Skip to main content

Review: In a Dark Wood Wandering, by Hella Haasse


In a Dark Wood Wandering is the story of the Valois family, from the late 14th century through the mid-15th. Charles, Duke of Orleans, is the focal point of the story, however, and the novel follows his life from birth, though childhood, early adulthood, the battle at Agincourt, his imprisonment in England, and finally his retirement and death.

It’s a rather long, complicated novel, complicated further still by the complicated political situation. The author goes into some depth about politics, but still I found this novel deeply engrossing. Charles himself is an unusual character; he’s mostly an observer as opposed to an active participant in what happens. As Charles himself says, “it is my misfortune that I am neither a great man nor an able leader,” but the intrigue of Charles’s character is his courage, especially during the battle of Agincourt. Haasse takes a lot on by writing about Charles’s entire life, but she does so quite capably here. The other characters, however, aren’t so well drawn, and I would have liked to have heard more about his half brother, Dunois. Still, I loved the imagery the author uses. It’s a complex novel of love and betrayal, as the ruling families of Europe find themselves at war.

The story behind the translation of this book is quite amazing. Written in Dutch in 1949, the book was translated into English by a postal employee in Chicago who learned Dutch by studying dictionaries. Later, the translator, whose name was Lewis Kaplan, had health issues, passed away, and the manuscript lay around his house for another twenty years, during which it was nearly destroyed by a fire. Kaplan’s son then sent the book to a publisher. The original title of this book apparently translates into “The Forest of Long Awaiting,” which was a common theme in medieval literature (Orleans’s poem can be found on pages 421-22). Other reviewers have said that this title is better than In a Dark Wood Wandering; I agree.

Comments

Amy said…
I'm not sure this kind of read is my cup of tea, but I really like the title. :)
Meghan said…
I have really been wanting to read this one for a long time! Complex politics are okay with me and I'd love a novel that features a French guy rather than more Englishmen. I have so many books to read, though, that I will probably wait until Christmas and save some money.

Meghan @ Medieval Bookworm
Sarah Johnson said…
I read In a Dark Wood Wandering some time ago and really enjoyed it. I wish more authors would write about this period of French history.
Teddy Rose said…
Thanks for bringing my attention to this book. I sounds like one for me.

Popular posts from this blog

Another giveaway

This time, the publicist at WW Norton sent me two copies of The Glass of Time , by Michael Cox--so I'm giving away the second copy. Cox is the author of The Meaning of Night, and this book is the follow-up to that. Leave a comment here to enter to win it! The deadline is next Sunday, 10/5/08.

A giveaway winner, and another giveaway

The winner of the Girl in a Blue Dress contest is... Anna, of Diary of An Eccentric ! My new contest is for a copy of The Shape of Mercy , by Susan Meissner. According to Publisher's Weekly : Meissner's newest novel is potentially life-changing, the kind of inspirational fiction that prompts readers to call up old friends, lost loves or fallen-away family members to tell them that all is forgiven and that life is too short for holding grudges. Achingly romantic, the novel features the legacy of Mercy Hayworth—a young woman convicted during the Salem witch trials—whose words reach out from the past to forever transform the lives of two present-day women. These book lovers—Abigail Boyles, elderly, bitter and frail, and Lauren Lars Durough, wealthy, earnest and young—become unlikely friends, drawn together over the untimely death of Mercy, whose precious diary is all that remains of her too short life. And what a diary! Mercy's words not only beguile but help Abigail and Lars

Six Degrees of Barbara Pym's Novels

This year seems to be The Year of Barbara Pym; I know some of you out there are involved in some kind of a readalong in honor of the 100th year of her birth. I’ve read most of her canon, with only The Sweet Dove Died, Civil to Strangers, An Academic Question, and Crampton Hodnet left to go (sadly). Barbara Pym’s novels feature very similar casts of characters: spinsters, clergymen, retirees, clerks, and anthropologists, with which she had direct experience. So it stands to reason that there would be overlaps in characters between the novels. You can trace that though the publication history of her books and therefore see how Pym onionizes her stories and characters. She adds layers onto layers, adding more details as her books progress. Some Tame Gazelle (1950): Archdeacon Hoccleve makes his first appearance. Excellent Women (1952): Archdeacon Hoccleve gives a sermon that is almost incomprehensible to Mildred Lathbury; Everard Bone understands it, however, and laughs