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Camel Clouds

Erik Lindhom is an author who has published a few collections of poetry. When he receives a grant, his wife urges him to travel to Lisbon to write. Once there, he falls in love with Cecilia, an English journalist. At the same time, something is happening at home. His wife sounds strange when they talk on the phone. Parallel to these events, the story of Saladin is told, one of the great role models of the Islamic world. Saladin fought against Christianity, and was widely known as a cruel warlord. Suddenly he changes, and becomes an advocate for forgiveness and understanding.

With a superb sense of drama and contrast, the stories of the Norwegian author and the Islamic warrior are woven together in this novel.

Praise for Camel Clouds:

“All Turks must read this novel. It will provide them with great knowledge and pleasure”
(Hurriyet)

“A book that is not built on prejudices against Saladin, but really attempts to explore his personality … With this novel, the author is more mature, powerful and original than ever before”
(Bir Gun)

“This is certainly not a novel marked by banal western Orientalism … This reviewer’s prejudices disappear after only a few pages … The novel is a critique of both western and eastern chauvinism … An outstanding novel … To focus upon Saladin’s forgiveness is brave and wise. Forgiveness is, as we know, more demanding than revenge … The way in which the novel unites the two time scopes, is superb”
(Radikal)

"Call it the power of writing ... Steen is a proficient narrator with a concise turn of speech and a surprising language"
(Aftenposten)

"Colourful ... Thorvald Steen tells his story with a complex and ambiguous Saladin as the main character. The story is exciting and rich in historical knowledge about the region. Steen possesses, as he has shown earlier, a great deal of knowledge in this field"
(Dagbladet)

"It is a real pleasure to rediscover Thorvald Steen's elegant and precise language ... Steen has a special gift for seeing the contemporary in historical topics ... That's why Thorvald Steen writes sensible books, and he fills them with wisdom"
(Dag og tid)

"About betrayal and forgiveness, elegantly shifting between present day and historic events in the Middle Ages. Steen does not turn to fixed solutions, or cunning narrative techniques. Instead, he carefully lets the two stories illuminate and complement one another"
(Dagsavisen)

“A feat of a novel”
(Milliyet, Turkey)

”This novel portrais one of history’s greatest characters (Saladin). The greatness lies in how the eternal motives revenge and forgiveness are exhibited”

(Literaturnaja Gazeta, Russland)

”This must be the best and most important novel of the year”
( Matica Slovenska, Slovakia)

”Steen’s genuin introduction to what is spesifically human is superior to all theoretical proportion … Camel Clouds is one of the most daring novels yours sincerly has read by a regarded author … Completeted with bravura and finesse”
(Aftenposten)

Translations: German (Pforte Verlag), Kurdish (Avesta), Russian (MIK), MilaniuM Press (Slovakia), Turkish (Ithaki).

First published: 2004, Forlaget Oktober

Click here to download a sample translation

Thorvald Steen: Biography and bibliography

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