''Melancholy II'', original title ''Melancholia II'', is a 1996 novella by the Norwegian writer

Jon Fosse Jon Olav Fosse (; born 29 September 1959) is a Norwegian author, translator, and playwright. In 2023, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature "for his innovative plays and prose which give voice to the unsayable." Fosse's work spans over se ...

. It is set in Stavanger, in early autumn of 1902, the year of Norwegian artist

Lars Hertervig Lars Hertervig (16 February 1830 – 6 January 1902) was a Norwegian painter. His semi-fantastical work with motives from the coastal landscape in the traditional district of Ryfylke is regarded as one of the peaks of Norwegian painting. Life a ...

's death, and is told from the perspective of Hertervig's fictitious sister Oline. The novella covers one day, the day that Oline learns that her brother Sivert is dying. Sivert's wife, Signe, tells her in the morning that Sivert wants to speak to her, but Oline is frail, and forgetful, and she only sits down at Sivert's bed later in the day when he has already died. Oline is still mourning Lars, and large parts of the novella describe Oline's memories of Lars. The book is the sequel to Fosse's 1995 novel '' Melancholy'', which is about Hertervig's time as a student.

Reception

Øystein Rottem Øystein Rottem (1 February 1946 – 5 December 2004) was a Norwegian philologist, literary historian and literary critic. Personal life Rottem was born on the island of Hemnskjela in what was then Heim Municipality. His parents were Sverre ...

of ''

Dagbladet () is one of Norway's largest newspapers and is published in the Tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid format. It has 1,400,000 daily readers on mobile, web and paper. Traditionally it was considered the main liberal newspaper of Norway, with a ...

'' wrote: "On one level this is a shiveringly reductive novel. Here existence is pressed down to the most elementary level: the oral and anal, food and feces." Rottem wrote that the story also has a religious aspect: "The connection between these two layers makes ''Melancholy II'' one of Fosse's most consistent works—and that is no small feat! You won't become happier by reading the book, but it grabs us more intensely than the vast majority of what otherwise is written nowadays." ''

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of ...

'' wrote in 2014: "In this coda to the acclaimed '' Melancholy'', Fosse’s presentation of commonplace events is almost unbearably intense. ... Admirers of the first book will find this novel subtler and more profound than its predecessor, and new readers will discover a stunning, haunting meditation on age."

References

External links

Publicity page
at the Norwegian publisher's website
Publicity page
at the American publisher's website {{Authority control 1996 Norwegian novels Fiction set in 1902 20th-century Norwegian novels Norwegian-language novels Norwegian novellas Novels about artists Novels by Jon Fosse Sequel novels Works about painters