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''Beyond Sleep'' ( nl, Nooit meer slapen, "Nevermore to Sleep") is a novel by the Dutch writer
Willem Frederik Hermans Willem Frederik Hermans (1 September 1921 – 27 April 1995) was a Dutch author of poetry, novels, short stories, plays, as well as book-length studies, essays, and literary criticism. His most famous works are ''The House of Refuge'' (novella, ...
, published in February
1966 Events January * January 1 – In a coup, Colonel Jean-Bédel Bokassa takes over as military ruler of the Central African Republic, ousting President David Dacko. * January 3 – 1966 Upper Voltan coup d'état: President Maurice Yaméogo i ...
. The
protagonist A protagonist () is the main character of a story. The protagonist makes key decisions that affect the plot, primarily influencing the story and propelling it forward, and is often the character who faces the most significant obstacles. If a st ...
, Dutch geologist Alfred Issendorf, has a geology dissertation in preparation, and embarks on an expedition to
Finnmark Finnmark (; se, Finnmárku ; fkv, Finmarku; fi, Ruija ; russian: Финнмарк) was a county in the northern part of Norway, and it is scheduled to become a county again in 2024. On 1 January 2020, Finnmark was merged with the neighbouri ...
, northern Norway, to verify his dissertation director's theory that craters in the local landscape were formed by meteor impacts rather than by Ice Age glaciers. Initially he is accompanied by a group of three Norwegian students of geology, but soon after two travel their own course Alfred loses his guide Arne, who falls to his death, and is then on his own in a land where the sun never sets. ''Beyond Sleep'' is one of the canonical novels of the Dutch postwar period, and a prime example of what is perhaps the most distinctive characteristic of the author's work, the intense cohesion between theme and narrative strategy.


Plot

Alfred Issendorf, a geology student from Amsterdam, has received a grant to do field work in
Finnmark Finnmark (; se, Finnmárku ; fkv, Finmarku; fi, Ruija ; russian: Финнмарк) was a county in the northern part of Norway, and it is scheduled to become a county again in 2024. On 1 January 2020, Finnmark was merged with the neighbouri ...
, Norway, attempting to verify his professor's theory that meteors have impacted the area, leaving telltale craters. His professor, Sibbelee, has written the Norwegian professor Nummedal (his own former dissertation director) to ask for aerial photographs of the area, but when Issendorf meets Nummedal in
Oslo Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of ...
the latter knows nothing of any photographs (and scoffs at the meteor theory); if they exist, he says, they may be at the Geological Survey in
Trondheim Trondheim ( , , ; sma, Tråante), historically Kaupangen, Nidaros and Trondhjem (), is a city and municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. As of 2020, it had a population of 205,332, was the third most populous municipality in Norway, and ...
, with a Professor Hvalbiff. In Trondheim, however, no Hvalbiff is present, and the unfinished office buildings are in disarray—quickly it turns out that no aerial photographs are here, and later Issendorf discovers that Hvalbiff ("whale meat") was probably a derogatory name for the director, Oftedahl. Without photographs, and now sleep-deprived because of his anxieties and the lack of darkness at night, Issendorf travels on to
Tromsø Tromsø (, , ; se, Romsa ; fkv, Tromssa; sv, Tromsö) is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the Tromsø (city), city of Tromsø. Tromsø lies ...
, and thence to Alta, in Finnmark. There, he meets up with Arne, an old geology acquaintance who is also there for fieldwork, and then with two more students, Qvigstad and Mikkelsen. With two tents, tinned meat, and boxes of ''knekkebrød'', the four set out for the interior, a rather bleak, uninhabited, and mosquito-infested area. One of their camps is under the mountain Vuorje, at a lake where they fish for trout. Issendorf, who does not get along with Qvigstad and Mikkelsen, sleeps poorly and spends much of his time in gloomy thoughts, feeling unable to measure up to his father and even to Arne, and wondering whether ancient resentment between Sibbelee, Oftedahl, and Nummedal is to blame for making his mission impossible. Issendorf's efforts at locating meteor impact craters are eminently unsuccessful. One morning he finds Qvigstad and Mikkelsen gone, and he continues to another location with Arne. After crossing a deep ravine, he differs with Arne on what direction to take and charges on without waiting for him, but soon discovers he had misread his beautiful new compass, which he promptly loses. By orienting himself toward Vuorje he is able to backtrack to the ravine, a journey of several days; as it turns out, Arne had set up camp there to wait for him, but then fallen to his death.


