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I wasn't sure that any of these things were actually possible in a novel about dogs. It feels so healing that it is. And so criminal that I had never heard of this underrated and underappreciated book before. And a Dog Called Fig" should be on every dog lover's shelf and be read and read again and again. While Humphreys writes of her own writing journey and that of other writers, it's the story of her connection to her dogs that supplies the connection. We learn from them just as they learn from us. In return, they offer unconditional love, even if they do offer up the occasional questioning look or side-eye. Bottom line, if you love dogs, you need the book. She has two children with the Norwegian jazz musician and composer Trygve Seim (b. 1971). [6] Trial [ edit ] The book highlights the effect of suppression on human lives. In this case, freedom of choice for the men, mostly,was taken away first by the Communists, then Mujahedeen and lastly the Taliban. Women never had any freedom neither choice anyway. The impact on the people is enormous as far as restructuring their lives is concerned. And then 9/11 happened and the Americans came. But if I really want to know what is happening now, I will have to consult the internet and the Al Jazeera news channel. It will be an extension of this book. An investigative journalistic report.
This man had two wives. It is a fascinating account of the trials and tribulations of this family's life in a country which has remained a war zone for decades. The author's writing style is eloquent and evocative enough to make the readers feel and comprehend with her story line. The narrative is very mush realistic, and it will feel like the characters voicing their honest opinions discreetly in the ears of the author. Even though it has been translated into English, I felt that the charm of the author and her flair has not been lost in translation. The prose is articulate and really strong and that which leaves room for the readers' own judgement and thoughts. Human-dog relationship is a topic to be explored deeply. The author takes us through the same from different perspectives.
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You can try to count the dead. You can argue about the numbers. You can count the maimed. You can argue about those numbers, too. What does it matter to lose a leg. An arm. To become crippled. To become blind. To have your hearing blasted away. I worked up the guts nearly a month after my birthday, sat down with some mild misgivings about what I was doing to myself…and read the entire book in one sitting. And I have to say, this book healed years of trauma that I never fully and consciously realized I was carrying. I also found the overall story to be really good. I wish we could learn a bit more about Lupin, though. She was probably my favorite character in the book. In general, I liked how the story focused on a lot of different things. Usually, that type of storytelling can be a little choppy, but in this case, it flowed smoothly. The Peer Gynt and Den Store Journalistprisen which is the highest honour a reporter in Norway can receive.
As one reviewer put it,"it is quite unlike anything else." It is a compelling portrait of Afghan people,a family,the ravages of war and the hardships they have had to endure. There was fear also as to what would happen in the future, given the different religious and political factions in the country, and the anarchic behaviour of criminal groups, who started looting almost immediately - fears that would prove realistic. And a Dog Called Fig is the story of one writer’s life with dogs (including a frisky new puppy), how they are uniquely ideal companions for building a creative life, and some delightful tales about dogs and their famous writers Seierstad, Åsne (2022). Afghanerne (in Norwegian). Oslo: J.M. Stenersens forlag A.S. ISBN 978-82-7201-773-5. I thought it would be appropriate to post my son's book report for this book. He was nine years old when he wrote it. Ya, okay I helped edit it...
