Melancholy I & II

Initially published separately and brought together here in a single volume, Melancholy I & II are essential entries in the oeuvre of one of the world’s most celebrated living writers. Fosse explores the life and work of Lars Hertervig (1830–1902), a troubled painter of dreamlike landscapes who was diagnosed with “melancholy” but is now widely regarded as a major Norwegian artist.

Melancholy I focuses on Hertervig's time as a student—a period he spent tortured by doubts about his artistic abilities and torn between his studies, his art, and his unrequited love, culminating in a mental breakdown. Melancholy II, marking an important shift in Fosse’s trademark stream-of-consciousness style, is narrated by Hertervig’s sister, slipping in time through memories of her brother on the day of her own death.