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kim_kjeldsen47's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
5.0
silashoeyer's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
informative
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
jaimeconcha's review against another edition
1.0
An intensely lyrical novel light on plot with a major flaw: a poor English translation. I can understand the difficulties of transposing what seems to be a difficult novel to another language. I was willing to cut it a bit of slack and went with it until the end. But I felt the translation did not work. The translator's note at the end says how big of a challenge it was -- the translator had to adapt the author's brief and curt style and use of outdated language. Parts of the novel were in German, Latin, "proper" Danish and Danish dialect. The task was indeed monumental. The end result, however, was a barrage of clunky sentences and a lack of a flow to the prose.
Despite the one star rating, I think there is something interesting about this book -- it is strange and episodic, often misanthropic and bleak, elements which I enjoy. I could even promote the book to two stars, if I was feeling generous. I would be interested in reading a newer, fresher translation to have a better feel of why this is regarded as one of the most important books of Danish literature. In the end, I couldn't help contrasting this to Halldor Laxness' [b:Independent People|77287|Independent People|Halldór Laxness|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1282892439l/77287._SY75_.jpg|1391302], a similarly strange and lyrical book that I thought had a wonderful translation.
Despite the one star rating, I think there is something interesting about this book -- it is strange and episodic, often misanthropic and bleak, elements which I enjoy. I could even promote the book to two stars, if I was feeling generous. I would be interested in reading a newer, fresher translation to have a better feel of why this is regarded as one of the most important books of Danish literature. In the end, I couldn't help contrasting this to Halldor Laxness' [b:Independent People|77287|Independent People|Halldór Laxness|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1282892439l/77287._SY75_.jpg|1391302], a similarly strange and lyrical book that I thought had a wonderful translation.
kjlarsen's review against another edition
3.0
Både helt fantastisk og samtidig meget langsom sine steder. Jeg synes de gotiske indslag og drømmesyn kunne noget, men der var mange passager som var spildt på mig, men alt i alt var den udmærket.
janlc's review against another edition
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
"Kongens Fald" er tung med sit gammeldags sprog og langsomme tempo.
Alligevel følte jeg ikke at den var svær at læse. Ja, der var absolut en pæn håndfuld ord, som jeg ikke forstod (udover dem jeg slog op), men stemningen. Stemningen! Den var der aldrig tvivl om, og så er de enkelte ord knapt så vigtige.
Hvad handler bogen om? Om Mikkel Tøgersens rejse gennem livet? Christiern IIs opstigning til magt og efterfølgende fald? Om menneskers flersidighed?
Nok lidt det hele. Der er ingen af hovedpersonerne i denne bog, der kommer gennem historien uden skrammer. De begår alle handlinger, der på større eller mindre vis er skamfulde.
Og det formoder jeg er pointen med bogen: Store som små er vi uperfekte. Kan vi undgå at såre som Mikkel m.fl. i denne bog, er vi godt på vej som mennesker, men fejl undgår vi ikke.
Alligevel følte jeg ikke at den var svær at læse. Ja, der var absolut en pæn håndfuld ord, som jeg ikke forstod (udover dem jeg slog op), men stemningen. Stemningen! Den var der aldrig tvivl om, og så er de enkelte ord knapt så vigtige.
Hvad handler bogen om? Om Mikkel Tøgersens rejse gennem livet? Christiern IIs opstigning til magt og efterfølgende fald? Om menneskers flersidighed?
Nok lidt det hele. Der er ingen af hovedpersonerne i denne bog, der kommer gennem historien uden skrammer. De begår alle handlinger, der på større eller mindre vis er skamfulde.
Og det formoder jeg er pointen med bogen: Store som små er vi uperfekte. Kan vi undgå at såre som Mikkel m.fl. i denne bog, er vi godt på vej som mennesker, men fejl undgår vi ikke.
bartkl's review against another edition
3.0
After having read Thomas Mann's "The Magic Mountain", I yearned for more of such literary depth. It got me exploring European 19th and 20th century literature, and the Bildungsroman in particular. One of my discoveries was this book, "The Fall of the King".
Please note that I've read the Dutch translation by Gerard Cruys, to whatever extent this might influence my review.
Quite soon after I started reading this novel, I found myself liking its neutral tone, like it is found in some of the great Russian novels. There's also some poetic parts in there, which I found surprisingly pleasing. I don't care for poetry in the slightest, neither do I enjoy lengthy descriptions of what people are dressed like or setting looks like. It might be that I lack the imaginative skill, or simply the interest for it. Either way, these more poetic, descriptive parts weren't overly abundant and really did add color and imagination to my reading experience.
