Tales of Two CountriesAlexander Lange KiellandOmniClassics · Literature
Tales of Two Countries
Alexander Lange KiellandKielland's short tales find uncomfortable social truths behind pleasing appearances.
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About the book
The ten stories in this collection move between sharply observed social scenes and more playful studies of feeling and self-importance. At the Fair looks beyond public entertainment toward what its cheerful surface conceals, while A Good Conscience tests the comfort of people who can afford to think well of themselves. Romance and Reality brings changing expectations about love into focus, and other pieces widen the range toward memory, youthful hope, and the relations between people differently placed in society. Kielland's economy gives small changes of perspective considerable force. William Archer's translation includes an introduction by H. H. Boyesen, who situates the tales within the author's development. Together they offer social criticism through concentrated narrative situations rather than a single continuous plot.
- Appearance and reality
- Social conscience
- Love and disillusion
Why read it
The concise stories reveal how a slight shift in viewpoint can expose an entire arrangement of privilege or illusion.
English translation by William Archer, with introduction by H. H. Boyesen