Barbara (Norvik Press Series B)
In the eighteenth-century Faeroes (the North Atlantic islands long possessed by Denmark), isolation vied with drink to produce an insular society that nonetheless insisted upon a strict social code--circumstances Jacobsen (1900-38) used as the setting for his powerful novel, an acknowledged classic of modern Faeroese and Danish literatures. Naturally fearless and erotic, the widow Barbara rapidly gains the attention and love of a new priest from Denmark. Their marriage, at first close and passionate, becomes strained as the pastor discovers his wife's obsessive craving for his attention. After being stranded awhile on another island by the weather, he returns to find Barbara has left with a new love. The novel ends without concluding as Barbara's new love departs for Denmark, leaving her behind and her fate unresolved. This exceptional work is written in a naturalistic style that vividly conjures the characters in their social and physical setting. Jacobsen's descriptions of the islands and the seas around them are veritable poetry. Further, like Tolstoy, Jacobsen knows how to make every character live; unlike Tolstoy, he draws his leading character with a deep sympathy for feminine psychology rare in male novelists. Highly recommended.John Shreffler