I'd like to say a thing or two about the pacing in this book. Page by page, time passes by really slowly. I like that, since it emphasizes an immersive experience instead of being pre-dominantly focused on flashy dialogues, twists and excitement. It allows for the plain, natural style of writing to flourish, and helps the reader experience something realistic and normal through someone else's experience in another time. This is a delightful contrast to many popular books (or films and series for that matter) which are always seeking to be original, extraordinary, and heroic. Personally, I dislike the baggage that often comes with those ambitions.
So that's the pacing considered page by page. When you zoom out at the chapter level though, the pacing is really quite high. Also, the book is quite thin and most chapters only span less than 10 pages, so you find yourself zooming in and out a lot. Initially, I didn't like this, but looking back I can see how this enabled to book to cover much of the historic events it wishes to let us live through, not to forget through the eyes of Mikkel Thøgersen, whose entire life (pretty much) we get to see this way.
Still, the book might have fared better with more pages, but it's impossible to judge how that would have played out.
An interesting aspect of this book is that large parts of it are real parts of Nordic history. I'm no history buff and don't typically care much for it, but living in different times through the characters in the book was an interesting experience for me. I find history truly comes to life this way, and I even learned a thing or two.
The deepest and most interesting part of the book. however, is about people. Most notably Mikkel, but also "people".
Let me say a few things about Mikkel.
It is clear that Mikkel suffers, and does so his entire life. It is less clear why this is so, and his silent and introverted character does not clarify this much further. When, ocassionally, he's drunk, his inner misery reveals itself somewhat more, but it remains mysterious. The reader sees him grow up as an envious, lonely man, who certainly doesn't refrain from doing horrible things from time to time. He flirts with Satan, and death, and lives a life of nihilism and destruction. You cannot help but feel pity with him though, maybe because there's the sensation of a good heart in him. I cannot justify the feeling, but it struck me.
Having read the epilogue by , it became clearer to me how king Christian II's life is quite parallel to that of Mikkel. And it is both of their characters Jensen had in mind when he intended to criticize the Danish mindset with this book. Their lack of character, being indecisive, weak-spirited, is apparently what he believed to be a Danish problem that has caused major losses in several wars.
I would also like to briefly mention Carolus, the homunculus. It strikes me as typically Nordic to have a touch of surrealism in a work of art. Ingmar Bergman has the habit to do this in his films, as does Carl Theodor Dreyer. I'm sure there's more examples that I know of. Anyways.
I tend to have issues with surrealism, unless the entire work is surrealistic. Yet, I found myself really intrigued by Carolus. It reminded me in particular of the character of Ismael.
There is, however, a downside to Carolus' role in the book, which is part of a broader point I'd wish to make.
And that is the fact that the book seems full of, firstly, very coincidental relationships and events, and, secondly, some events that seem random or meaningless in the context of the story.
I mean, why was Carolus there? What meaning did he serve in this story? Also, why does Mikkel get to make pregnant the woman who Otte Iverson loves, and Otte Iverson the one who Mikkel is fond of? Why do both of them get children from this accident?
There's more examples like this, and I can't help but be bothered with it. It feels theatrically symmetrical, unrealistically staged and therefore ruining some of the experience for me. It is probably the biggest downpoint to the book for me, its thinness coming in second.
It takes some time and effort to get into a book like this, which, again, makes you wish for more in return in terms of length and depth. Yet, it does a great job of treating an interesting historical story with the necessary amount of poetry and drama to make it interesting in a profound way. I particularly love how, aside from unnecessary, "staged"-feeling coincidences, it tells a neutral, realistic story.
If you like dry realistic drama, especially in the subgenre of an historical piece, with the occasional touch of poetry, this might be a book for you. I certainly enjoyed reading it.
Please note that I've read the Dutch translation by Gerard Cruys, to whatever extent this might influence my review.
Quite soon after I started reading this novel, I found myself liking its neutral tone, like it is found in some of the great Russian novels. There's also some poetic parts in there, which I found surprisingly pleasing. I don't care for poetry in the slightest, neither do I enjoy lengthy descriptions of what people are dressed like or setting looks like. It might be that I lack the imaginative skill, or simply the interest for it. Either way, these more poetic, descriptive parts weren't overly abundant and really did add color and imagination to my reading experience.
