Against Art : (The Notebooks)

In contemporary Norwegian fiction Tomas Espedal's work stands out as uniquely personal; it can be difficult to separate the fiction from Espedal's own experiences.

In that vein, his novel Against Art is not just the story of a boy growing up to be a writer, but it is also the story of writing.

Specifically, it is about the profession of writing-the routines, responsibility, and obstacles.

Yet, Against Art is also about being a father, a son, and a grandson; about a family and a family's tales, and about how preceding generations mark their successors.

It is at once about choices and changes, about motion and rest, about moving to a new place, and about living. Praise for the Norwegian Edition"One of the most beautiful, most important books I've read for years."-Klassekampen "Espedal has written an amazingly rich novel, which will assuredly stand out as one of the year's best and will also further fortify the quality of Norwegian literature abroad."- Adresseavisen "Against Art attacks literature while at the same time being intensely literary.

Our greatest sorrows and torments, the individual experiences often so anemic in art, find a voice of their own."-Morgenbladet "Against Art moves me with its maternal history and proves yet again that Tomas Espedal writes great novels."-Dag og Tid