Jon Fosse, "Morning and Evening"

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Jon Fosse, (중편) "Mornig and Evening" (2000; Damion Searls 영역본 2015)

 

영어로 옮긴이 Searls의 말대로 제목을 "Daybreak, Nightfall"로 해도 좋겠다. 마침표가 없는 특이한 문체로, Johannes의 탄생을 다룬 1부(16쪽)와 그의 마지막 날을 다룬 2부(81쪽)가 각각 긴긴 한 문장씩인 듯 읽히는데, 읽기를 중단하기 어렵고 책을 빨리 다 읽게 된다. 연극 보는 느낌이 들기도 하면서 작가가 소설가이면서 희곡 작가인 것을 상기하게 된다. 

 

"This short, powerful novella opens with the birth of Johannes, whose parents hope he will become a fisherman like his father. Years later, as an old man, Johannes reflects on his family and close friendships. (Yes, he did end up becoming a fisherman.)"  -- 뉴욕 타임즈, "A Guide to Fosse's Work"에서.

 

 

아래는 본문에서:

 

"... Johannes thinks, and he starts to walk up to his house, just a short ways to go now and then he'll go around the hill and then a bit farther straight ahead and then it'll be his house, Johannes thinks, and he walks up the road and now if only Erna would be there when he got home it would all be good, Johannes thinks, but for her to have died before him, no, that wasn't right, Johannes thinks, and didn't he promise Peter he would go up and see him? and cut his hair? yes he definitely did, Johannes thinks, so in that case he'll just have to go up and see petyer now, or maybe he should go home first and see if Erna is there, no how could he think that, Erna, she's been dead a long time, Erna, and then he thinks that he can just go home and Erna will be there, no, how could he think that, and Peter has just left in his boat so he can't have gotten home yet anyway, so how can he think he should go up and see Peter, no he is just not himself today, Johannes thinks, but then again he doesn't really have anything else to do besides go home, Johannes thinks ..." (p. 83)

 

"... and aren't they Erna's footsteps he's hearing? so Erna is coming to get him, yes, she is indeed, Johannes thinks, but it obviously can't be Erna coming toward him, that's obviously not possible, Johannes thinks, and the steps come closer and he stands there and then the footsteps stop in front of him

    Is that you, Johannes, Erna says then

    and Johannes feels joy go through him

    It's you, Erna, Johannes says

    Yes of course it's me, Erna says

    I was so worries about you, with the weather changing so suddenly, the wind picking up and it's getting so dark and I didn't know if you were still out on the water, she says

    No, I came back to shore before the weather changed, Johannes says

    Yes, good thing you did, Erna says

    Now let's get home, she says

    Let's, Johannes says

    Yes definitely, Erna says

    Here, take my hand, she says

    and Johannes takes Erna's hand and he feels that her hand is cold, her hand is not warm at all, and then Erna leads Johannes up the road ..." (p. 84)

 

한역본 "아침 그리고 저녁"이 궁금하다.

 

 

Los Angeles Review of Books: A Conversation with Jon Fosse