I'd like to say a thing or two about the pacing in this book. Page by page, time passes by really slowly. I like that, since it emphasizes an immersive experience instead of being pre-dominantly focused on flashy dialogues, twists and excitement. It allows for the plain, natural style of writing to flourish, and helps the reader experience something realistic and normal through someone else's experience in another time. This is a delightful contrast to many popular books (or films and series for that matter) which are always seeking to be original, extraordinary, and heroic. Personally, I dislike the baggage that often comes with those ambitions.
So that's the pacing considered page by page. When you zoom out at the chapter level though, the pacing is really quite high. Also, the book is quite thin and most chapters only span less than 10 pages, so you find yourself zooming in and out a lot. Initially, I didn't like this, but looking back I can see how this enabled to book to cover much of the historic events it wishes to let us live through, not to forget through the eyes of Mikkel Thøgersen, whose entire life (pretty much) we get to see this way.
Still, the book might have fared better with more pages, but it's impossible to judge how that would have played out.
An interesting aspect of this book is that large parts of it are real parts of Nordic history. I'm no history buff and don't typically care much for it, but living in different times through the characters in the book was an interesting experience for me. I find history truly comes to life this way, and I even learned a thing or two.
The deepest and most interesting part of the book. however, is about people. Most notably Mikkel, but also "people".
Let me say a few things about Mikkel.
Spoiler
It is clear that Mikkel suffers, and does so his entire life. It is less clear why this is so, and his silent and introverted character does not clarify this much further. When, ocassionally, he's drunk, his inner misery reveals itself somewhat more, but it remains mysterious. The reader sees him grow up as an envious, lonely man, who certainly doesn't refrain from doing horrible things from time to time. He flirts with Satan, and death, and lives a life of nihilism and destruction. You cannot help but feel pity with him though, maybe because there's the sensation of a good heart in him. I cannot justify the feeling, but it struck me.
Having read the epilogue by , it became clearer to me how king Christian II's life is quite parallel to that of Mikkel. And it is both of their characters Jensen had in mind when he intended to criticize the Danish mindset with this book. Their lack of character, being indecisive, weak-spirited, is apparently what he believed to be a Danish problem that has caused major losses in several wars.
I would also like to briefly mention Carolus, the homunculus. It strikes me as typically Nordic to have a touch of surrealism in a work of art. Ingmar Bergman has the habit to do this in his films, as does Carl Theodor Dreyer. I'm sure there's more examples that I know of. Anyways.
I tend to have issues with surrealism, unless the entire work is surrealistic. Yet, I found myself really intrigued by Carolus. It reminded me in particular of the character of Ismael.
There is, however, a downside to Carolus' role in the book, which is part of a broader point I'd wish to make.
And that is the fact that the book seems full of, firstly, very coincidental relationships and events, and, secondly, some events that seem random or meaningless in the context of the story.
Spoiler
I mean, why was Carolus there? What meaning did he serve in this story? Also, why does Mikkel get to make pregnant the woman who Otte Iverson loves, and Otte Iverson the one who Mikkel is fond of? Why do both of them get children from this accident?
There's more examples like this, and I can't help but be bothered with it. It feels theatrically symmetrical, unrealistically staged and therefore ruining some of the experience for me. It is probably the biggest downpoint to the book for me, its thinness coming in second.
It takes some time and effort to get into a book like this, which, again, makes you wish for more in return in terms of length and depth. Yet, it does a great job of treating an interesting historical story with the necessary amount of poetry and drama to make it interesting in a profound way. I particularly love how, aside from unnecessary, "staged"-feeling coincidences, it tells a neutral, realistic story.
If you like dry realistic drama, especially in the subgenre of an historical piece, with the occasional touch of poetry, this might be a book for you. I certainly enjoyed reading it.
mollusc's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
julieeilen's review against another edition
2.0
I gave this book two stars solely because I personally didn't like it. I was not at any point moved by the story, I was more often bored than not. It's a well-written book in many ways, but I didn't like it. I only finished reading it because I had to for my course.
ninarg's review against another edition
3.0
Mit mål for i år er at læse nogle af de danske klassikere, som jeg indtil videre aldrig har åbnet. Nu har jeg læst så mange engelske, amerikanske, franske og russiske klassikere, at tiden er kommet til at vende tilbage til mit eget lands klassikere.
Først på listen er Kongens Fald, muligvis den største af alle danske romaner. Det er svært at sige noget nyt og genialt om den, men her er mine tanker:
Det er sjovt at læse en bog, der handler om så meget og alligevel om så lidt. Vi er i en travl tid i dansk historie: Der er krige mod Sverige, det Stockholmske Blodbad, bondeoprøret, Kongens fængsling i Sønderborg Slot, og vi stopper lige før Reformationen. Alligevel er handlingen meget passiv, og det er egentlig ikke disse begivenheder, der er i fokus.
