In the Land of the Cyclops

Book excerpt: Knausgaard’s struggle is still ongoing with In the Land of the Cyclops as he continues to navigate the fjord of truth between reality and experience “This, which we perhaps could call inexhaustible precision, is the goal of all art, and its essential legitimacy.” —Jessica Ferri, The Los Angeles Times In his first essay collection to be published in English, the New York Times bestselling author of the My Struggle series Karl Ove Knausgaard explores art, philosophy, and literature with piercing candor and remarkable erudition. Paired with full color-images, his essays render the shadowlands of Cindy Sherman’s photography, illuminate the depth of Stephen Gill’s eye, and tussle with the inner mechanics of Ingmar Bergman’s workbooks. In one essay he describes the figure of Francesca Woodman, arms coiled in birch bark and reaching up toward the sky—a tree. In another, he unearths Sally Mann’s photographs of decomposing corpses, so much so that branches and limbs, hair and grass, begin to harmonize. Each essay bristles with Knausgaard’s searing honesty and longing to authentically see, understand, and experience the world.