Tenebrous prose …

… Septology: A Review - Ad Fontes. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)

Translation, when present, is always an issue for the reader. The task of Fosse’s translator, Damion Searls, was easy in one sense, but dauntingly difficult in another, I would imagine. As a Norwegian translator myself, I was interested to examine the original text. In terms of sheer faithfulness, I have to say this is probably as accurate a translation as you’ll ever encounter. The book’s vocabulary, as already mentioned, is limited, and the same phrases repeat again and again. Literary effects are produced, not through subtle phrasing and word selection, but through multiple iterations.