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Book Introduction
2023 Nobel Prize in Literature winner Jon Fosse
A beautiful prelude to the 'Bim' trilogy
It's immersive, even trance-like.
『Bim』 is as mysterious and surprising as life itself, drifting off the expected path.
_ Financial Times
“It is the essence of Yon Posedaum, yet somehow it looks new.
Nobel laureate John Fosse has done it again.
This time, it's a delightful piece with a twist." _NRK (Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation)
One of the most playful of Jon Fosse's works.
It's a mix of romance, ghost story, and noir.
_ Dagens Neringsliev (Norwegian newspaper)
Norwegian author Jon Fosse won the 2023 Nobel Prize in Literature for his "Writing in Silence and Rhythm," captivating readers around the world by casting the sacred light of literature on the empty spirit of modern society.
After winning the Nobel Prize in Literature, his country established a translation award named after him and selected its first winner this year. As a playwright who is so loved that he set a record for the most performances since Shakespeare, he delivered a speech commemorating World Theatre Day last year, delivering the international message that “art is peace.” In Korea, his play was performed on stage for the first time in April of this year.
He decided to publish one book a year for three years from 2025 to 2027, the so-called 'BaiM Trilogy' (『BaiM』, 『BaiM Hotel』, 『BaiM Weekly』), and published the first book, 『BaiM』, to mark the beginning.
Hailed as “an addictive mystic, one of the greatest living writers,” his new work has captured the attention of the world’s leading media, and in an interview with The New Yorker, he teased the forthcoming novels, saying they are not so much a trilogy as “three independent novels that share the same imaginary place.”
The book, which was released in Norway at the end of September this year, has quickly gained much attention, having been sold in 18 countries so far, and is being published in succession in the UK, the US, Spain, Germany, Italy, Portugal, the Netherlands, and other countries.
'Byme' is the name of a fictional remote seaside village, and as one media outlet reviewed, it is a romance novel that shows the essence of "Yon Fosse-style hardcore" with a familiar doppelganger motif.
It is the story of two fishermen, indecisive and passive drifters living alone in the bay, who meet a woman with determination and resoluteness and steer their boats of life to their fateful destination.
Translator Son Hwa-su, who has worked in Norway and translated previous works, refined the manuscript over and over again to convey Jon Fosse's unique writing style and rhythm. He also delivered the manuscript of the "Translator's Note" directly to Jon Fosse through a local agent, thereby gaining the author's trust and praise, and thus eliciting the author's own words from Jon Fosse, unlike other overseas editions.
(※ Special features of the Korean edition: A special note from the author, “To Korean Readers,” included)
A beautiful prelude to the 'Bim' trilogy
It's immersive, even trance-like.
『Bim』 is as mysterious and surprising as life itself, drifting off the expected path.
_ Financial Times
“It is the essence of Yon Posedaum, yet somehow it looks new.
Nobel laureate John Fosse has done it again.
This time, it's a delightful piece with a twist." _NRK (Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation)
One of the most playful of Jon Fosse's works.
It's a mix of romance, ghost story, and noir.
_ Dagens Neringsliev (Norwegian newspaper)
Norwegian author Jon Fosse won the 2023 Nobel Prize in Literature for his "Writing in Silence and Rhythm," captivating readers around the world by casting the sacred light of literature on the empty spirit of modern society.
After winning the Nobel Prize in Literature, his country established a translation award named after him and selected its first winner this year. As a playwright who is so loved that he set a record for the most performances since Shakespeare, he delivered a speech commemorating World Theatre Day last year, delivering the international message that “art is peace.” In Korea, his play was performed on stage for the first time in April of this year.
He decided to publish one book a year for three years from 2025 to 2027, the so-called 'BaiM Trilogy' (『BaiM』, 『BaiM Hotel』, 『BaiM Weekly』), and published the first book, 『BaiM』, to mark the beginning.
Hailed as “an addictive mystic, one of the greatest living writers,” his new work has captured the attention of the world’s leading media, and in an interview with The New Yorker, he teased the forthcoming novels, saying they are not so much a trilogy as “three independent novels that share the same imaginary place.”
The book, which was released in Norway at the end of September this year, has quickly gained much attention, having been sold in 18 countries so far, and is being published in succession in the UK, the US, Spain, Germany, Italy, Portugal, the Netherlands, and other countries.
'Byme' is the name of a fictional remote seaside village, and as one media outlet reviewed, it is a romance novel that shows the essence of "Yon Fosse-style hardcore" with a familiar doppelganger motif.
It is the story of two fishermen, indecisive and passive drifters living alone in the bay, who meet a woman with determination and resoluteness and steer their boats of life to their fateful destination.
