Author(s): Tarjei Vesaas

Novel | Translated fiction | Norway

From the author of The Ice Palace, a new addition to the Peter Owen Modern Classics series.

The themes of The Seed are violence and guilt. A maniac visiting an island murders a girl. He is pursued by the islanders and killed by the victim's brother. Too late, the avengers become aware of their own guilt, with its attendant mutual mistrust, and they attempt to expiate their crime.

Vessas's graphic evocation of nature and his parallel between the violence of savage animals and humanity make this a book of unusual literary distinction.

Author Biography: Tarjei Vesaas (1897-1970) is widely considered to be one of Norway's greatest writers of the 20th century and perhaps its most important since World War II. He published several novels including The Ice Palace, several volumes of poetry, and a book of short stories which was awarded an international prize at Venice in 1952. He was awarded several other prizes and was a candidate for the Nobel Prize in 1964, 1968, and 1969.