Keeper of the protocols

More about the book

Keeper of the Protocols illuminates the work of one of Norway's dominant post-war literary figures. Jens Bjørneboe is seen as a consciously European writer, and the book traces the influence and congruence in his works with other European writers and thinkers of international stature: Kafka, Strindberg, Brecht, Sartre, Camus, and Conrad. This book also traces Bjørneboe's trajectory as a former painter with highly esthetic concerns, to his most lasting literary works, which balance an existential and mystic view with social engagement. From the young poet in the thrall of Rilkean poetics, the discussion moves through his History of Bestiality novel trilogy and his last works - an assault on Western culture from a peculiarly European perspective.