Byatt’s writing has a wonderful ability to embrace these complex words. Many, like Ginnungagap and Jörmungandr do not ‘fit’ into English (not that anyone should expect them to), and draw attention to the inherent falsity of translation. Often with Norse myth adaptations I find the distinctly non-anglicised names steal attention from the rest of the prose for their unusual pronounciation. ‘Puss in Boots, Baba Yaga, brownies, pucks and fairies, foolish and dangerous, nymphs, dryads, hydras and the white winged horse, Pegasus, all these offered the pleasure to the mind that the unreal offers when it is briefly more real than the visible world can ever be.’ It’s also about as lyrical as a novel can be before it shifts from prose to poetry, and sings with the wisdom of a mature and talented writer.
Succinct, clever, and well-written, it’s a good example in how to write about yourself without writing a book just about you. I knew several aspects of the tale, but this was the first time everything was connected for me, from Yggdrasil to Loki in his chains. It’s the Norse version of the apocalypse, but it’s also the semi-autobiographical story of a young girl who believes her father will die in the Second World War.īyatt’s Ragnarok is actually my first encounter with a more descriptive version of the myth than can be found on its Wikipedia page. For a book about the end of everything, this is a lovely piece of literature.
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