Translator Son Hwa-su, who has worked in Norway and translated previous works, refined the manuscript over and over again to convey Jon Fosse's unique writing style and rhythm. He also delivered the manuscript of the "Translator's Note" directly to Jon Fosse through a local agent, thereby gaining the author's trust and praise, and thus eliciting the author's own words from Jon Fosse, unlike other overseas editions.
(※ Special features of the Korean edition: A special note from the author, “To Korean Readers,” included)
- You can preview some of the book's contents.
Preview
index
To our Korean readers… 5
Vime
Ⅰ … 9
Ⅱ … 97
Ⅲ … 135
Translator's Note … 195
Vime
Ⅰ … 9
Ⅱ … 97
Ⅲ … 135
Translator's Note … 195
Detailed image
Into the book
When I was young, I came to Biergvin almost every time. Whenever I had a day or two off, I would set sail without fail and visit the local tavern as if I were a regular. The reason was probably a hope I harbored, one I was reluctant to admit to myself: the hope of meeting someone, someone to share my life with.
--- pp.19-20
What must she have been thinking, Eleanor, seeing the ship moored at the dock below the Baim shop with her name written in large letters on both sides? Yes, Eleanor must have known that the ship was named after her, and she must have been terribly offended by that fact.
--- p.30
Yatgeir, yatgeir, I heard it again, clearer, louder, Yatgeir, yatgeir, that woman's voice called Yatgeir again, and now I was sure it wasn't a dream, someone was really calling me.
--- p.48
She was looking down at my ship, she certainly was, the ship I had named Elene, I had heard that Elene was settled somewhere in Sartor, but now, now I saw clearly, my old secret love standing there, looking down at the ship with her name Elene proudly written on both sides, Elene was there, she really was, she who had unknowingly given her name to my ship,
--- p.49
To be honest, when I stood on deck, I couldn't tell whether I was thinking of my ship or of Elene, that Elene who was now living and breathing in the dim light of a midsummer night on the docks of Suni.
--- p.54
Long time no see, I say
"Yes, it's been a really long time," she says.
And again, in the flowing silence, I gather my mind.
It's wonderful to see you again, I say.
Me too, she says.
--- pp.55-56
A disembodied soul, isn't that in some ways what a ghost is? If not, what else can you say? But the strange thing is that Yatgeir knocked on the door right after that. Was the knocking a sign that Yatgeir was coming, a sign of sorts, as they say? But could such a thing really exist?
--- p.120
It's creepy, I think, why did he come and talk to me after he died, just like before, like nothing had changed, no, no one can understand that, it's like he came to say his last goodbyes to me, I think,
--- p.130
She put her hands on the edge of the table and looked straight at me. I don't remember exactly what she said, but I remember calling me Frank. Hello Frank, nice to meet you again, I think she said something like that. So it was clear she had made a mistake and mistook me for someone else.
--- p.139
What on earth is happening to me now? I am walking down this road, suitcase in hand, a few meters away from Elline. Perhaps we are going to my ship. The ship, which I had mistakenly, certainly mistakenly, named Elline, was delivered to me the day after Elline had suddenly departed, leaving behind only a short, incomprehensible letter. She had left just as suddenly as she had come to me, and then, just as suddenly, she appeared before me again, I think.
--- p.181
I sit quietly and wonder why Elline left me so suddenly, why she left me with only a short letter on the kitchen table, tossed carelessly at that, and left the front door unlocked, how urgent must she have been to leave without even having time to lock it? Yes, it was a truly strange farewell. Even as I think about this, the ship Elline steadily sails along its main course northward. On the day we first met in Fuglen, she came to me suddenly, and left me suddenly, and then came back to me again, this evening, and just as suddenly, she made me leave my childhood home. No, this is completely incomprehensible, I think. Elline says we can never be apart, and I say that it might be true.
--- pp.19-20
What must she have been thinking, Eleanor, seeing the ship moored at the dock below the Baim shop with her name written in large letters on both sides? Yes, Eleanor must have known that the ship was named after her, and she must have been terribly offended by that fact.
--- p.30
Yatgeir, yatgeir, I heard it again, clearer, louder, Yatgeir, yatgeir, that woman's voice called Yatgeir again, and now I was sure it wasn't a dream, someone was really calling me.
--- p.48
She was looking down at my ship, she certainly was, the ship I had named Elene, I had heard that Elene was settled somewhere in Sartor, but now, now I saw clearly, my old secret love standing there, looking down at the ship with her name Elene proudly written on both sides, Elene was there, she really was, she who had unknowingly given her name to my ship,
--- p.49
To be honest, when I stood on deck, I couldn't tell whether I was thinking of my ship or of Elene, that Elene who was now living and breathing in the dim light of a midsummer night on the docks of Suni.
--- p.54
Long time no see, I say
"Yes, it's been a really long time," she says.
And again, in the flowing silence, I gather my mind.
It's wonderful to see you again, I say.
Me too, she says.