Vi følger smedesønnen Mikkel Thøgersen fra hans tid som student i København til hans tid i hæren og som Kongens fortrolige. Men Mikkel er et svin. Han har konstant ondt af sig selv, han tror at hele verden aktivt er imod ham, selvom det ikke er tilfældet. Derudover er han voldtægtsmand og morder. Jeg synes, han var dybt forkastelig.
Der er et stort persongalleri, men få personer man egentlig følger. En af dem er Axel, glad, sorgløs, impulsiv og mildt sagt kvindeglad. Han bragte liv og farve til romanen, ligesom jeg godt kunne lide spillemanden Jakob, der tog sig af lille Ide. Men det er ikke en roman, man skal læse for karakterernes skyld. Heller ikke for handlingens skyld, egentlig, og så er det jo svært at se, hvad der så er tilbage. Men alligevel glider historien og handlingen over 230 sider. En sjov blanding af Danmarkshistorie, skæve personer, manglende plot, realisme og surrealisme (som når de døde stiger op fra graven, f.eks.) Efter sigende skulle romanen karakterisere den danske folkesjæl, hvilket jeg synes er noget depri. Er vi virkelig så voldelige, pessimistiske, tvivlende og stædige?
Sproget er et kapitel for sig. Det er smukt og poetisk, og især beskrivelserne af Danmarks natur var en fryd at læse. De passager emmer af kærlighed til et land, kærlighed til skove, fjorde, strande, agre, fugle og hav. Men jeg må også indrømme, at jeg sjældent har slået så mange ord op i en dansk roman. Det gamle sprog var svært at læse til tider, men jeg kunne godt lide udfordringen. Det var en lærerig oplevelse, som sprognørden her nød.
Det havde dog været rart, om dialog havde været markeret med tankestreger eller lignende. Jeg er sikker på, at det er et bevidst, kunstnerisk valg, og man vænnede sig trods alt hurtigt til det, men jeg bliver aldrig fan af det.
Samlet konklusion: Jeg er glad for at jeg har læst den. Den var både sværere og nemmere, end jeg havde regnet med. Sproget er et kæmpe plus, Mikkel Thøgersen et svin. Den føles som en kærlighedserklæring og en sørgelig beskrivelse af Danmark. Jeg kunne godt lide den, men det er mere med hovedet end med hjertet, må jeg indrømme. Måske fordi der er så mange lag i den, som jeg ikke er nået ned til i første gennemlæsning.
Jeg er ikke sikker på, hvor mange stjerner jeg skal give den. Den burde lidt have sin egen skala. Så den får 3 stjerner, selvom den måske fortjener mere. Men mange bøger, som jeg holder virkelig meget af, har jeg givet 4 stjerner, og jeg kan ikke sige, at jeg holder af Kongens Fald på samme måde. Jeg beundrer den, jeg kan sagtens se, at den er et mesterværk, men jeg har ikke lyst til at kramme den. Derfor får den "kun" 3 stjerner.
Undskyld, Johannes.
P.S. Elsker Jakobs sidste to vers:
Fowal min Fjol og min Bow!
No wil a hen og sow.
Hvis jen no wil byt' sin Bedrøwels,
Saa kan han fo min Fornøwels.
Fowal og Tak, betti I!
A ga Jer, hvad a ku gi.
Og tøt I et om Musiken,
Da war'et Skaad - for no gik'en.
Først på listen er Kongens Fald, muligvis den største af alle danske romaner. Det er svært at sige noget nyt og genialt om den, men her er mine tanker:
Det er sjovt at læse en bog, der handler om så meget og alligevel om så lidt. Vi er i en travl tid i dansk historie: Der er krige mod Sverige, det Stockholmske Blodbad, bondeoprøret, Kongens fængsling i Sønderborg Slot, og vi stopper lige før Reformationen. Alligevel er handlingen meget passiv, og det er egentlig ikke disse begivenheder, der er i fokus.
Vi følger smedesønnen Mikkel Thøgersen fra hans tid som student i København til hans tid i hæren og som Kongens fortrolige. Men Mikkel er et svin. Han har konstant ondt af sig selv, han tror at hele verden aktivt er imod ham, selvom det ikke er tilfældet. Derudover er han voldtægtsmand og morder. Jeg synes, han var dybt forkastelig.