Characters

* Alfred Issendorf, Dutch Ph.D. candidate in geology. * Arne Jordahl, Norwegian geologist, Alfred's guide. * Qvigstadt, Norwegian geologist, joins the two before he leaves together with Mikkelsen. * Mikkelsen, Norwegian geologist, in possession of aerial photographs, principal companion of Qvigstadt. Minor characters. * Ørnulf Nummedal, Norwegian professor of geology at Oslo, very old and almost blind, unable to help Alfred access aerial photographs. * Oftedahl, Norwegian professor of geology at Trondheim, unable or unwilling to hand aerial photographs to Alfred.


Themes

According to Hermans scholar Frans A. Janssen, the novel can be read at three levels: as the report of a geological expedition, as a psychological story of a young man with the urge to supersede his father's achievement, and as a philosophical story in which the search for meteorites must be interpreted as a "holy grail quest", one that leads the protagonist to the insight that no understanding of the fundamental mystery of life is possible. With regard to the last level Janssen speaks of an "inverted ''Bildungsroman''". Hermans scholar G.F.H. Raat relates the narrative technique to the theory of the three stages in the history of mankind described some thirty pages into the book. In the first stage man does not know his mirror image. At this point he is fully subjective and has no self-image. Inaugurating the second stage is Narcissus's discovery of the mirror image. Now there exists an ''I'' registering a ''self'', and these are symmetrical. The third stage begins with the invention of photography and this hands out the final blow of the truth, for a picture is an objective fixation of the image the outside world holds of a person.Raat (1989), 222 The image that man loves (his self-image or ideal image) and the circulating photographs of him (the different images of him that the outside world develops) are at odds with each other. The problematic nature of this third stage is a theme in many of the author's novels and stories, and essentially it is the problem of Osewoudt of the war novel '' The Darkroom of Damocles'' (1958), driven to despair by the discrepancies between his own view of himself and the images that others have of him. Unable to find acceptance for his view of himself, he loses his identity as well as his life. Similarly, Alfred fights for his identity, as he attempts to become symmetrical to his ideal self-image and next to find confirmation for this image from others. The implication is that he finds himself in the third stage, yet his view of himself is far from complete, which becomes evident when he looks in the little mirror in his compass. The image that is supposed to lead him on his way is incomplete, because the mirror is so small that even when held at arm's length it cannot project his full face. Only after his separation from Arne does he become symmetrical to his mirror image, as borne out by his own description of his baffled face in the mirror when he discovers he must have read the compass wrong. At this point, with his mouth open in shock, his face is perfectly in tune with how he feels. Here, says Raat, ''I'' and ''self'' are one. Apparently he has entered the second stage, because not long before this episode he discovered that his camera, which symbolizes the third stage, was no longer working.Raat (1989), 224 This regression goes even further when Alfred's compass, and the mirror in it, disappears in a crack in a rock of stone. Alfred now enters the subjectivity characteristic of the first stage, also indicated by his use of his native language for the first time in weeks. Appropriately, he has to live in primitive circumstances until he reaches inhabited territory again. Surviving like the first prehistoric people, he ponders and worries less than before and finds himself in harmony with nature for the first time. Eventually, as the circular structure of the novel suggests, Alfred will make it back to his point of departure. The discovery of Arne's dead body brings Alfred to a state of confusion in which he climbs and descends the very mountain ridge that caused Arne's fatal fall. Earlier in the novel, Alfred was looking up to Arne's easy, self-confident way of handling such obstacles in the terrain. Now Alfred is his equal. An ominous side to this identification is that Alfred will offer to Professor Nummedal to finish Arne's project, and by doing so he puts himself again in the position of a dependent.


