EARLY PRAISE
"Bjerke's forgotten classic, with an excellent new translation, allows the creepy setting, menacing tone, and very real danger of the compelling and engaging story to shine in all its 1940s glory for a modern audience." - Library Journal
"Bjerke's forgotten classic, with an excellent new translation, allows the creepy setting, menacing tone, and very real danger of the compelling and engaging story to shine in all its 1940s glory for a modern audience." - Library Journal
The Lake of the Dead (1942)
André Bjerke
Translated from the Norwegian
Preview Chapter 1 here
Book Description
A 1942 classic that has been voted Norway’s all-time best thriller, a brilliant mix of mystery and the supernatural
Deep in the darkest part of the Norwegian woods stands Dead Man’s Cabin, where 110 years ago a madman slew his sister and her lover, throwing their decapitated corpses in a nearby lake before drowning himself to join them in death. Ever since, the cabin has been cursed, and anyone who spends the night there is possessed by the killer’s spirit and infected with his madness.
Bjørn Werner, a young scholar from Oslo, ignored the old superstitions and bought the cabin as a place to read and work in quiet. Now he has disappeared, and the evidence suggests he threw himself in the lake in a fit of insanity. The police write it off as a suicide, but those who knew him are not so sure. Could the curse actually be real? Bjørn’s sister and five of his friends travel to the cabin to look into his death, but not all of them will return alive from their stay at the Lake of the Dead ...
André Bjerke’s The Lake of the Dead (1942) was voted the all-time best Norwegian thriller, and its atmospheric 1958 film adaptation is regarded as one of Norway’s best films. This new translation is the first-ever American publication of Bjerke’s classic, which features an unusual mixture of murder mystery and supernatural horror that will keep readers guessing until the thrilling conclusion.
André Bjerke
Translated from the Norwegian
Preview Chapter 1 here
Book Description
A 1942 classic that has been voted Norway’s all-time best thriller, a brilliant mix of mystery and the supernatural
Deep in the darkest part of the Norwegian woods stands Dead Man’s Cabin, where 110 years ago a madman slew his sister and her lover, throwing their decapitated corpses in a nearby lake before drowning himself to join them in death. Ever since, the cabin has been cursed, and anyone who spends the night there is possessed by the killer’s spirit and infected with his madness.
Bjørn Werner, a young scholar from Oslo, ignored the old superstitions and bought the cabin as a place to read and work in quiet. Now he has disappeared, and the evidence suggests he threw himself in the lake in a fit of insanity. The police write it off as a suicide, but those who knew him are not so sure. Could the curse actually be real? Bjørn’s sister and five of his friends travel to the cabin to look into his death, but not all of them will return alive from their stay at the Lake of the Dead ...
André Bjerke’s The Lake of the Dead (1942) was voted the all-time best Norwegian thriller, and its atmospheric 1958 film adaptation is regarded as one of Norway’s best films. This new translation is the first-ever American publication of Bjerke’s classic, which features an unusual mixture of murder mystery and supernatural horror that will keep readers guessing until the thrilling conclusion.
Limited Edition Hardcover:
250 numbered copies
Smyth-sewn, cloth bound book with dust jacket
Heavyweight acid-free paper, ribbon bookmark, foil stamped spine
List price $59, preorder price $49
Due to ongoing printing delays and supply chain issues, the hardcover edition is delayed. We hope to ship these by June 2022. Anyone ordering the hardcover may receive a free EPUB copy of the book on request for immediate reading.
250 numbered copies
Smyth-sewn, cloth bound book with dust jacket
Heavyweight acid-free paper, ribbon bookmark, foil stamped spine
List price $59, preorder price $49
Due to ongoing printing delays and supply chain issues, the hardcover edition is delayed. We hope to ship these by June 2022. Anyone ordering the hardcover may receive a free EPUB copy of the book on request for immediate reading.