Moment of Freedom: The Heiligenberg Manuscript is once again available in English! Published by Norvik Press and distributed by Dufour Editions in the US, this masterpiece of modern experimental fiction is now available for English-language readers.
According to the publisher: "Upon its publication in 1966, Moment of Freedom was widely acclaimed in Europe as a masterpiece. It was published [in English] by W.W. Norton nearly twenty-five years ago, but has long been out of print. We are pleased to make it available once again in an updated translation." The translation, by Esther Greenleaf Murer, is a revised version of the original Norton edition, one which was highly praised by Bjorneboe himself.
The experimental nature of this novel makes it both challenging and rewarding to read. Some of the complexity of the novel is expressed in these comments from the translator's preface: "Moment of Freedom marked a new departure in Bjørneboe's literary production. Generally considered to be Bjørneboe's masterpiece, it draws heavily on his early years as a painter, and in form is more like a painting or a poem than a novel. Its experimental nature, and its richness, make it impossible to describe in a few paragraphs. One might say that it gathers up everything else he wrote, both earlier and later. The mystical orientation of his early poetry, the social criticism of his early novels, his fascination with Germany and Italy-all are richly interwoven here. As before, the spectre of Nazism, which had haunted him since he first read Wolfgang Langhoff's book on the Oranienburg concentration camp at the age of fifteen, looms large; the themes of injustice, authoritarianism, and the violence of power are pervasive."
The second volume of the so-called "History of Bestiality" trilogy, translated as The Powder Tower also by Esther Greenleaf Murer, is currently in press. The third volume, The Silence, is also scheduled to be published by Norvik. This will be an historic event, marking the first time the entire trilogy will be available to English-language readers. Moment of Freedom: The Heiligenberg Manuscript is published in softcover and is available for $15.95. ISBN: 0-8023 1328-0 (U.S); 1-870041-41-0 (U.K.).