Style

The writing style, with short phrases and paragraphs full of catchy oneliners, gives the impression of someone jotting down notes. The only correction to the inherently unreliable first-person point of view and prejudiced, limited perception of Alfred Issendorf lies in Arne's diary. In the difficult circumstances of the expedition, the narrator's focus is continuously on himself. During his quest for what he is and can be, he inspects himself almost without interruption. As the narrator recognizes, his geological research in fact comes down to soul-searching. According to scholar G.F.H Raat, this habit of incessant self-observing resembles looking in the mirror, and this fundamental disposition of Alfred finds its equivalent in the use of first-person present-tense narration. To narrate the events simultaneously with their unfolding, with a narrator focused on his own position, is remarkably analogous to the situation of someone who watches his own mirror image.


Background

Two geographical expeditions, in 1960 to Sweden and in 1961 to Norway, undertaken by the author serve as the basis for the book. The 1960 visit entailed attending a geographical congress on glacial morphology. Hermans started writing the book in 1962, during a period where he wrote exclusively first-person narratives, mostly in the present tense. This narrative technique intrigued him throughout the decade: his only other work of fiction from this decade is the 1967 short story-collection ''A Miracle Child or a Total Loss'' (''Een wonderkind of een total loss''), which consists of four first-person narratives, three of them in the present tense.


Publication history

The first edition was published in February 1966 by publisher De Bezige Bij in 19,400 paperback copies and 490 hardbound copies. Revisions were introduced as soon as the second printing, issued in the same year. From the sixth printing (1969) on, the cover illustration was a photograph by the author himself of a big rock in an otherwise empty landscape, with a backpacker far in the background. Major revisions were introduced in the eleventh printing (1973), and the fifteenth printing (1979) introduced more than 250 revisions, in addition to another new cover photograph, again by the author, this time of a stream of water with stones and little rocks in it. Hereafter no more revisions were introduced. During the author's life the number of printings totalled twenty-five.


Reception

Some of the first reviewers criticized the construction of the novel, taking the death of Arne as its climax and considering the subsequent pages superfluous. Within a few years the book was widely accepted as a masterpiece. In 1967 the Jan Campert Foundation (Jan Campertstichting) awarded the author the Vijverberg Prize of 2,500 guilders for ''Beyond Sleep''. In characteristic sarcastic fashion, Hermans wrote a letter requesting the jury "to be so good to donate this small sum to Food for India", adding: "I will write a novel about he juryentitled ''Good Night, Sleep Tight''." The Swedish translation of 1977 led literary critic Rolf Yrlid to wonder out loud when the
Nobel Prize for Literature ) , image = Nobel Prize.png , caption = , awarded_for = Outstanding contributions in literature , presenter = Swedish Academy , holder = Annie Ernaux (2022) , location = Stockholm, Sweden , year = 1901 , ...
would go to the Netherlands. The German translation of 1982 led critic Joseph Quack to praise the abundance of "sparkling observations" and "a compelling story". The novel is a staple for generations of Dutch high school students, and is praised for its prose style as well, the opening sentence ("The porter is disabled.") hailed as one of the best opening sentences in Dutch literature. In a 2002 poll, members of the Society for Dutch Literature ranked ''Beyond Sleep'' ninth in the Dutch canon of literary works (Hermans's '' The Darkroom of Damocles'' ranked fifth), and third in the canon since 1900 (with ''Darkroom'' ranking second, after
Gerard Reve Gerard Kornelis van het Reve (14 December 1923 – 8 April 2006) was a Dutch writer. He started writing as Simon Gerard van het Reve and adopted the shorter Gerard Reve in 1973. Together with Willem Frederik Hermans and Harry Mulisch, he i ...
's ''
De Avonden ''The Evenings: A Winter's Tale'' (Dutch: ''De avonden: Een winterverhaal'') is a debut novel by Dutch author Gerard Reve released in November 1947 under the pseudonym "Simon van het Reve". The novel describes ten evenings out of the life of the ...
''). Reviewing the English translation
Michel Faber Michel Faber (born 13 April 1960) is a Dutch-born writer of English-language fiction, including his 2002 novel ''The Crimson Petal and the White''. His latest book is a novel for young adults, ''D—A Tale of Two Worlds, D: A Tale of Two Worlds'' ...
wrote in ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'': "In the original Dutch, Hermans's prose is bracingly lucid and straightforward, justifying his reputation as a champion of unadorned style. Ina Rilke's translation is fluent and finds clever solutions to tough challenges (such as preserving the comic effect of conversations in which English is the foreign language), but overall the tone is more formal, more prim than it should be. ... ''Beyond Sleep'' is an engaging yarn once it hits its stride, intermittently thought-provoking, frequently funny, well worth investigating."


