October Not Fiction Book Discussions

Autumn by Karl Ove Knausgaard is the first in a seasonal quartet of books, Seasonal Encyclopedia, addressed to his unborn daughter, contemplating the question, "What makes life worth living?" His answer is paying close attention to the ordinary things of our daily lives. "These astounding things, which you will soon encounter and see for yourself, are so easy to lose sight of, and there are almost as many ways of doing that as there are people. That is why I am writing this book for you. I want to show you the world, as it is, all around us, all the time. Only by doing so will I myself be able to glimpse it." In these sixty brief essays, nothing is beneath his consideration: apples, teeth, piss, chewing gum, fever, autumn leaves, lice, Van Gogh, tin cans, vomit.

What do you think? Is the premise, that these essays are addressed to an unborn child who has never experienced the world outside her mother's womb, believable? Which essays surprised or delighted you? Which were not as interesting? Do the essays seems to be a random assortment of topics, or did you discern a theme? Does the book amount to more than the sum of its parts? How do you think Knausgaard's complicated relationship with his own father inform these essays to his unborn child? What view of the world "as it is, all around us, all the time" emerges from these essays? How do the illustrations fit into the narrative? Have you read any of Knausgaard's massive six-volume autofiction My Struggle, the sixth volume of which was just published in the United States in September? How do Autumn and the other three volumes in the quartet compare in scope, style, and interest to My Struggle?

We hope you will join the conversation: Tuesday, October 2, at 6:30 p.m. at Main Library; Thursday, October 18, at 11:00 a.m. at West Ashley Branch Library; and here on the blog.