Siamese (Paperback)

Stig Saeterbakken

ISBN 10: 1564783251 / ISBN 13: 9781564783257

Published by Dalkey Archive Press, Normal, IL, 2010

Paperback. Edwin Mortens is almost blind, but has good hearing; his wife Erna is hard of hearing, but has excellent eyes. Paralyzed from the waist down, Edwin sits locked in his bathroom all day, every day, trying to liberate his mind from his body. The experiment is going relatively well: nearly all his bodily functions have ceased, his limbs are in a state of decay, and his digestive system is in the process of breaking down. "This body," he says, "is a sewer." To pass the time, Edwin dedicates his days to chewing gum and screaming at his wife, on whom he is, nonetheless, entirely dependent; while Erna's life, despite Edwin's constant abuse, revolves around her hideous husband. Edwin and Erna live in a state of perfect equilibrium-fueled by habit, cruelty, humiliation, and quite possibly love-until a young maintenance man is called to replace a lightbulb in Edwin's bathroom, and the "Siamese twins" find themselves embroiled in a new and vicious struggle for power. Edwin Mortens is almost blind, but has good hearing; his wife Erna is hard of hearing, but has excellent eyes. Paralyzed from the waist down, Edwin sits locked in his bathroom all day, every day, trying to liberate his mind from his body. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability. Seller Inventory # 9781564783257

Synopsis:

A brutally comic portrait of marriage, taken to extremes reminiscent of the work of Samuel Beckett and Thomas Bernhard.

About the Authors: Stig Saeterbakken (1966 2012) was one of Norway s most acclaimed contemporary writers. His novels include Through the Night and Siamese (also published by Dalkey Archive).

Stokes Schwartz's translation work includes technical, historical, and literary pieces. He studied Scandinavian languages and literature-with a concentration in Norwegian-at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the University of Minnesota, and the Norwegian University of Science and Technology in Trondheim.

Bibliographic Details

Title: Siamese (Paperback)
Publisher: Dalkey Archive Press, Normal, IL
Publication Date: 2010
Binding: Paperback
Condition: new