1989 Dag Solstad, Norway: Roman 1987

Dag Solstad is one of many culturally active people of his generation who took active part in Marxist-Leninist groupings in their youths. Born in Sandefjord in southern Norway, he now lives alternately in Oslo and Berlin. His novels are often written in a complex, modernist style with many text levels, but he sometimes also approaches the new and simple style. Literary reports from a number of football World Cups are among the more original elements in his works that also include a wealth of essays and discussion articles.

Roman 1987 is a novel in the form of an internal monologue, depicting the life typical for generations in the 1960s and 1970s. The novel looks back upon ardently loyal party work, demonstrations, shop floor agitating, commune living, voluntary work, marriage, divorce, remarriage – just to name a few props. All told in a mildly ironic way. However, Dag Solstad did not believe he had written the symbolic book of barricade fighting. His ambition was more to present a universal explanation of what happened to an entire generation.

Roman 1987

Published by: The publishing company Oktober 

Publication year: 1987

Dag Solstad depicts in a buoyant language with irony, ease and compassion the 1968 generation’s development, mistakes and fate in a small Norwegian town.