(THIS ARTICLE IS MACHINE TRANSLATED by Google from Norwegian)
Spring is the third book in the series by Scottish writer, playwright and journalist Ali Smith's so-called seasonal quartet. First out was Autumn (2016), then Winter (2017) – and Summer expected in March 2020. The common denominator for the books is that they are written four months before publication. In this way, the content reflects a political contemporary. Winter, for example, released in November's 2017, revolves around Donald Trump's statement from July of that year: "We're going to start saying 'Merry Christmas' again." Spring Smith highlights global anti-immigration policy.
Migrantkrise
The story of Spring is told through four central characters: the film director Richard Lease, who in 1922 makes a film about the writers Katherine Mansfield (1888 – 1923) and Rainer Maria Rilke (1875 – 1926); Officer Brittany Hall, who works at a detention center; the unemployed librarian Alda Lyons, who lives in an unused coffee truck; and twelve-year-old Florence, who ties the whole story and characters together.
The Aha experiences continue through all the 336 tightly packed
pages.
In this novel, the main themes are the migrant crisis and homelessness among the people of the world. Although Brexit is not mentioned a single time and is only referred to Donald Trump three times, I get associations with both when I read about refugees stranded in the detention center where one (of the four) literary figures, Brittany Hall, works .
Smith writes: "I look at Trump now, I see them all, the new world tyrants, all the leaders of the packs, the racists, the white supremacists, the new crusader rabble-rousers holding forth, the thugs all over the world, and what I think is, all that too solid flesh. It'll melt away, like snow in May. ”The conclusion is that, among other things, these tyrants are to blame for global anti-immigration policy today.
The overall critical situation, on the other hand, is primarily about our climate – nationalism does not matter when the planet slowly but surely burns up anyway (unless we act now!).
The magic of chance
Each novel in the Seasonal Quartet refers to Shakespeare's plays – i Spring is it Pericles (c. 1609). In each of the books an artist is also mentioned: Autumn it's pop artist Pauline Boty (1938-1966); in Winter sculptor Barbara Hepworth (1903–1975); and in Spring it is the artist Tacita Dean (b. 1965).
In particular, Dean's drawings of clouds are highlighted – one of them, entitled "Why Cloud," is printed on the last page of the book. With a little more research I find that it is not a mere coincidence that this particular drawing is chosen – the words "Why Cloud" turn out to be derived from Pericles. And in this way, the aha experiences continue throughout the 336 tightly packed pages.
Smith's love of chance connections feels like magic. The way she builds her lyrics is unique. The structure is fluid and unconventional. As I land in the story, suddenly comes a text reminiscent of a political speech with long sentences, a list, an abstract poem or a text in the months of March and April. These violations make it difficult to grasp the story. But it does not matter, because even if there is not one story, it is told – and that is where the magic lies.
Smith's constructed coincidence exists not only in the novel, but also in my encounter with the novel – as a reader. I get a kind of meta-feeling where I sit inside my sunlit apartment one March day and read the text about the month of March. She writes: "March. The cold shoulder of spring. Month of madnesses and unexpected mellownesses, month of new life. ”
The novel concludes with a text about April, creating an expectation for the month I have in store – "April the anarchic, the final month, of spring, the great connective."
The children are our hope
Coincidence continues to play its magic. Spring represents hope, new life and new beginnings – just like our children. Children are our future, and we believe that they can save the world. Twelve-year-old Florence stands for hope. She infiltrates the detention center Brittany is working on, and they go on a train trip to Scotland, where they also meet Richard and Alda for an impromptu road trip. She ties the characters and the novel together.
Florence is based on our own reality. She is the 16-year-old Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, who has inspired children all over the world to go on strike for the climate. They open our eyes, gather people. Florence frees prisoners, she persuades the bureaucrats to have spring cleaning in the prisons, and she releases teenage prostitutes. She seems to have supernatural powers – just like Greta.
