It all started when Mariann’s Spanish grandfather met his love in Morocco in the thirties. But another woman was waiting for him back home, and his sense of duty forced him to return to Barcelona.
Many years later his daughter Maria, leaves home. She has met the young Norwegian architect Leif in Barcelona. Together they settle in the old wooden villa Leif has inherited in Oslo. They get three children: Mariann, Victoria and Felix. Maria fills their home with beautiful song and her high tempered being, but gradually she is overcome with homesickness and loss.
The giant wooden villa shelters all their stories, even the lovely voices of the unborn children of the family.
Brit Bildøen
Tove K. Breistein
Brit Bildøen (b. 1962) is one of Norway’s most beloved and well acclaimed authors.
Bildøen made her literary debut in 1991 with a collection of poetry «Bilde av menn» (Pictures of men). In 1998 she had her literary breakthrough with the novel «Tvillingfeber» (Twin fever). For this she was nominated to the Brage prize for best novel and awarded the Oslo prize and Nynorsk literary prize. For her third novel, «Landfastlykke» (Landlocked), 2001, she was awarded the Melsom Prize and Sigmund Skard-scholarship. Both her last novels «Alt som er» (All there is), 2004, and «Mitt milde vesen» (My gentle self), 2006, have been praised by the critics.
Bildøen has translated several novels and children’s books, and is also a children’s books author herself.