Herbjørg Wassmo

The House with the Blind Glass Windows

Huset med den blinde glassveranda

Tora is the child of a Norwegian mother and a German soldier who died during the war. She lives a life in the shadows of her mother’s shame and sorrow and is always afraid of her stepfather’s aggressive hands. In this way she has experiences there are no words to cover.

The Tora trilogy contributes to a Norwegian realistic tradition about the coming of age of the unusual and artistic child. However, the voice of Ms Wassmo has a particular poetic and evocative power and her knowledge of the human mind is impressive. In the Tora trilogy she describes the disintegration of the small human being and her fight for dignity.

Wassmo huset med den blinde glassveranda hd
Wassmo, herbjørg photo rolf m. aagaard
Photo: Rolf M. Aagaard

Herbjørg Wassmo (b. 1942) made her début in 1976 with a collection of poetry. Her breakthrough came with the first novel about Tora, The House with the Blind Glass Windows (Huset med den blinde glassveranda) 1981, followed by two volumes forming the Tora Trilogy. These books contribute to a Norwegian realistic tradition about the coming of age of the unusual and artistic child.
The voice of Mrs. Wassmo has a poetic and evocative power, taking the reader very close to the disintegration of the small human being and her fight for dignity.