Helene Uri – författare

Winner of the Nadia Christensen Prize for translation from the American-Scandinavian FoundationIn a masterful blend of fiction and autobiography, a Norwegian novelist sends her character to the far north to learn what she can about their Sami ancestryInspired by Helene Uri’s own journey into her family’s ancestry, Clearing Out, an emotionally resonant novel by one of Norway’s most celebrated authors, tells two intertwining stories. A novelist, named Helene, is living in Oslo with her husband and children and contemplating her new protagonist, Ellinor Smidt-a language researcher, divorced and in her late thirties, with a doctorate but no steady job.An unexpected call from a distant relative reveals that Helene’s grandfather, Nicolai Nilsen, was the son of a coastal (sjØ) Sami fisherman-something no one in her family ever talked about. Uncertain how to weave this new knowledge into who she believes she is, Helene continues to write her novel, in which her heroine Ellinor travels to Finnmark in the far north to study the dying languages of the Sami families there. What Ellinor finds among the Sami people she meets is a culture little known in her own world; she discovers history richer and more alluring than rumor and a connection charged with mystery and promise. Through her persistence in approaching an elderly Sami activist, and her relationship with a local Sami man, Ellinor confronts a rift that has existed between two families for generations.Intricate and beautifully constructed, Clearing Out offers a solemn reflection on how identities, like families, are formed and fractured and recovered as stories are told. In its depiction of the forgotten and the fiercely held memories among the Sea (sjØ) Sami of northern Norway, the novel is a powerful statement on what is lost, and what remains in reach, in the character and composition of contemporary life.

Winner of the Nadia Christensen Prize for translation from the American-Scandinavian FoundationIn a masterful blend of fiction and autobiography, a Norwegian novelist sends her character to the far north to learn what she can about their Sami ancestryInspired by Helene Uri’s own journey into her family’s ancestry, Clearing Out, an emotionally resonant novel by one of Norway’s most celebrated authors, tells two intertwining stories. A novelist, named Helene, is living in Oslo with her husband and children and contemplating her new protagonist, Ellinor Smidt-a language researcher, divorced and in her late thirties, with a doctorate but no steady job.An unexpected call from a distant relative reveals that Helene’s grandfather, Nicolai Nilsen, was the son of a coastal (sjØ) Sami fisherman-something no one in her family ever talked about. Uncertain how to weave this new knowledge into who she believes she is, Helene continues to write her novel, in which her heroine Ellinor travels to Finnmark in the far north to study the dying languages of the Sami families there. What Ellinor finds among the Sami people she meets is a culture little known in her own world; she discovers history richer and more alluring than rumor and a connection charged with mystery and promise. Through her persistence in approaching an elderly Sami activist, and her relationship with a local Sami man, Ellinor confronts a rift that has existed between two families for generations.Intricate and beautifully constructed, Clearing Out offers a solemn reflection on how identities, like families, are formed and fractured and recovered as stories are told. In its depiction of the forgotten and the fiercely held memories among the Sea (sjØ) Sami of northern Norway, the novel is a powerful statement on what is lost, and what remains in reach, in the character and composition of contemporary life.

Stian und Mia passen eigentlich gar nicht zusammen. Doch wie heißt es so schön: Gegensätze ziehen sich an! Stian und Mia prallen einfach aufeinander und fühlen sich beide sofort voneinander angezogen. Sie treffen sich zunächst morgens am Strand, abends kommt es dann zum ersten Kuss. Spätestens dann ist es um beide geschehen. Mia mag Stian sehr und Stian hat sich Hals über Kopf in das schöne Mädchen verliebt. Beide stürzen sich in eine wilde, romantische Sommerliebe mit ungewissem Ausgang.

Anna, die neue Babysitterin, sieht mit ihrer breiten Brille und dem roten krausen Haar genauso verstaubt aus wie die dicken Bücher, die sie jeweils mit sich trägt. Dieser Meinung ist zumindest Björn-Oskar, der zu Beginn überhaupt nicht begeistert ist, dass Anna jeden Freitag auf ihn und seine kleine Schwester Helle aufpasst. Doch schon bald stellt er fest, dass Anna zaubern kann und an einem Abend mehr über die Herkunft der norwegischen Sprache zu erzählen weiss als Björn-Oskar je im Schulunterricht erfahren hat. Jeden Freitagabend führt Anna den Jungen durch die Wunderwelt der Sprache und bringt ihm das Verständnis über das Wesen der Worte näher. Nur, wer ist diese Anna überhaupt? – Ein facettenreicher und poetischer Roman, der Kindern und Jugendlichen auf spannende und spielerische Weise das Wesen der Sprache näherbringt.-