Self-Control - (S Trilogy) by Stig Sæterbakken (Paperback)

About the Book

"The second volume in Stig Sµterbakken's loosely connected "S Trilogy," Self-Control moves from the dark portrait of codependent marriage featured in the acclaimed Siamese to a world of solitary loneliness and repression. A middle-aged man, Andreas Feldt, feeling that he is unable to communicate with his adult daughter over the course of lunch, announces on an inexplicable whim that he is going to get a divorce. This impulsive lie does not only destroy Andreas' conversation with his daughter, but also puts doubt in his own mind about his own existence, shaped by routine and the people around him. Faced with this virtual invisibility-no matter what actions he takes, the world seems to take no notice-Andreas is cut adrift from the certainties of his life and forced to navigate through a society where it seems everyone is only one loss of self-control away from an explosion of dissatisfaction and rage. What follows is the awakening of a glaring suspicion of reality within our narrator's psyche, as if he has a blind spot somewhere in his memory. Is there something he has forgotten, something he does not want to, or is not capable of remembering?"-- Provided by publisher.

Book Synopsis

The second volume in Stig Sæterbakken's loosely connected "S Trilogy," Self-Control moves from the dark portrait of codependent marriage featured in the acclaimed Siamese to a world of solitary loneliness and repression.

A middle-aged man, Andreas Feldt, feeling that he is unable to communicate with his adult daughter over the course of lunch, announces on an inexplicable whim that he is going to get a divorce. This impulsive lie does not only destroy Andreas' conversation with his daughter, but also puts doubt in his own mind about his own existence, shaped by routine and the people around him. Faced with this virtual invisibility--no matter what actions he takes, the world seems to take no notice--Andreas is cut adrift from the certainties of his life and forced to navigate through a society where it seems everyone is only one loss of self-control away from an explosion of dissatisfaction and rage.

What follows is the awakening of a glaring suspicion of reality within our narrator's psyche, as if he has a blind spot somewhere in his memory. Is there something he has forgotten, something he does not want to, or is not capable of remembering?

Review Quotes

"In all that Sæterbakken did, there was a tremendous faith in literature and its power." --Karl Ove Knausgård

"One of the most interesting contemporary authors in Europe." --Eurozine

"Sæterbakken captures this sense of Andreas' clinging to [control], and slowly reveals how tenuous that hold is through Andreas' self-absorbed and reflective monologue. It's well done, and ultimately also affecting." --The Complete Review

About the Author

Stig Sæterbakken (1966-2012) became one of Norway's most critically acclaimed authors during his lifetime. His books have been compared to works by artists such as Beckett, Bernhard and Polanski. Sæterbakken's novels explore the inner life and morality of human beings. A darkness looms in his stories, yet they are written in brilliant language. Sæterbakken was also highly regarded for his essays and translations, the latter which includes three Slovak poets and Swedish writer Nikanor Teratologen. Sæterbakken had a powerful, often controversial, voice in literary debates and actively sought out taboos, both in the public eye and his own writing.

Seán Kinsella holds a Master in Philosophy in literary translation from Trinity College, Dublin. Kinsella has translated Norwegian crime novels by Stig Sæterbakken, Frode Grytten, Tore Renberg, and Bjarte Breiteig into English, as well as a selection of short stories by Kjell Askildsen, Everything Like Before (2020). He lives in Norway with his family.