Der er et stort persongalleri, men få personer man egentlig følger. En af dem er Axel, glad, sorgløs, impulsiv og mildt sagt kvindeglad. Han bragte liv og farve til romanen, ligesom jeg godt kunne lide spillemanden Jakob, der tog sig af lille Ide. Men det er ikke en roman, man skal læse for karakterernes skyld. Heller ikke for handlingens skyld, egentlig, og så er det jo svært at se, hvad der så er tilbage. Men alligevel glider historien og handlingen over 230 sider. En sjov blanding af Danmarkshistorie, skæve personer, manglende plot, realisme og surrealisme (som når de døde stiger op fra graven, f.eks.) Efter sigende skulle romanen karakterisere den danske folkesjæl, hvilket jeg synes er noget depri. Er vi virkelig så voldelige, pessimistiske, tvivlende og stædige?
Sproget er et kapitel for sig. Det er smukt og poetisk, og især beskrivelserne af Danmarks natur var en fryd at læse. De passager emmer af kærlighed til et land, kærlighed til skove, fjorde, strande, agre, fugle og hav. Men jeg må også indrømme, at jeg sjældent har slået så mange ord op i en dansk roman. Det gamle sprog var svært at læse til tider, men jeg kunne godt lide udfordringen. Det var en lærerig oplevelse, som sprognørden her nød.
Det havde dog været rart, om dialog havde været markeret med tankestreger eller lignende. Jeg er sikker på, at det er et bevidst, kunstnerisk valg, og man vænnede sig trods alt hurtigt til det, men jeg bliver aldrig fan af det.
Samlet konklusion: Jeg er glad for at jeg har læst den. Den var både sværere og nemmere, end jeg havde regnet med. Sproget er et kæmpe plus, Mikkel Thøgersen et svin. Den føles som en kærlighedserklæring og en sørgelig beskrivelse af Danmark. Jeg kunne godt lide den, men det er mere med hovedet end med hjertet, må jeg indrømme. Måske fordi der er så mange lag i den, som jeg ikke er nået ned til i første gennemlæsning.
Jeg er ikke sikker på, hvor mange stjerner jeg skal give den. Den burde lidt have sin egen skala. Så den får 3 stjerner, selvom den måske fortjener mere. Men mange bøger, som jeg holder virkelig meget af, har jeg givet 4 stjerner, og jeg kan ikke sige, at jeg holder af Kongens Fald på samme måde. Jeg beundrer den, jeg kan sagtens se, at den er et mesterværk, men jeg har ikke lyst til at kramme den. Derfor får den "kun" 3 stjerner.
Undskyld, Johannes.
P.S. Elsker Jakobs sidste to vers:
Fowal min Fjol og min Bow!
No wil a hen og sow.
Hvis jen no wil byt' sin Bedrøwels,
Saa kan han fo min Fornøwels.
Fowal og Tak, betti I!
A ga Jer, hvad a ku gi.
Og tøt I et om Musiken,
Da war'et Skaad - for no gik'en.
spyralnode's review against another edition
2.0
I'm starting to believe that classic Danish literature just isn't for me. I haven't had the best of luck with 'Ved Vejen' either!
The book aims to shed light on a part of Danish history through the eyes of a random person, whose life we follow. I feel like the first struggle of this book is its identity - is it meant to be historical, plot-drive, character-driven? Where are you going with this? It seems to dip into so many styles at once, without managing to find its own voice.
Speaking of confusion, I also found that there were just too many characters. I can understand how they were related to each other, I could follow what they were doing, but I just did not find them necessary. Also, it seemed like they were all alike and with identical motivations, which is a component that truthfully did not age well. Horny men, overly eager women measuring their success in families, it's just not my type of thing and I have difficulty finding it interesting as a story.
Overall - more readable than 'Ved Vejen', but still uninteresting to me.
The book aims to shed light on a part of Danish history through the eyes of a random person, whose life we follow. I feel like the first struggle of this book is its identity - is it meant to be historical, plot-drive, character-driven? Where are you going with this? It seems to dip into so many styles at once, without managing to find its own voice.
Speaking of confusion, I also found that there were just too many characters. I can understand how they were related to each other, I could follow what they were doing, but I just did not find them necessary. Also, it seemed like they were all alike and with identical motivations, which is a component that truthfully did not age well. Horny men, overly eager women measuring their success in families, it's just not my type of thing and I have difficulty finding it interesting as a story.
Overall - more readable than 'Ved Vejen', but still uninteresting to me.