Beatles (novel)
Encyclopedia
Beatles is a novel
written by the Norwegian
author Lars Saabye Christensen
. The book was first published in 1984. It takes its title from the English rock band The Beatles
, and all the chapters are named after Beatles songs or albums. The book tells the story of four Oslo
boys in the years from 1965 to 1972, recapitulating their adolescent years and early adulthood. The boys have a common interest - worship of the Beatles, and take on the names of the group members, John, Paul, George and Ringo. Each of them shares some characteristics with the chosen member.
area. He has recently escaped from the asylum of Gaustad
in Oslo. He rewrites his story from the spring of 1965 to the present day (winter 1972-1973).
Kim and his friends, Gunnar (John), Sebastian (George) and Ola (Ringo), played football together, collected Beatles records and stole attributes from cars. This last hobby was abandoned after an incident with an embassy car, and the entire collection was dumped in the fjord. Kim is known as a notorious liar, while Gunnar is the truth-seeker. Ola is the stuttering fat one, and Sebastian is a spiritualist. In time, Kim is the first to get a girlfriend, Nina, who is on and off over the years. The boys get involved in the Norwegian hippie
movement in the late sixties, experiment with drugs
, and Sebastian gets so hooked the others have to look for him in Paris
, where he lives the life of a junkie, but is saved by his friends (1968). Kim has a nervous breakdown and tells the end of his story from inside the asylum at the time of the Norwegian European Communities membership referendum, 1972. He escapes as the result is clear and retires to Nesodden for writing his story. The last we hear is from Nina, now pregnant with his child, before the book closes.
) in 1990, and Bisettelsen (The Funeral), in 2008.
in 1974, a year after the end of Beatles. He meets Sebastian, now an underground poet, and Vivi, a girl from Holmenkollen
. The story tells how Kim had his penis
injured during a blowjob in Florence, where he played the piano (or so he says). At the end of the book, Kim has published a collection of poems with the help of Seb.
Kim is found naked and dead at a hotel room in Sortland
, and his only relative is Nina, who took care of their daughter Eleanor (named after Eleanor Rigby
), who is deaf from birth. The others are told by her of the death of Kim; they have received short letters from Kim, allegedly from Rongbuk
. He claimed to have climbed Mount Everest
. The story also reveals, among other things, that Kim had a sister, Kaja, who died early, and never mentioned afterwards.
This book, like the first one, takes the chapter titles from Beatles' songs, but this book has chapters named solely from Magical Mystery Tour, a record totally absent from the original novel (except for "I Am the Walrus
"). The "mystery tour" is Kim's journey through the land of the dead, referencing both Peer Gynt
and Divina Commedia. Half of the novel is related by death
himself (or herself), the other is related by "the other one", presumably the author. There is also the voice of Kim, through parts of his own manuscript, parts of which never reached the finished edition of Beatles. One presumed his mother edited them out.
Further references to Peer Gynt is given, as Kim himself is a notorious liar and poet, like Peer. His "Solveig" is Nina, who dwells in his "hut", the flat he grew up in, and keeping a symbolical "silver button" (like the one Peer gave to Solveig): in fact the Mercedes
Logo
Kim snatched from a car at the very start of Beatles.
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
written by the Norwegian
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
author Lars Saabye Christensen
Lars Saabye Christensen
Lars Saabye Christensen, born 21 September 1953 in Oslo, is a Norwegian author.Saabye Christensen was raised in the Skillebekk neighbourhood of Oslo, but lived for many years in Sortland in northern Norway; both places play a major role in his work...
. The book was first published in 1984. It takes its title from the English rock band The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
, and all the chapters are named after Beatles songs or albums. The book tells the story of four Oslo
Oslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
boys in the years from 1965 to 1972, recapitulating their adolescent years and early adulthood. The boys have a common interest - worship of the Beatles, and take on the names of the group members, John, Paul, George and Ringo. Each of them shares some characteristics with the chosen member.
Plot
The main character and storyteller, Kim Karlsen (Paul), is writing the entire story in flashbacks from a sheltered and closed summer residence in the NesoddenNesodden
Nesodden is a municipality in Akershus county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Follo. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Nesoddtangen. The parish of Næsodden was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838...
area. He has recently escaped from the asylum of Gaustad
Gaustad
Gaustad is a neighborhood in Nordre Aker borough of Oslo, Norway. It is located between Vinderen and Kringsjå. At Gaustad are Rikshospitalet and Gaustad Hospital, as well as residential areas that border to Nordmarka....
in Oslo. He rewrites his story from the spring of 1965 to the present day (winter 1972-1973).
Kim and his friends, Gunnar (John), Sebastian (George) and Ola (Ringo), played football together, collected Beatles records and stole attributes from cars. This last hobby was abandoned after an incident with an embassy car, and the entire collection was dumped in the fjord. Kim is known as a notorious liar, while Gunnar is the truth-seeker. Ola is the stuttering fat one, and Sebastian is a spiritualist. In time, Kim is the first to get a girlfriend, Nina, who is on and off over the years. The boys get involved in the Norwegian hippie
Hippie
The hippie subculture was originally a youth movement that arose in the United States during the mid-1960s and spread to other countries around the world. The etymology of the term 'hippie' is from hipster, and was initially used to describe beatniks who had moved into San Francisco's...
movement in the late sixties, experiment with drugs
DRUGS
Destroy Rebuild Until God Shows are an American post-hardcore band formed in 2010. They released their debut self-titled album on February 22, 2011.- Formation :...
