The Other Name

Septology I-II

By: Jon Fosse, Damion Searls - translator

Narrated by: Kyle Snyder

The Other Name follows the lives of two men living close to each other on the west coast of Norway. The year is coming to a close and Asle, an aging painter and widower, is reminiscing about his life. He lives alone, his only friends being his neighbor, Åsleik, a bachelor and traditional Norwegian fisherman-farmer, and Beyer, a gallerist who lives in Bjørgvin, a couple hours drive south of Dylgja, where he lives. There, in Bjørgvin, lives another Asle, also a painter. He and the narrator are doppelgangers—two versions of the same person, two versions of the same life.

Written in hypnotic prose that shifts between the first and third person, The Other Name calls into question concrete notions around subjectivity and the self. What makes us who we are? And why do we lead one life and not another? Through flashbacks, Fosse deftly explores the convergences and divergences in the lives of both Asles, slowly building towards a decisive encounter between them both. A writer at the zenith of his career, with The Other Name, the first two volumes in his Septology, Fosse presents us with an indelible and poignant exploration of the human condition that will endure as his masterpiece.

©2019 Jon Fosse; Translation copyright 2019 by Damion Searls (P)2022 Tantor

unusual, deep

This is a very peculiar effort to express the longing and the search of light by a human soul.

It’s a weird book. …I think. I don’t even know what I like about it. …I think.

I just like it. …I think. Maybe I would enjoy it more if I was reading it physically. …I think.

Remarkable and New

Unlike anything else I have ever read. To some degree it reminds me of Joseph Conrad and Henry James in its quest to penetrate human psychology, but it’s something completely different something from the 21st-century. 

Wonderful!

This is a stunning story and production. I am blown away by the craftsmanship on so many levels. Bravo to author and narrator!

Excellent

The substance of the book is moving and beautiful. The narration is assured and comfortable to listen to. I am excited to read the subsequent entries in this series.