Juaaka Lyberth
From the outset, the Greenlandic educational system has been concentrated in Nuuk where the College of Education was established in 1845. Since the 1930s the opportunities for an academic education were expanded with the establishment of continuation schools in Aasiaat (Egedesminde), Qaqortoq (Julianehåb) and Nuuk (Godthåb). After selection in schools a number of 14-15 year-olds were chosen for further schooling in the named school towns, which included student houses.
The novel tells the story of a teenager from Uummannaq in northern Greenland who has been selected to start an academic education.
The novel starts with the young man's trip with the coastal ship from his home town to the big city of Nuuk. He will be staying at the halls of residence affiliated to the school, and he must, of course, observe the various college rules that apply. Student life is limited to a small area in the actual city of Nuuk, and there is almost no connection between the pupils and the city dwellers. Student life is concentrated on the daily classes, homework and a little bit of free time. Nevertheless, some lively activity unfolds amongst the college students. A lot of things happen at the weekends where the students entertain themselves with various cultural activities. They experiment with flirtation and the like.
The novel takes place in 1970. The big world is slowly beginning to enter into everyday life in Greenland. Music from the world outside is beginning to inspire the student youth. The Beatles, Rolling Stones and numbers from other more or less viable groups are played loudly from inside the small college rooms.
It is in this context that Juaaka Lyberth's novel takes place. It is about his own generation. Student life for better or worse, as his alter ego, Paul Erik, learns. This is a life without worry, but also homesickness for home and family, infatuation and falling in love - happy and unhappy - and a budding rebellion against the Danish authorities.
Flashbacks to childhood's sometimes traumatic experiences and the conditions of his parents' generation put the novel's present into perspective.
Juaaka Lyberth was born in Uummannaq in 1952. After 7 years of school he came to Denmark for one year's schooling and thereafter at secondary school in Nuuk. He read Eskimology at Copenhagen University. Musician and song writer, writer and debater in the Greenland media.
Juaaka Lyberth has been strongly involved in Greenland's cultural life for many years, both as a player in theatre and music and as the director of the cultural houses in Nuuk and Sisimiut. He was awarded the Government of Greenland's cultural prize in 2000. Naleqqusseruttortut is his début novel.
The novel will be published in a Danish translation by Lars Wind with the title "Godt i vej" in February 2014.
Hans A. Lynge