--- pp.55-56
A disembodied soul, isn't that in some ways what a ghost is? If not, what else can you say? But the strange thing is that Yatgeir knocked on the door right after that. Was the knocking a sign that Yatgeir was coming, a sign of sorts, as they say? But could such a thing really exist?
--- p.120
It's creepy, I think, why did he come and talk to me after he died, just like before, like nothing had changed, no, no one can understand that, it's like he came to say his last goodbyes to me, I think,
--- p.130
She put her hands on the edge of the table and looked straight at me. I don't remember exactly what she said, but I remember calling me Frank. Hello Frank, nice to meet you again, I think she said something like that. So it was clear she had made a mistake and mistook me for someone else.
--- p.139
What on earth is happening to me now? I am walking down this road, suitcase in hand, a few meters away from Elline. Perhaps we are going to my ship. The ship, which I had mistakenly, certainly mistakenly, named Elline, was delivered to me the day after Elline had suddenly departed, leaving behind only a short, incomprehensible letter. She had left just as suddenly as she had come to me, and then, just as suddenly, she appeared before me again, I think.
--- p.181
I sit quietly and wonder why Elline left me so suddenly, why she left me with only a short letter on the kitchen table, tossed carelessly at that, and left the front door unlocked, how urgent must she have been to leave without even having time to lock it? Yes, it was a truly strange farewell. Even as I think about this, the ship Elline steadily sails along its main course northward. On the day we first met in Fuglen, she came to me suddenly, and left me suddenly, and then came back to me again, this evening, and just as suddenly, she made me leave my childhood home. No, this is completely incomprehensible, I think. Elline says we can never be apart, and I say that it might be true.
--- p.184
Publisher's Review
Needle and thread, woman and man, fate and chance
A trio of loneliness, love, and fate set in a seaside village
This novel consists of three chapters and has four main characters.
Yatgeir, a fisherman who lives alone in Baim, his only friend Elias, his lover Eline, who Yatgeir has loved since he was a teenager and named his ship after, and the fisherman Frank, whom Eline left his hometown to marry.
Chapter 1 is the central narrative of the reunion between the fisherman Yatgeir and Eline, Chapter 2 is the story of Yatgeir visiting Elias' house, and Chapter 3 is the meeting and parting of Frank and Eline.
Chapter 1 is told from Yatgeir's point of view.
One summer day, he sets out from Baym to the great city of Bjergvin on his own ship, which he has given the secret name 'Eline'.
He went there under the pretense of buying a needle and thread to sew a torn button, but unexpectedly got scammed twice and lost all his money.
Then, by chance, in the big city, he reunites with Eline, his teenage love, and she urges Yatgeir to run away from her husband Frank and return to his hometown, Bayim.
The two of them live together in the bay.
Chapter 2 is mostly filled with Elias' monologue.
Early one evening just before Christmas, someone keeps knocking on the door, and to his horror, Yatgeir, his only neighborhood friend in a long time, visits briefly and then returns.
A little while later, we hear from people near the Vime store that he drowned.
Chapter 3 is told from Frank's perspective.
One day, when he was drinking with his friends, Elinne approached him and called him 'Frank', and the two of them ended up starting a new life together that day.
She suddenly came into his life, but then suddenly left Frank's side again, and then lived with a fisherman named Yatgeir. When he died, she came back to him and urged him to pack his bags and go to Bayim.
Frank leaves the house he inherited from his parents and lives as if he were being led by fate, following her orders. When she dies, he puts everything in order and returns to the house he used to live in. He looks back on the mysterious life that has happened to him until he is seventy-five years old and prepares for his end.
This fable, a somewhat labyrinthine love triangle, is about small ships and big ships, love and death, and the meeting of a passive and inactive man and a determined and decisive woman.
It is also a novel that foreshadows traces of a secret divinity in the noisy earth, offering a broad insight into human life, where anxiety and loneliness, foolishness and regret, fate and chance are intertwined.
Commas and Spaces: Writing Weaved Through the Breaths of Farewell and Reunion
In this work, Yatgeir, Eline, and Frank form a typical love triangle in romantic narratives, but even without direct conflict or confrontation between the three, Jon Fosse portrays a unique variation of love and fate with his own style and narrative strategy.
Both men share the characteristic of having their ship's name be the same or similar to the woman's name (Eline/Eleanor).
It is impossible to know what brought about their fate.
Coincidentally, Yatgeir's original name is Geir and Frank's real name is Olav, but in the relationship, the first name disappears and he is called by the woman's name.
As if called by an unknown and irresistible fate that came disguised as “old acquaintances” or “people we know well.”
And when everyone reaches the end of their lives and the thread of life is loosened and they are left empty-handed, they leave behind the faces they met and parted with again and return to their hometowns where they were born and raised, closing their eyes next to those close to them who have passed away.
Body and soul are completely separated, and only the unique name remains on the tombstone.
