''Naïve. Super.'' (Original title: ''Naiv.Super.'') is a

novel A novel is an extended work of narrative fiction usually written in prose and published as a book. The word derives from the for 'new', 'news', or 'short story (of something new)', itself from the , a singular noun use of the neuter plural of ...

by the Norwegian author

Erlend Loe Erlend Loe (24 May 1969, Trondheim) is a Norwegian novelist, screenwriter and film critic. Loe writes both children's and adult literature. He has gained popularity in Scandinavia with his humorous and sometimes naïve novels, although his storie ...

. It was first published in 1996 in Norwegian, and proved to be very popular. In 2006, it was on the newspaper ''

Dagbladet () is one of Norway's largest newspapers and is published in the Tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid format. It has 1,400,000 daily readers on mobile, web and paper. Traditionally it was considered the main liberal newspaper of Norway, with a ...

''s list of the best Norwegian novels 1981–2006. The novel has since been translated into more than 30 other languages. Tor Ketil Solberg translated the novel into English.

Plot synopsis

The story is narrated by a man in his mid-twenties who suddenly becomes disillusioned and confused by life and therefore quits university. The narrator becomes fascinated by modern scientific theories of both time and relativity. He reads a book by

Paul Davies Paul Charles William Davies (born 22 April 1946) is an English physicist, writer and broadcaster, a professor in Arizona State University and director of BEYOND: Center for Fundamental Concepts in Science. He is affiliated with the Institute ...

, exchanges faxes with his meteorologist friend Kim, and also engages in repetitive childish activities such as playing with wooden

BRIO Brio (stylized BRIO) is a wooden toy company founded in Sweden. The company was founded in the small town of Boalt, Scania, Götaland in 1884 by Basket making, basket maker Ivar Bengtsson. For a long time the company was based in Osby, Scania, in ...

children's toys and repeatedly throwing a ball against a wall. In the end, the narrator visits his brother in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

and returns to Norway with a renewed sense of meaning in life. While the narrator's name remains unknown throughout the novel, the author uses his own name at the end of the book, raising questions about the true narrative standpoint throughout the text.

Chapters

The novel is broken up into 45 chapters, each approximately 4-5 pages in length.

References

1996 Norwegian novels 20th-century Norwegian novels Books by Erlend Loe Novels set in Norway Philosophical novels {{1990s-philos-novel-stub