5 of 10 (next | show all)
I really enjoyed this book, featuring three letters to by the author to his then-unborn daughter as well as short essays on everyday things, including bathroom functions. ( )
  Jimbookbuff1963 | Jun 5, 2021 |
This is the first of a four volume tetralogy, divided by season. Within each volume, chapters are designated by month. The author opens each chapter with a letter to his unborn child. Each chapter contains brief essays/observations written one per day. The topics range from vomit to thermos flasks, from beekeeping to buttons, from jellyfish to Van Gogh. They vary from poignant to thought-provoking to somewhat inane. I am left with a sense of contentment at having spent time pondering many topics. This would be a great book to keep in a guestroom, as it can be picked up and put down easily, and one can peruse it or dive in deeply. Looking forward to the next three seasons! ( )
1 vote hemlokgang | Apr 19, 2021 |
This is a collection of essays, which is my favorite type of reading .... so of course I liked it. The essays are uneven in content, which is common in any collection but this Norwegian author writes beautifully about his family. There are a few subjects I could have done without like head lice, for example. This is the first of a four volume set that has translated to English, so I am looking to reading the rest of the collection, as well as prize winning first novel Out of the World. ( )
  kerryp | Dec 7, 2020 |
well, i LOVED it, I hope his daughter enjoys his essay on labia as much as I did ( )
  uncleflannery | May 16, 2020 |
I know he’s polarizing. But I find this kind of writing so relaxing. He’s calm. He’s always calm in the way memory is calm: we know what’s going to happen will be fine, and we will deal with it, or we won’t, but it will pass, and the world will go on. I read most of this in the middle of the night while unable to sleep. It lived on my bedside table for a long time, where I’d read a piece or two then fall to sleep. ( )
  jtth | May 4, 2020 |
Showing 1-5 of 10 (next | show all)
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» Add other authors (27 possible)

Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
Knausgård, Karl Oveprimary authorall editionsconfirmed
Baird, VanessaIllustratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Burkey, IngvildTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed

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Literary Criticism. Nonfiction. HTML:

From the author of the monumental My Struggle series, Karl Ove Knausgaard, one of the masters of contemporary literature and a genius of observation and introspection, comes the first in a new autobiographical quartet based on the four seasons 28 August. Now, as I write this, you know nothing about anything, about what awaits you, the kind of world you will be born into. And I know nothing about you. I want to show you our world as it is now: the door, the floor, the water tap and the sink, the garden chair close to the wall beneath the kitchen window, the sun, the water, the trees. You will come to see it in your own way, you will experience things for yourself and live a life of your own, so of course it is primarily for my own sake that I am doing this: showing you the world, little one, makes my life worth living. Autumn begins with a letter Karl Ove Knausgaard writes to his unborn daughter, showing her what to expect of the world. He writes one short piece per day, describing the material and natural world with the precision and mesmerizing intensity that have become his trademark. He describes with acute sensitivity daily life with his wife and children in rural Sweden, drawing upon memories of his own childhood to give an inimitably tender perspective on the precious and unique bond between parent and child. The sun, wasps, jellyfish, eyes, lice-the stuff of everyday life is the fodder for his art. Nothing is too small or too vast to escape his attention. This beautifully illustrated book is a personal encyclopaedia on everything from chewing gum to the stars. Through close observation of the objects and phenomena around him, Knausgaard shows us how vast, unknowable and wondrous the world is.

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