Karl Ove Knausgård

On 19 March, Norwegian author Karl Ove Knausgård (1968) will come to BorderKitchen to talk about his novel Zoon, part of the My Struggle cycle. He will be interviewed at Theater aan het Spui by Herman Koch. My Struggle is one of the largest literary projects ever undertaken in Norway, earning Knausgård the status of a rock star.

Norwegian author Karl Ove Knausgård talks at BorderKitchen about his newly published book Zoon, part of a six-volume autobiographical novel cycle. In the series he describes his life in raw and highly detailed form. The overarching title of the six books is My Struggle (Min Kamp in Norwegian): a controversial umbrella title that has already caused considerable debate. In the three years during which the six volumes were published, Karl Ove Knausgård achieved celebrity status in Norway.

In the Netherlands, following his 2010 novel Engelen vallen langzaam, the first two parts of the My Struggle series were published. Part 1, Vader, deals with his difficult relationship with his father, and part 2, Liefde, with the formation of his romantic relationship and the impact of everyday reality on it. The third part, Zoon, is an unflinching portrayal of Knausgård as a child—sensitive, but also calculating and manipulative.

The interviewer Herman Koch is known as a television maker (Jiskefet) and novelist (Summer House with Swimming Pool, The Dinner).

Musician and artist Melle de Boer will perform a short set during this BorderKitchen. Melle is known from the bands Smutfish and John Dear Mowing Club, as well as his musical collaboration with Henk Koorn of Hallo Venray.