The Abyss or Life Is Simple
Reading Knausgaard Writing Religion
Published on 7. October 2022
Book
Hardback
184 pages
978-0-226-82132-0 (ISBN)
Description
An absorbing collection of essays on religious textures in Knausgaard's writings and our time.
Min kamp, or My Struggle, is a six-volume novel by Karl Ove Knausgaard and one of the most significant literary works of the young twenty-first century. Published in Norwegian between 2009 and 2011, the novel presents an absorbing first-person narrative of the life of a writer with the same name as the author, in a world at once fully disillusioned and thoroughly enchanted.
In 2015, a group of scholars began meeting to discuss the peculiarly religious qualities of My Struggle. Some were interested in Knausgaard's attention to explicitly religious subjects and artworks, others to what they saw as more diffuse attention to the religiousness of contemporary life. The group wondered what reading these textures of religion in these volumes might say about our times, about writing, and about themselves. The Abyss or Life Is Simple is the culmination of this collective endeavor-a collection of interlocking essays on ritual, beauty, and the end of the world.
Min kamp, or My Struggle, is a six-volume novel by Karl Ove Knausgaard and one of the most significant literary works of the young twenty-first century. Published in Norwegian between 2009 and 2011, the novel presents an absorbing first-person narrative of the life of a writer with the same name as the author, in a world at once fully disillusioned and thoroughly enchanted.
In 2015, a group of scholars began meeting to discuss the peculiarly religious qualities of My Struggle. Some were interested in Knausgaard's attention to explicitly religious subjects and artworks, others to what they saw as more diffuse attention to the religiousness of contemporary life. The group wondered what reading these textures of religion in these volumes might say about our times, about writing, and about themselves. The Abyss or Life Is Simple is the culmination of this collective endeavor-a collection of interlocking essays on ritual, beauty, and the end of the world.
Reviews / Votes
Courtney Bender is professor of religion at Columbia University. Jeremy Biles is associate professor of liberal arts at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Liane Carlson is an associate faculty member at the Brooklyn Institute for Social Research. Joshua Dubler is associate professor of religion at the University of Rochester. Hannah C. Garvey is a doctoral candidate in religious studies at Indiana University Bloomington. M. Cooper Harriss is associate professor of religious studies at Indiana University Bloomington. Winnifred Fallers Sullivan is professor of religious studies at Indiana University Bloomington. Erik Thorstensen is research director at OsloMet. "A true work of collective criticism, The Abyss or Life Is Simple is a collection of personal, thorough, and innovative essays that illuminates aspects of Knausgaard that previously have been neglected by scholars. It is a treat for anyone interested in Knausgaard's writing and an exhibit of the benefits of collaboration and collectivism in the humanities." -- Claus Elholm Andersen, University of Wisconsin-MadisonMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
Chicago
United States
Publishing group
The University of Chicago Press
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Illustrations
9 halftones
Dimensions
Height: 229 mm
Width: 152 mm
Thickness: 20 mm
Weight
454 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-226-82132-0 (9780226821320)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Bender Courtney Bender | Biles Jeremy Biles | Carlson Liane Carlson
Abyss or Life Is Simple
Reading Knausgaard Writing Religion
E-Book
10/2022
University of Chicago Press
€30.49
Available for download
Persons
Courtney Bender, Jeremy Biles, Liane Carlson, Joshua Dubler, Hannah C. Garvey, M. Cooper Harriss, Winnifred Fallers Sullivan, and Erik Thorstensen comprise a Knausgaard Reading and Writing Collective.
Content
Introduction
A Knausgaard Reading and Writing Collective
1 Keeping It All at Bay
Courtney Bender
2 Love Tears
Erik Thorstensen
3 Aesthetics of an Abused Child
Liane Carlson
4 The Knausgaard Swarm
Joshua Dubler
5 Angels
Winnifred Fallers Sullivan
6 Incidentals (When the Slugs Come) (In the Cut)
Jeremy Biles
7 Shaping Our Ends
M. Cooper Harriss
Outro
Hannah C. Garvey
Acknowledgments
Index
A Knausgaard Reading and Writing Collective
1 Keeping It All at Bay
Courtney Bender
2 Love Tears
Erik Thorstensen
3 Aesthetics of an Abused Child
Liane Carlson
4 The Knausgaard Swarm
Joshua Dubler
5 Angels
Winnifred Fallers Sullivan
6 Incidentals (When the Slugs Come) (In the Cut)
Jeremy Biles
7 Shaping Our Ends
M. Cooper Harriss
Outro
Hannah C. Garvey
Acknowledgments
Index