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Good doesn't seem a respectful word to describe a book of war journalism covering the time that a few journalists waited in Baghdad at the opening of the Second Gulf War, nor does it seem right to say that I enjoyed it, perhaps you can take my enthusiasm as read and my recommendation for granted. The book is structured in sections (titled Beginnings, Character, Structure, Process, Setting, Pacing, Endings) which describe the early life and the gradual bonding of the puppy with its human. Each of these sections also allows Humphreys to draw parallels between how she raises the dog with how she writes a book. These are often very interesting and practical tips on writing, which I think many would-be-writers would enjoy and from which they would perhaps even gain a few insider tips. Such as: Another example of the way a dog tells us what to do with them, and if we’re paying attention and not fixated on having our way, by listening to what they’re trying to communicate, we could get along with them better. This is not dissimilar to writing, where it is more effective to listen to intuition instead of trying to force your will upon a piece of work. - excerpt from pgs. 183-184 about SETTING from And a Dog Called Fig Pacing in a book is what moves the story along. In poetry, I learned that a line will carry the rhythm of the body and will break where the poet takes a breath. Prose doesn’t have the same parameters as poetry, but I believe that its lines also echo the rhythm of the writer and that the metre of the prose holds within it the breath and heartbeat of the writer. That becomes the natural pacing of a story, and sometimes that is adequate, just to go with how a narrative moves organically. Sometimes, though, it is necessary to manipulate the prose, to alter the pacing. If a story is without much action or drama, a writer can speed up the pacing to give the narrative more tension and urgency, to literally make it go faster. This is done by shortening the sentences, chopping things up, rushing the rhythm along. This can also be done by cutting out some of the linkages. A writer once told me to delete every third sentence, as this will remove some of the natural transitions and enliven the language. Though it seems an odd thing to do, it actually works surprisingly well. - pg. 200 excerpt about PACING from And a Dog Called FigI enjoyed And a Dog Called Fig immensely and I think fans of books and writers and dogs will also have the same reaction. I like Asne Seierstad's books. She is a Norwegian journalist who is no stranger to conflict zones. Infact,she seems to revel in putting herself in dangerous situations. a b Omdal, Sven Egil (30 June 2022), "Åsne Seierstad", Norsk biografisk leksikon (in Norwegian) , retrieved 6 May 2023
Humphrey learned from her dogs that to have traits that are admirable is as good as having traits that are likeable. She remembers this when she creates a character. Also, she tries to find something in common with her characters, whether they are real or imagined, as it makes it easier to relate to them, to inhabit them. When I laughed aloud of her recounting of the story of Thomas Hardy's dog Wessex, who seemed to have the run of his home, walking along the tabletop and helping itself to whatever took its fancy at dinner parties, my own dog gave me a quizzical look. I was reminded of that later in the book when I encountered Humphrey's mention of one of her own dog's looks. The look of "What are you doing? I didn't say you could do that." Yes, Humphreys knows dogs and says elsewhere that dogs "represent balance, serenity and is a sound creature in a crazed world." How true that is. Lovely transcending thoughts and reflections on writing, feelings of isolation, solitary feelings, family history: Writing is not simply about learning skills. Each new novel requires everything be learned all over again, because no two books are alike, and there are different sets of problems requiring different solutions when creating each one”. Even if he hardens himself, he still harbours painful thoughts. He has left his half-sister in a helpless situation. Alone with his uncle. He fantasises how he will rescue her. How he will break in when the uncle is lying in a drunken stupor, how he will threaten the man with a knife and save his sister.Like the author I felt hostility to the male members –their privileged and dominant position went unchallenged. Seierstad is a freelance Norwegian journalist who has spent time in various trouble spots in the world. This book is about time she spent in Baghdad, before, during and after its invasion by America and the UK in 2003. Into my writer's isolation will come a dog, to sit beside my chair or to lie on the couch while I work, to force me outside for a walk, and suddenly, although still lonely, this writer will have a companion. I removed that section because Rais asked me to," says Seierstad. "But this book went through several editors and we all overlooked that problematic word, genitals. We realised it was a mistake only after Rais focussed on it, and I apologised to him and to his mother for it."
The other side of the book gets behind the headline stories. Only twice do people say anything critical of the regime to Seierstad before it falls and then only when those people are certain that the coast is clear. She reports that the Christian population in Iraq had fallen by half, down to three percent, already before the war began while they were already fearful of reprisals - and perhaps this simply followed on from what happened to the Jewish population earlier in the century.The most important question that Seierstad manages to ask, however, is how can an educated man, who wants to edit school textbooks and who believes in a (limited) form of free thought (after all, Sultan Khan would never sell Salman Rushdie in his bookshop) be so unable to understand the oppressive nature of the society he lives in and so blind to his own personal contribution to it? UNICEF reports that since 1994 up to the present day twenty five thousand children in Chechnya have lost one or both parents. Some of them live in cardboard boxes, in bombed-out apartment buildings or in pipes by a riverbank. Seierstad (born 10 February 1970) is a Norwegian freelance journalist and writer, best known for her accounts of everyday life in war zones – most notably Kabul after 2001, Baghdad in 2002 and the ruined Grozny in 2006. [1] Personal and professional life [ edit ]
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