Shark Drunk

The Art of Catching a Large Shark from a Tiny Rubber Dinghy in a Big Ocean

By: Morten Stroksnes

Narrated by: P.J. Ochlan

A salty story of friendship, adventure, and the explosive life that teems beneath the ocean

The Lofoten archipelago, just North of the Arctic Circle, is a place of unsurpassed beauty—the skyline spikes with dramatic peaks; the radiant greens and purples of the Northern Lights follow summers where the sun never sets. It’s a place of small villages, where the art of fishing, though evolving, is still practiced in traditional ways.

Beneath the great depths surrounding these islands lurks the infamous Greenland shark. At twenty-four feet in length and weighing more than a ton, it is truly a beast to behold. But the shark is not known just for its size: Its meat contains a toxin that, when consumed, has been known to make people drunk and hallucinatory. Shark Drunk is the true story of two friends, the author and the eccentric artist Hugo Aasjord, as they embark on a wild pursuit of the famed creature—all from a tiny rubber boat.

Together they tackle existential questions and encounter the world’s most powerful maelstrom as they attempt to understand the ocean from every possible angle, drawing on poetry, science, history, ecology, mythology, and their own—sometimes intoxicated—observations, meanwhile pursuing the elusive Greenland shark. By turns thrilling, wise, and hilarious, Shark Drunk is a celebration of adventure, marine life, and, above all, friendship.

Winner of the Norwegian Brage Prize 2015
Winner of the Norwegian Critics’ Prize for Literature 2015
Winner of the Norwegian Reine Ord Prize at Lofoten International Literature Festival 2016

Not bad, but not great, for this sort of thing.

I like this sort of account, for that's what it is. I find myself interested in Norway and this book is like taking a walk through a bit of Norwegian life. It's not a novel, and it doesn't really go very far,. but at the end I felt I had gained some real, but narrow, insight into the life of a Norwegian writer and his artist friend and their fascination with the sea.

Great information and entertainment

Reminds me of Moby-Dick (probably no accident) the way it shifts between background information and storytelling. Since it’s nonfiction, it’s limited by, well, truth, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing once you adjust your expectations. Well worth the read or the time; I recommend it.

Havboks

Any additional comments?

`Shark Drunk` is an outdoor travel memoir by a Norwegian author that won some awards in 2015. Translations are now appearing in Spanish, German and English. It uses modern techniques of creative non-fiction with the mystery element being the elusive Greenland shark which the author is attempting to catch in the Fjords of Norway, specifically the Lofoten region which is remote and traditional. Along the way we learn about the history, fauna and culture of Lofoten with plenty of place names to follow on Google Maps. It's generous, occasionally artistic, occasionally funny, appealing to anyone who reads outdoor literature wanting to "sail about a little and see the watery part of the world". The English title `Shark Drunk` makes it sound campy and the sickly blue cover looks self-published but ignore those potential faults they give the wrong impression. The Norwegian title is "Havboka" which means "Sea Book" or "Book of the Sea" which is a better title. This is a good book and glad to have discovered it.On the audiobook, the narrator is fine and the text seamlessly transitions to audio there is no problem. I wish it had been a Norwegian accent.

Loved it.

Greatest mix of science, adventure, nature and travel. Sit back, relax and be prepared to spend some time in Norway.

A Classic Nordic Tale

Meandering through natural history and fishing history in Norwegian Lofoten. Very entertaining and further proof, if any were needed, that Scandinavians simply don't take anything completely seriously. Recommended.