OCCUPATION OF NORWAY IN AKSEL SANDEMOSE’S NOVEL “THE PAST IS A DREAM“

Abstract

The Second World War was one of the greatest tragedies of the 20th century. It has profoundly changed the course of history, claiming millions of lives. Not surprisingly, it was depicted in the works of numerous writers and poets who sought to understand the causes and origins of fascism. The theme of war is one of the key themes in the creative heritage of the Danish-Norwegian writer Aksel Sandemose (1899–1965). Throughout all his literary career, he was trying to understand the irrational behaviour of people and was passionately willing to find out the structure of the society that brings up murderers. In his understanding, Nazi Germany was an extreme example of evil, aggression and stupidity that he blamed in the description of the city of Jante in the novel “A Fugitive Crosses His Tracks” (“En flyktning krysser sitt spor”, 1933). In the novel “The Past is a Dream” (“Det svundne er en drøm”, 1944), the writer continues to develop this theme that penetrates all his works. The writer unconditionally denounces fascism in it; the relations between the people are presented in the novel through the prism of wartime. The theme of people’s choice when they are acting under pressure of certain circumstances and are placed in specific historical framework is of great interest, since A. Sandemose has his own view on the events. This novel is more optimistic than any other opus of other Norwegian authors devoted to these dramatic events. According to the point of view of the writer, individualism, disunity and indifference lead humanity to war and strife. Portraying a whole gallery of characters which are far from being ideal and full of all kinds of shortcomings, the writer draws attention to the fact that all of them, excepting only one person, live and act true to their conscience. The author emphasizes that during the Nazi occupation, people understood that not everything can be bought for money. Things such as honour, courage, and love for native land could not be sold.