num_pages: 250
description: Gunnar Hoydal of the Faroe Islands, a prolific and prize-winning writer much translated into Danish, tows us off to brilliant seas and distant, timeless shores in this 1992 novel that was shortlisted for the Nordic Literature Prize. A father uproots his young family from their home in the Faroes when he goes to work for the UN in South America. As adults, three of his children return to the places and people they once knew, releasing half-submerged memories and unchanging truths in their journey through Peru, Bolivia, and Ecuador. Hoydal explores the impact Europe has made on these ancient lands, from the invasion of the Spanish conquistadors to post-imperialism and the subtle repression of contemporary aid programs. While finding grounds for hope in the balanced integration of old and new, north and south, folk wisdom and modern science, he questions whether the relationship between the powerful and the powerless can ever be simple or innocent and without danger for both.
language: English
title: Under Southern Stars
titlecomplete: Under Southern Stars
ratings_count: 4
publisher: Mare's Nest Pub