Film version

In September 2013 ''
NRC Handelsblad ''NRC'', previously called ''NRC Handelsblad'' (), is a daily morning newspaper published in the Netherlands by NRC Media. It is generally accepted as a newspaper of record in the Netherlands. History ''NRC Handelsblad'' was first published on 1 ...
'' reported that the movie rights for an international, English-language production to be directed by Boudewijn Koole ('' Kauwboy'') had been sold. On January 27, 2016 the English language film version, under the title ''Beyond Sleep'', premiered at the
Rotterdam Film Festival The International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) is an annual film festival held at the end of January in various locations in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. Since its foundation in 1972, it has maintained a focus on independent and experimental fi ...
. The film was directed by Boudewijn Koole, with
Reinout Scholten van Aschat Reinout Scholten van Aschat (born 9 November 1989) is a Dutch actor. Career Between 2005 and 2009 he played the role of Roderick Lodewijkx in the television series '' Gooische Vrouwen''. He also played this character in the 2014 film '' Gooi ...
in the lead. It received mixed reviews.


References

{{reflist


Sources


Textual Studies

* Janssen, Frans A. en Sonja van Stek (in Dutch). (2005)
Bibliographical Description of all Editions of ''Beyond Sleep''.
Frans A. Janssen en Sonja van Stek, ''Het bibliografische universum van Willem Frederik Hermans'' 'The Bibliographical Universe of Willem Frederik Hermans'' Tweede, herziene en uitgebreide versie in samenwerking met Peter Kegel, Willem Frederik Hermans Instituut, 2005, 122-134. * Editors of the Huygens ING (in Dutch)
Textual History, Adopted Readings and Emendations in ''Beyond Sleep'' (1966)


Criticism

* Boef, August Hans den (in Dutch). (1984). ook detailing the Plot Summary, Structure, Style, Themes, Reception, Publication History.''Over'' Nooit meer slapen ''van Willem Frederik Hermans''. Amsterdam: De Arbeiderspers. * Haasse, Hella S. (in Dutch). (2000)
'Lethal Ice and Heavenly Stones.'
In: Hella S. Haasse, ''Lezen achter de letters'', Querido, Amsterdam, 2000, 153-182. * Janssen, Frans A (in Dutch). (1985).
"Hermans, Willem Frederik."
G.J. van Bork and P.J. Verkruijsse, ''The Dutch and Flemish Authors from Medieval Times to the Present, Including the Frisian Authors''. Weesp: De Haan. * Raat, G.F.H. (in Dutch). (1989).

In: Wilbert Smulders (red.), ''Verboden toegang. Essays over het werk van Willem Frederik Hermans gevolgd door een vraaggesprek met de schrijver''. De Bezige Bij, Amsterdam 1989, p. 204-228. Retrieved 1 September 2014. * Valk, Arno van der (in Dutch). (2002). econstruction of Hermans's travels to Spain, Sweden, Norway, South-Africa, and more.''Hermans: Het grootste gelijk buiten Nederland''. Soesterberg: UItgeverij Aspekt. 1966 novels 20th-century Dutch novels Literary works by Willem Frederik Hermans De Bezige Bij books