Overview

The award-winning, internationally bestselling saga of a Greenlandic community torn apart by the forces of colonialism and the one priest whose wavering guidance will determine its fate Idealistic, foolhardy Morten Falck is a newly ordained priest sailing to Greenland in 1787 to convert the Inuit to the Danish church. He's rejected the prospect of a sleepy posting in a local parish and instead departs for the forsaken Sukkertoppen colony, where he will endeavor to convert the locals. A town battered by unremittingly harsh winters and simmering with the threat of dissent, it is a far cry from the parish he envisioned; natives from neighboring villages have unified to reject colonial rule and establish their own settlement atop Eternal Fjord. A bumbling and at times terrifically destructive mix of Shakespeare's Falstaff and Nathaniel Hawthorne's Arthur Dimmesdale, he's woefully ill prepared to confront this new sect. Torn between his instinctive compassion for the rebel congregation perched atop Eternal Fjord and his duty to the church, Falck is forced to decide where he belongs. His exploits in this brutal backwater include an accidental explosion after a night curled around a keg, a botched surgery, a love affair with a solitary and fatalistic widow, and an apprenticeship with an eager young scholar that ends in tragedy. Based on authentic events in the 1780s and 90s, Prophets of Eternal Fjord moves from the quiet rooms of the Copenhagen bourgeoisie to the stark, hardscrabble village of the Fjord where Falck finds himself-surprisingly-at home. In gritty detail, Kim Leine reveals the corrosive effects of colonial rule.

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9781504728829

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Reviews

"A pensive, provocative, altogether extraordinary novel of a small-scale clash of cultures and its tragic consequences. -- ""Kirkus Reviews (starred review)"" Dense with historical detail that never overwhelms the myriad characters that populate it, this historical fiction earns the word epic from its very first page. -- ""Lance Weller, author of Wilderness"" In compelling detail, Leine recounts the struggles of this flawed shepherd of tough and resistant souls...A seamless translation of an award-winning novel. -- ""Booklist (starred review)"" This superb historical explores the moral complexities attending religious and economic colonialism in very intimate and powerful ways...Leine balances his exploration of colonial destruction with touching moments of human connection and intimacy. Epic in sweep and noteworthy for its large cast of skillfully drawn characters, this is a lush, brave book about idealism and faith. -- ""Library Journal"""

Dense with historical detail that never overwhelms the myriad characters that populate it, this historical fiction earns the word epic from its very first page. -- Lance Weller, author of Wilderness This superb historical explores the moral complexities attending religious and economic colonialism in very intimate and powerful ways...Leine balances his exploration of colonial destruction with touching moments of human connection and intimacy. Epic in sweep and noteworthy for its large cast of skillfully drawn characters, this is a lush, brave book about idealism and faith. -- Library Journal A pensive, provocative, altogether extraordinary novel of a small-scale clash of cultures and its tragic consequences. -- Kirkus Reviews (starred review) In compelling detail, Leine recounts the struggles of this flawed shepherd of tough and resistant souls...A seamless translation of an award-winning novel. -- Booklist (starred review)

A pensive, provocative, altogether extraordinary novel of a small-scale clash of cultures and its tragic consequences. -- Kirkus Reviews (starred review) Dense with historical detail that never overwhelms the myriad characters that populate it, this historical fiction earns the word epic from its very first page. -- Lance Weller, author of Wilderness In compelling detail, Leine recounts the struggles of this flawed shepherd of tough and resistant souls...A seamless translation of an award-winning novel. -- Booklist (starred review) This superb historical explores the moral complexities attending religious and economic colonialism in very intimate and powerful ways...Leine balances his exploration of colonial destruction with touching moments of human connection and intimacy. Epic in sweep and noteworthy for its large cast of skillfully drawn characters, this is a lush, brave book about idealism and faith. -- Library Journal

Author Information

Kim Leine has won the Nordic Council Literature Prize and the Danish booksellers' Golden Laurel Award. His books have been published all around the world, and he lives in Denmark. Martin Aitken holds a PhD in linguistics and gave up university tenure to translate literature. His translations have been published on both sides of the Atlantic and have appeared in the Literary Review, AGNI, Boston Review, and A Public Space, among other publications. He lives in rural Denmark. Elijah Alexander has worked professionally as an actor for over fifteen years. He has worked and lived in New York, where he performed in numerous productions, including the Tony Award-winning play Metamorphoses. He worked with the Royal Shakespeare Company for two years and the Oregon Shakespeare Festival for two seasons, as well as regionally at various other theaters. In Los Angeles, he has worked on critically acclaimed productions of Sleuth, produced by Garry Marshall, and other works. His film and television credits include Mr. and Mrs. Smith, Emily's Reasons Why Not, JAG, Summerland, So NoTORIous, and Guiding Light. He was the voice of Vayne Solidor in Final Fantasy XII and has done several commercial voiceovers. He is currently the voice of Kenmore and has narrated more than ten audiobooks, including James Jones' acclaimed novel From Here to Eternity.

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