, and Sebastian gets so hooked the others have to look for him in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, where he lives the life of a junkie, but is saved by his friends (1968). Kim has a nervous breakdown and tells the end of his story from inside the asylum at the time of the Norwegian European Communities membership referendum, 1972. He escapes as the result is clear and retires to Nesodden for writing his story. The last we hear is from Nina, now pregnant with his child, before the book closes.
Sequels
Beatles had two sequels, Bly (LeadLead
Lead is a main-group element in the carbon group with the symbol Pb and atomic number 82. Lead is a soft, malleable poor metal. It is also counted as one of the heavy metals. Metallic lead has a bluish-white color after being freshly cut, but it soon tarnishes to a dull grayish color when exposed...
) in 1990, and Bisettelsen (The Funeral), in 2008.
Bly
The sequel Bly (1990), tells the story of Kim after he returns from FlorenceFlorence
Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
in 1974, a year after the end of Beatles. He meets Sebastian, now an underground poet, and Vivi, a girl from Holmenkollen
Holmenkollen
Holmenkollen is a neighborhood in the Vestre Aker borough of Oslo, Norway. In addition to being a residential area, the area has been a ski recreation area since the late 19th century, with its famous, eponymous, ski jump arena hosting competitions since 1892...
. The story tells how Kim had his penis
Penis
The penis is a biological feature of male animals including both vertebrates and invertebrates...
injured during a blowjob in Florence, where he played the piano (or so he says). At the end of the book, Kim has published a collection of poems with the help of Seb.
Bisettelsen
Bisettelsen (The Funeral, 2008), tells the story of how Kim dies in January 2001, 49 years old. Here, the fates of the characters are revealed. Gunnar was connected to the left-wing movement AKP-(ml) until the death of John Lennon in 1980. This incident changed the life of both Gunnar, Ola and Seb. Gunnar became an archaeologist, Seb a teacher, and Ola a hairdresser, like his father.Kim is found naked and dead at a hotel room in Sortland
Sortland
is a town and municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is part of the Vesterålen traditional region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Sortland. In 1997, the municipality decided to declare township for Sortland...
, and his only relative is Nina, who took care of their daughter Eleanor (named after Eleanor Rigby
Eleanor Rigby
"Eleanor Rigby" is a song by The Beatles, simultaneously released on the 1966 album Revolver and on a 45 rpm single. The song was written primarily by Paul McCartney and credited to Lennon–McCartney...
), who is deaf from birth. The others are told by her of the death of Kim; they have received short letters from Kim, allegedly from Rongbuk
Rongbuk Monastery
Rongbuk Monastery or Rongphu is a Tibetan Buddhist monastery of the Nyingma sect in Basum Township, Dingri County, Xigazê Prefecture of the Tibet Autonomous Region, China....
. He claimed to have climbed Mount Everest
Mount Everest
Mount Everest is the world's highest mountain, with a peak at above sea level. It is located in the Mahalangur section of the Himalayas. The international boundary runs across the precise summit point...
. The story also reveals, among other things, that Kim had a sister, Kaja, who died early, and never mentioned afterwards.
This book, like the first one, takes the chapter titles from Beatles' songs, but this book has chapters named solely from Magical Mystery Tour, a record totally absent from the original novel (except for "I Am the Walrus
I Am the Walrus
"I Am the Walrus" is a 1967 song by The Beatles, written by John Lennon and credited to Lennon–McCartney. Lennon claimed he wrote the first two lines on separate acid trips. The song was in the Beatles' 1967 television film and album Magical Mystery Tour, and was the B-side to the #1 hit "Hello,...
"). The "mystery tour" is Kim's journey through the land of the dead, referencing both Peer Gynt
Peer Gynt
Peer Gynt is a five-act play in verse by the Norwegian dramatist Henrik Ibsen, loosely based on the fairy tale Per Gynt. It is the most widely performed Norwegian play. According to Klaus Van Den Berg, the "cinematic script blends poetry with social satire and realistic scenes with surreal ones"...
and Divina Commedia. Half of the novel is related by death
Death
Death is the permanent termination of the biological functions that sustain a living organism. Phenomena which commonly bring about death include old age, predation, malnutrition, disease, and accidents or trauma resulting in terminal injury....
himself (or herself), the other is related by "the other one", presumably the author. There is also the voice of Kim, through parts of his own manuscript, parts of which never reached the finished edition of Beatles. One presumed his mother edited them out.
Further references to Peer Gynt is given, as Kim himself is a notorious liar and poet, like Peer. His "Solveig" is Nina, who dwells in his "hut", the flat he grew up in, and keeping a symbolical "silver button" (like the one Peer gave to Solveig): in fact the Mercedes
Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz is a German manufacturer of automobiles, buses, coaches, and trucks. Mercedes-Benz is a division of its parent company, Daimler AG...
Logo
Logo
A logo is a graphic mark or emblem commonly used by commercial enterprises, organizations and even individuals to aid and promote instant public recognition...
Kim snatched from a car at the very start of Beatles.