John Fosse has always said, “For me, writing is an act of listening.”
In Chapter 2, Elias hears repeated knocks on the door, which is why I have dedicated a separate chapter to this monologue, which is mostly his internal monologue.
“Life itself is a mystery,” Fosse said, “so without knowing what’s going on, I just record what’s out there, but I don’t know what it means, and if I did, I wouldn’t have written it.”
Like the previous work, 『7-part series』, this novel also ends with only commas, without periods.
Just as encounters and partings, inhalations and exhalations, silence and words, present and past, come and go like the tides at unexpected moments, and the tapestry of relationships (fate) is endlessly intertwined, Fosse's writing is also like the clear and transparent stitching of language that shows the patterns of life woven by human beings.
A trio of loneliness, love, and fate set in a seaside village
This novel consists of three chapters and has four main characters.
Yatgeir, a fisherman who lives alone in Baim, his only friend Elias, his lover Eline, who Yatgeir has loved since he was a teenager and named his ship after, and the fisherman Frank, whom Eline left his hometown to marry.
Chapter 1 is the central narrative of the reunion between the fisherman Yatgeir and Eline, Chapter 2 is the story of Yatgeir visiting Elias' house, and Chapter 3 is the meeting and parting of Frank and Eline.
Chapter 1 is told from Yatgeir's point of view.
One summer day, he sets out from Baym to the great city of Bjergvin on his own ship, which he has given the secret name 'Eline'.
He went there under the pretense of buying a needle and thread to sew a torn button, but unexpectedly got scammed twice and lost all his money.
Then, by chance, in the big city, he reunites with Eline, his teenage love, and she urges Yatgeir to run away from her husband Frank and return to his hometown, Bayim.
The two of them live together in the bay.
Chapter 2 is mostly filled with Elias' monologue.
Early one evening just before Christmas, someone keeps knocking on the door, and to his horror, Yatgeir, his only neighborhood friend in a long time, visits briefly and then returns.
A little while later, we hear from people near the Vime store that he drowned.
Chapter 3 is told from Frank's perspective.
One day, when he was drinking with his friends, Elinne approached him and called him 'Frank', and the two of them ended up starting a new life together that day.
She suddenly came into his life, but then suddenly left Frank's side again, and then lived with a fisherman named Yatgeir. When he died, she came back to him and urged him to pack his bags and go to Bayim.
Frank leaves the house he inherited from his parents and lives as if he were being led by fate, following her orders. When she dies, he puts everything in order and returns to the house he used to live in. He looks back on the mysterious life that has happened to him until he is seventy-five years old and prepares for his end.
This fable, a somewhat labyrinthine love triangle, is about small ships and big ships, love and death, and the meeting of a passive and inactive man and a determined and decisive woman.
It is also a novel that foreshadows traces of a secret divinity in the noisy earth, offering a broad insight into human life, where anxiety and loneliness, foolishness and regret, fate and chance are intertwined.
Commas and Spaces: Writing Weaved Through the Breaths of Farewell and Reunion
In this work, Yatgeir, Eline, and Frank form a typical love triangle in romantic narratives, but even without direct conflict or confrontation between the three, Jon Fosse portrays a unique variation of love and fate with his own style and narrative strategy.
Both men share the characteristic of having their ship's name be the same or similar to the woman's name (Eline/Eleanor).
It is impossible to know what brought about their fate.
Coincidentally, Yatgeir's original name is Geir and Frank's real name is Olav, but in the relationship, the first name disappears and he is called by the woman's name.
As if called by an unknown and irresistible fate that came disguised as “old acquaintances” or “people we know well.”
And when everyone reaches the end of their lives and the thread of life is loosened and they are left empty-handed, they leave behind the faces they met and parted with again and return to their hometowns where they were born and raised, closing their eyes next to those close to them who have passed away.
Body and soul are completely separated, and only the unique name remains on the tombstone.
John Fosse has always said, “For me, writing is an act of listening.”
In Chapter 2, Elias hears repeated knocks on the door, which is why I have dedicated a separate chapter to this monologue, which is mostly his internal monologue.
“Life itself is a mystery,” Fosse said, “so without knowing what’s going on, I just record what’s out there, but I don’t know what it means, and if I did, I wouldn’t have written it.”
Like the previous work, 『7-part series』, this novel also ends with only commas, without periods.
Just as encounters and partings, inhalations and exhalations, silence and words, present and past, come and go like the tides at unexpected moments, and the tapestry of relationships (fate) is endlessly intertwined, Fosse's writing is also like the clear and transparent stitching of language that shows the patterns of life woven by human beings.
GOODS SPECIFICS
- Date of issue: November 28, 2025
- Format: Hardcover book binding method guide
- Page count, weight, size: 200 pages | 128*188*20mm
- ISBN13: 9791141602819
- ISBN10: 1141602814
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