AshehougAgency

Vaya con Dios

This novel is set in the late 70s, and we are reencountered with the law student Glenn from Anthuns last novel Out of the Pool. Along with Steinar and the Colombian Gustavo, he lives in a commune in Skjoldhøgda outside Bergen, and is leading a happy and unconcerned student life. His girlfriend Alicia lives all the way in Venezuela, but from Gustavo, Glenn can learn useful Spanish phrases and get good advice on how to impress her. Then one day their existence turns darker: Gustavo is accused of a theft he didn’t commit, and is beat up by two police officers. With his characteristic sense of humour, his warped view on the world and his linguistic playfulness, Frank Anthun has written a subtle novel about friendship and love and a young man’s road to understanding himself.

Praise for Vaya con Dios:

“ Vaya con Dios is a funny and subtle novel with a touch of ingenuity and intelligence and reliable descriptions of people and environment. Anthun has a story to tell. And he does so in a clear and tidy language which emphasises what he wants to specify: The meaning of interpersonal relationships, friendship, love. As a natural part of the content he also illuminates a continuously current issue: Police violence/corruption/camaraderie”
(Fædrelandsvennen)

First published: 2003, Forlaget Oktober
Frank O. Anthun: Biography and bibliography