Trafika Europe 1 - Northern Idyll

The Brahmadells: A North Atlantic Chronicle (excerpt)

Jóanes Nielson

Jóanes Nielsen (b. 1953) is one of the most popular authors in the Faroe Islands. He has published three novels, eight collections of poetry, two plays and several short stories and essays. He has been nominated for the Nordic Literature Prize for the fifth time with this novel.

The Brahmadells is a history of two families on the Faroe Islands from the middle of the 18th century through today.

“What makes Faroese so unique is that the population speaking it is so small and the language has been isolated for hundreds of years. Faroese is very close to the Old Norse, so some ancient sounds are preserved in the language just as others are in Icelandic. Every town has its own dialect."

‒ Durita Dahl Djurhuus, The Guardian

Translated from Faroese by Kerri Pierce.

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