REVIEW: Abandoned House by The Sea/Rumah Kosong Di tepi Laut
By Adziah Aziz
A brief biography of Knut Odegard, states that he was born in Molde, Norway in 1945 and started writing since 1967 which in a way brought him success to his published books. Knut Ordegard, had been internationally recognized with high quality poems whilst his poetry books were translated into 42 languages. And Siti Ruqaiyah Hashim’s translation of Knut Odegard’s poems into Malay language makes it 43. He is also a highly decorated writer and had received many awards from Norway and overseas.
According to Prof. Jeton Kelmendi PhD, a member of European Academy of Science and Arts, Knut Odegard’s poetry is like a mountain filled with all kinds of plant, encompass a wide variety of styles, approaches, and themes, making him a brilliant poet.
To Siti Ruqaiyah Hashim, a Malaysian poet, she sees Knut Odegard as a comrade and a poet who has a deep poetic thoughts. She had been translating and working with his poems since she first met him in Ulan Batar, Mongolia in 2017.
Now, to me as a reviewer,(I knew him through media and from a circle of close friends,) whom I defined as an authentic poet who worked hard and active in his world of writing. Knut Odegard, I see him as a prominent Norwegian poet, has a rich body of work that delves deeply into themes of nature and human experiences. I had already read his poems in Malay language translated by Ruqaiyah Hashim and based on the title of Knut Odegard’s poem in the ‘Abandoned House by The Sea/Rumah Kosong Di Tepi Laut,’ I would presume him as a poet who is deeply attuned to both the natural world and human experience. His work seems to weave together elements of everyday life, existential reflection, and a sense of place which I guess the average reader may not be familiar with. Reading his poems is like reading his mind where his poetry seems to blend nature, memory and everyday life through updated and nature poetry genres. His work is definitely and deeply influenced by Norwegian landscapes, Christianity and also cultural traditions.
Let’s break down Knut Odegard’s poetry focusing on themes, genres, figures of speech and cultural context.
Through his poems entitled ‘Rain In Our Land,’
The hills hang grief-heavy
In our inland, brother.
Dry here.
Hot here.
suggest a strong connection to nature, weather and landscapes, possibly reflecting Norwegian natural beauty and climate.
His poems such as, ‘Summer Evening in Our Village,’ in the first stanza, depicted the harshness and beauty of nature, symbolizing the emotions, isolation
Grief-burdened houses bow
their heads against the slow blowing winds,
the helpless cries
From the sea of loneliness
Rubbed out
‘November Storm and ’Earth, Stars.’ has a deep engagement with nature and the landscapes around him which captures the beauty, power, and changing moods of the environment, grounding his work in a strong sense of place. The poems seems to bring back nostalgia or renewal and indicates that Knut Odegard had brought the theme of nature and environment into his writing.
Another poems of Knut Odegard are ‘Old Poet,’ ‘We Moved Beehives Out There,’ ‘Signals,’ and ‘Secret Things Go Slowly,’ will presumably reveal the poet interest in aging, transformation, and the passage of time that can let the readers explore how personal and collectives memories shape identity and human experience.
As it stands, Knut Odegard’s poems are beautifully written, by reading it, readers can also find the poetry as in an ordinary life, focusing on the small, often unnoticed moments in his multiple range of poems as in ‘Women Who Serve In Shop,’ ‘Girl in a Watchmaker Shop,’ ‘Paper Clip,’ and ‘At Home.’ His poetry might reflect on working-class experiences, relationships, and routines, giving dignity to the mundane.
Furthermore, I like the readers to know that Knut Odegard’s poetry may be inspired by Christian traditions, reflecting Norway’s cultural and historical ties to Christianity. This can be found in his line of poems such as in ‘God’s Breath,’ in the 2nd stanza
Well then, maybe the fields here
Are God’s skin, said Little Knut.
And the air here is God’s breath?
Also in the first line at the 2nd stanza of the poem,‘In The Chapel,’
In the chapel we sit bowed together
And weep over him who is gone…
the 4th stanza in the ‘Feast,’
Come, everyone, said Jesus too:
Everyone here, to my table.
He did not say: only for Catholics, or
Only for Lutherans
and ‘ About Visions and Voice,’ in the 6 row of the 8th stanza. Religious and mystical themes could be central to Knut Odegard’s work, possibly exploring faith, doubt, divine presence, and existential questions.
But I am just a heavy turd.
Now God will soon pull on the string so that I
Will be flushed down the hell.
