The Longest Leap

The Longest Leap

Thorvald Steen

Original title: Det lengste svevet
Publisher: Forlaget Oktober, 2008
Genre: Novel
Pages: 240 pages

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A Norwegian historian in his mid-30s suffers from a rare muscular disease, which by all prognoses should have put him in a wheelchair years ago. One day his high school sweetheart Nina comes to visit him, and finds him lying on the floor, in a poor state. Despite his disability and initial reluctance, Nina persuades him to come travelling with her, to help prove her thesis that the British monk Bartholomew travelled from Norway to Constantinople in the early 13th Century. Thus, the young historians embark on a journey which turns out to pose far greater challenges – and rewards – than expected.

A free-standing sequel to The Weight of Snow Crystals, The Longest Leap is an unsentimental portrayal of a young man who defies his weaknesses to follow his passions in life. It is also a riveting historical tale, as well as a dramatic journey through Russia, Ukraine, The Black Sea and finally the Bosporus Strait and Istanbul.

Once again, Steen combines his vast historical knowledge with a moving personal narrative, neatly interwoven with current political topics.

Foreign rights

Russian: MIC Publishing
Swedish: Norstedts
Turkish: Ithaki

extremely well portrayed, combining strong elements of thriller, love story and a historic-cultural enlightenment project with strikingly humorous passages.

Aftenposten

A powerful story of illness, love and travel, with a historical grandeur that keeps hold of the reader … cunning storytelling and a sharp eye for human frailty.

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Thorvald Steen

Photo: Trine Hisdal

Thorvald Steen’s (b. 1954) literary career began in 1983, and he has since produced a diverse body of work spanning a variety of genres. Translated into 30 languages so far, Steen has received praise and prizes for the quality of his authorship in Norway and abroad.

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Other titles by Thorvald Steen

Camel Clouds

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Lionheart

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The Weight of Snow Crystals

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2006
Constantinople

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1999
Giovanni

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1993
The White Bathing Hut

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2017
The Last Photograph

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The Invisible Library

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The Little Horse

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2002
The Dresser

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