The gambler

There's a book that I read almost every summer on the beach. I've read it more than 10 times now. The twists and turns of the story are hardly surprising me anymore. Now I read the book mostly to admire the writing.

My copy is a nice hardbound and leather-back book. It was printed in 1946, and I bought it 2nd hand from an antiquarian many years ago.

The book I'm talking about is The Gambler by Dostoyevsky. It's a relatively short narrative novel, just a little bit more than 200 pages. It's an easy and entertaining read, and a very suitable beach book, I think.

The story takes place in a German gambling town with the brilliant name Roulettenburg. The protagonist and narrator is a tutor employed by a poor Russian General who has lost his past fortune. The General wants to marry a beatuiful woman, but to be able to do this, he needs money. Back in Russia is the old and very rich Grandmother who is expected to die very soon. Every day the General telegraphs to Russia, asking about her health. He is impatiently waiting for her death, and to inherit her fortune.

One day, the old Grandmother unexpectedly arrives in Roulettenburg. She goes straight to the casino, to put her fortune (and the General's heritage) at stake by the roulette table ... and this is were the real fun begins. I say no more.

Dostoyevsky was addicted to gambling himself. In this novel he gives a brilliant and in-depth exposition of gambling psychology, built on his personal experience (and if you're cusious about Dostoyevsky, I recommend the biography by Geir Kjetsaa)

(That's my footsteps in the picture above. I had been out swimming in the chill and refreshing fjord, and walked accross that rock, on the way back to my towel and my Dostoyevsky book on the beach)

The darkest day

Today is the darkest day, we have about 4 hours of day light now. Tomorrow we will start moving towards lighter times. Great!

I'm closing down this blog now, for a little while, from Merry Christmas to Happy New Year, approximately >:D

In the meantime I'll be outdoor skiing, or indoor reading. And I will try to write a couple of new chapters for my so-called novel.

The novel takes place in the summer. It's kind of strange to write about summer in the middle of winter, but it's fun too. I can swap seasons in just a few seconds. I can go to the ski resort at day time and to the beach, in my novel-world, at night.

If you thought I'm just a metal head, you're wrong. I'm a big fan of Tom Waits too. Here's one of my favorite "Christmas songs": Christmas Card from a Hooker in Minneapolis.

Merry Christmas to everybody, in the ski resort and on the beach, or wherever you are. Or maybe I should say Happy Yuletide >:)

Hometown tourists

Today was another nice and warm summer day. Little boy and I decided to be tourists in our hometown. We biked down to the quay, and took the public boat out to the little island in the middle of the fjord.

The island is full of interesting history, from versatile use throughout the centuries. Before year 1000, the vikings used it as an executions site. The cut-off heads of the executed were put on high poles, to be visible to visitors coming in the fjord, just as a gentle reminder.

In the 12th century, Benedictine monks built a monastery on the island. They were famous for the beer they brewed and notorious for their wild and noisy parties. The bishop complained that the monks were selling too little and drinking too much of the beer themselves. In the 1530’s, the monastery was shot to bits and pieces by war ships, when the catholics had to escape the reformation.

From 1650 to 1900, there was a fortress and state prison on the island. Among the prisoners were several noble men. The most enduring was on the island for 55 years, on a sentence for “unsatisfactory behaviour”, when he complained about his rich and powerful mother-in-law being mean.

During the 2nd world war, the Germans built an anti-aircraft cannon battery on the island, to defend the big submarine bunker on the harbor.

Today the island is a public recreation area, with a museum and a nice little beach. Little boy and I visited both the museum and the beach. We did of course agree that swimming was required to get ice cream.

And now we're gonna watch the World Cup final >:)

On the beach

Today was a nice and warm summer day, almost 25 degrees (75 Fahrenheit). We don't get too many days like this in our town. So I left work early, and then little boy and I went to the beach.

There are many small beaches along the fjord, close to town center. Little boy picked a beach that has an ice-cream shop. We agreed that swimming was required to get ice cream.

The water in the fjord was refreshing ... some would say cold. But the kids of Winterland don't care, they swim anyway. You just can't stay in the water for very long.

We both got ice cream, before we went home >:)