The Other Name

Septology I-II

By: Jon Fosse, Damion Searls - translator

Narrated by: Kyle Snyder

The Other Name follows the lives of two men living close to each other on the west coast of Norway. The year is coming to a close and Asle, an aging painter and widower, is reminiscing about his life. He lives alone, his only friends being his neighbor, Åsleik, a bachelor and traditional Norwegian fisherman-farmer, and Beyer, a gallerist who lives in Bjørgvin, a couple hours drive south of Dylgja, where he lives. There, in Bjørgvin, lives another Asle, also a painter. He and the narrator are doppelgangers—two versions of the same person, two versions of the same life.

Written in hypnotic prose that shifts between the first and third person, The Other Name calls into question concrete notions around subjectivity and the self. What makes us who we are? And why do we lead one life and not another? Through flashbacks, Fosse deftly explores the convergences and divergences in the lives of both Asles, slowly building towards a decisive encounter between them both. A writer at the zenith of his career, with The Other Name, the first two volumes in his Septology, Fosse presents us with an indelible and poignant exploration of the human condition that will endure as his masterpiece.

©2019 Jon Fosse; Translation copyright 2019 by Damion Searls (P)2022 Tantor

It’s a weird book. …I think. I don’t even know what I like about it. …I think.

I just like it. …I think. Maybe I would enjoy it more if I was reading it physically. …I think.

unusual, deep

This is a very peculiar effort to express the longing and the search of light by a human soul.

Remarkable and New

Unlike anything else I have ever read. To some degree it reminds me of Joseph Conrad and Henry James in its quest to penetrate human psychology, but it’s something completely different something from the 21st-century. 

Wonderful!

This is a stunning story and production. I am blown away by the craftsmanship on so many levels. Bravo to author and narrator!

Excellent

The substance of the book is moving and beautiful. The narration is assured and comfortable to listen to. I am excited to read the subsequent entries in this series.

Transcendent novel, ridiculous narrator

The novel is wonderful – too bad it can’t be narrated by the guy who did Morning and Evening or Aliss at the Fire. Fosse has the character saying “I think” a lot, which I think is supposed to be something like an “um” or a simple expression of uncertainty, the same way I used it myself in this sentence. Instead, this narrator says “I think” every time as if there were an exclamation point after it, like the act of thinking is some profound thing every single time! It’s so frustrating. Makes it so unlistenable for me that I even tried to have Siri read it, thinking it might do a better job, though unfortunately it did about the same job as this narrator. I am so hoping they redo it using the other narrator, who gets what Fosse is trying to do.

Every single thought!

If you enjoy stream of consciousness books, this takes it to another level. Every single thought that goes through this man’s head is expressed! I loved it. It’s almost a voyeuristic experience.

Clear and simple

Flows and made me feel good. Unique in its style. Looking forward to reading the other books in the collection.

A new and mesmerizing writing style.

Wonderful river of a novel! Nothing like anything you have ever read before. It grabs you and holds you tight.

Like a song, long, but mesmerizing song

It took me a while to warm up to the style of The Other Name, the first 2 volumes of Jon Fossés Septology. But it grew on me like a song that evokes complex emotions and imagery, the more we listen to it. The prose seems too simple and repetitive at first, but soon, we live in the author’s mind where time travel seems possible and many potential futures can be contemplated. A simple painting with two lines becomes in turn the passionate embrace of 2 soulmates or throw us in a profound existential reflection on the nature of the divine and the meaning of life. The repetitions act as the chorus that delineates the verses. I listened to all 7 volumes in a few days, with as much enthusiasm.