A review by kingofspain93
Niels Lyhne by Jens Peter Jacobsen

4.5

This stands in direct contrast with the abominable Stoner and its ilk, which are all about men who are motivated by weakness and a fixation on their own purity. Niels Lyhne is instead about a man who grapples with competing impulses as he comes to realize the irreducible claim he is going to make about himself. In that way, Jacobsen writes a humanist, atheist novel that is descriptive of the kind of internal life I give a shit about. Niels is strong and dedicated at the same time that he is splintered, and I think he is not a spineless nightmare like so many male protagonists. The women are well and attentively written, despite a few missteps. And the relationship of the novel to any Euro christianized society is meaningful, so that its insights and longings maintain across time and space. There are times when the poetics are too much or the grief is too predictable, but overall this is a beautifully written novel that uses poetry as one waystation on the lonely and loving road of godlessness.