Author: Caroline Bach

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The Wall

Die Wand by Marlen Haushofer (1962)

Nearly forgotten after her death in 1970, Haushofer began to attract attention again when this novel was republished in the 1980s. Although it is described by the publisher as “a startling redefinition of ecofeminist utopian fiction”,  this first-person narrative has been characterized by most commentators as dystopian. The Wall is a wonderful, profoundly moving novel about a woman who is staying in a remote hunting lodge in an alpine valley and wakes up one day to find there is an invisible wall between her and the rest of the world. Imprisoned on the mountainside, the unnamed narrator recounts her struggle to survive and her attempt to discover the essence of her own personality, femininity, and humanity. She finds a dog, a cat and a cow and learns how to deal with the wildlife around her. Each of the animals is a wonderfully drawn character which she draws great comfort from and The Wall itself is a very fascinating phenomenon, it could be symbolic of psychological or political isolation. The minimalist plot is enhanced by rich description and wise insight, and the translation succeeds in capturing the author’s fluid, lyrical style.

I merged some reviews and here it is, the Wall, die Wand, the book I’ve been looking for for years! I googled, googled again, and found it! Seems like it really was good, it wasn’t just my imagination.. but I can’t believe I actually read this when I was 12, that’s crazy. haha I will read it again now, 2,5 euros from Swedish Adlibris.. More expensive through Amazon. Order it!

Caroline Bach1 Comment

Help needed: Secret wall?

Okay people, I have a problem.

When I was a kid, I read a really weird and quite specific book.. and now I have no clue what the title was.. I’ve been googling and searching but nada. Now, I don’t remember if it was by a swedish author or not, I know I read it in swedish, however, this is the story..

There was a guy.. i think, well, maybe a girl.. okay, a person.. or wait.. I’m pretty sure it was a girl. Who was in the woods for some reason in a small cottage. I don’t remember why or what she did there, but I’m pretty sure it wasn’t her usual place to live. One morning, there was like an invisible glass wall where everything on the other side of the wall was kind of sleeping, there were cows laying on the ground and it looked as if time had stopped. She couldn’t break the wall to get to the other side and out of the forest and the cottage. So.. she was trapped in the world that was “awake”, completely alone.. and completely confused. Waiting for the wall to go away.. but it was there, day after day.. and then there was a dog for a while, I think.. and some other stuff, I don’t remember.. the woman had to learn how to survive alone, get food, make fire and manage to stay sane by reading books that somebody had left in the cottage and learn new things to let time pass.. And then.. That’s about how much I remember.. it was a strange book that I would really like to know the title of.. does anybody recognize this? Help me out!

And right.. I do tend to have very advanced dreams and remember them for much longer than I remember anything else, so if nobody knows what book I’m talking about.. it might just have been a dream. And then I’m writing it down :P haha

No but really.. it was a book. And it was fantastic. An insight into loneliness and the human mind.. I want to know the title!

Goodnight people!

Caroline Bach1 Comment

Olvidando mi Español

I’m afraid I’m forgetting this beautiful language. Languages are as fragile as they are important, if you don’t practice, they simply fade away. Sure, a month in the right company takes you almost right back to where you were, but if you asked me right now to have a conversation with you in Spanish, I would surely experience big difficulties in expressing and finding the right words.

Of the languages I speak, have spoken and ever made efforts to learn, Spanish is without any doubt my favourite one. Not only is it easy to learn, it flows in a magical way and brings back beautiful memories and associations. It’s a language that really makes me happy whenever I hear it, if it’s from people passing by on the street, a song, a movie or whatever.. and when I get to speak it. It’s like euphoria.

So, I decided that I need to go to a Spanish speaking country very soon. To catch up, to get back to my fluency, not to forget. And I should take classes, like, real language classes.. To get it on paper, to know the language officially. I’m thinking South America. I’m thinking Universidad de Buenos Aires, or some place else. I’m thinking Colombia. I’m thinking internship in Mexico. If not, I’m thinking Barcelona. We’ll see if I manage to find something perfect.

First I have an International Relations master to finish.

Until then, movies in Spanish, books in Spanish.. and a lot of Bebe :)

Bebe – Me Fui.
Y. (2009)

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Hurricane

So, I’m here again.. in Orkanen, or the Hurricane as some call it. It’s the really nice Malmö University library and it’s a great place to study.

The windows here are huge, from the floor to the high ceiling, and the view is great. There’s water surrounding the building, and the weather is fantastic. I’m sitting in a red little sofa, making notes from my notes, and trying to remember all this Nussbaum, Giddens, Tilly and Kant stuff.. It’s nice, I like it.

My Spotify keeps me company, I couldn’t concentrate to music with lyrics, but my ambient list is perfect for today.

I actually enjoy this. :)