Over the New Year period some friends and I went to the Faroe Islands for a short holiday. These are a remote group of islands to the north of Scotland (although it’s an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark.) We wanted to go somewhere unique and remote. Often when I travel to new places I like to find translated literature from that location to read while I'm there. So I was delighted to discover “The Old Man and His Sons” which is a Faroese novel first published in 1940. The author grew up in a small village in the Faroes at a time when there was a generational shift from traditional self-contained living where people primarily sustained themselves to a more outward-looking market economy. The story reflects this transition following a few months in the life of Ketil and his wife, an older couple who live in a simple old dwelling. Their children have all grown and started families of their own except for their youngest son Kalvur who is regarded as simple-minded. The older couple find themselves financially strained when Ketil impulsively purchases a large quantity of whale meat at an auction. As the date they have to pay the bill grows near, they desperately try to find ways to earn extra money and bicker with their children who still sponge off from them.
It was wonderful reading this while actually staying on the islands as it brought the atmospheric descriptions within the story to life. There are frequent references to the strong winds and unpredictable weather which is certainly still true as some nights we felt like the windows were going to break because the wind blows so strong there. Having visited a few villages I can also understand why the characters live such isolated lives as there are many clusters of houses tucked away within the fjords. Ketil’s wife (who is oddly never named) hasn’t left their village in many years and Ketil resists going to the capital of Torshavn because he resents that people there will expect him to use a fork. It was fascinating reading about the details of their lives which involve a lot of hard manual labour and, though there is a strong sense of community, many of the people seem to possess a toughened sense of independence and pride.
This is a beautiful short video my friend Eric McFarland made which captured our trip.
The crux of the story focuses on the generational conflicts and differing values between the older citizens who prefer traditional ways and the newer generation who actively seek out economic and technological advancements. This isn’t a new theme, but it’s well executed and given a special resonance because it feels like very little changed on these islands for many centuries until some modern leaps took place in the mid-20th century. Both Ketil and his wife may be stubborn characters, but they are very endearing and I found many of their scenes quite funny and touching. There’s also a tenderness conveyed in how both generations care and look after their family members which shows how (despite possessing different values) there is an enduring commitment to each other. This was the perfect novel to read while travelling around these isolated and beautiful group of islands.