And reviewing Knut Odegard’s poetry, I realize that it spans multiple genres, including modernist or updated poetry which embraces free verse, personal symbolism, and deep introspection. Then there are also the nature poetry- capturing landscapes and seasons, often infused with human emotions; and Philosophical Poetry which addressing existential themes, memory and time.
When reviewing Knut Odegard’s poetry, I found his figures of speech used in his poetry were more to using rich literary devices like firstly, metaphor & symbolism in his poems; another poem is ‘Signal,’ that might represent fate, communication, or missed opportunities while ‘Paper Clip,’ could symbolize order, human connection, or fragility.
Second is personafication in titles like both poems, ‘November Storm,’ and ‘ Earth, Stars,’ which suggest that natural elements are given human-like qualities to convey emotions or moods.
Third is imagery where vivid descriptions of landscapes, weather, and everyday life helps create strong experiences for the reader. Fourth is paradox & contrast which located in ‘Secret Things Go Slowly,’ that suggests something hidden but can be seen as a gradual unfolding, creating a mysterious effect.
Talking about Cultural context of Knut Odegard’s poetry, I literally detect it and would elaborate to three points that are easily named as Norwegian Identity & Landscape, Influence of Christianity & Mysticism and Everyday life & Scandinavian Minimalism.
Before ending my review, I would like to pick up and do a deeper analysis on one of the poems that is also the title of the poem book, ‘Abandoned House by The Sea/Rumah Kosong Di Tepi Laut.’ This poem evokes a powerful sense of desolation, memory and mystery, using haunting imagery and a connection to nature to be able to create an almost ghostly atmosphere. The ‘Broken windows’ and ‘Wind that goes… room after room’ suggest an abandoned space left to nature’s forces. The house, once inhabited, is now lifeless, echoing a broader theme of neglect and passage of time.
This poem had touched my heart and it personifies the house as if it retains echoes of past lives. The line ‘ dead shines through our faces in sleep,’ implies a lingering presence of those who once lived there, suggesting themes of memory, dreams, and the way the past stays with us.
Going through the line ‘big motionless house by the sea’ stands as a lonely figure, almost as if it has its own identity. The setting by the sea adds to the feelings of isolation which readers will take it as reinforcing the theme of solitude and mystery.
I can say that the genre of this poem is more to modernist poetry as it focuses on atmosphere and vivid imagery rather than strict narrative.
Viewing them as to figure out the figures of speech and literary devices had me, myself wonder for its Personaficationthat can be known by the line ‘creaks on the stairs, feels with a stiff hand over looking glasses.’ which had been described almost like a living thing. The imagery and sensory language were aligned along the poem strong visual (broken window, white look through rooms), and auditory (creaks on the stairs), and tactile ( stiff hand over looking glasses) experiences, pulling the readers into the abandoned space. Metaphor & Symbolism of the poem can be ditched on ‘ the dead shines through our faces in sleep.’ which memories of the past can influence the present, or how death lingers even in the living. The abandoned house may symbolize lost time or even aspects of the poet’s own mind.
The house by the sea is more than just a decaying building, it is a symbol of the past, memory and even death. The poet seems to suggest that abandoned places hold onto traces of life, and in dreams, we sometimes return to them. The house might reflect a state of mind, perhaps loneliness, nostalgia or unresolved emotions and with the tone and mood filled with haunting, melancholic and nostalgic.
In conclusion, I believe that Knut Ordegard’s poetry seems to blend nature, memory, spirituality, and everyday life through modernist and nature poetry genres. He also uses metaphors, imagery and personafication to create layered meanings. His writing likely carries both a lyrical and philosophicsl quality, allowing readers on their own lives while appreciating the beauty and complexity of the world aroud them.
Th ank you
– Adziah Abd Aziz
24/2/2025
NOTE: Siti Ruqaiyah Hashim (actual name Rokiah Hashim) is an international writer and translator from Malaysia. Besides her own poetry collections books (in Malay language and English) she translated many poems published in her WORLD PEACE POEM ANTHOLOGY SERIES: NEWS FROM STRASBOURG/KABAR DARI STRASBOURG, PEACE BE UPON YOU DAVOS/ SALAM UNTUK DAVOS AND PRAYERS FOR AISHA LULU/DOA UNTUK AISHA LULU. She also translated and published poetry collection of Shaip Emerllahu from Tetovo, Macedonia titled EPAL TETOVO/ APPLES OF TETOVO, Jeton Kelmendi from Pristina, Kosovo titled CINTA DI MUSIM PERANG/LOVE IN A WAR TIMES.
Knut Odegard’s poems translated into English by Brian MacNee was translated into Malay language titled ABANDONED HOUSE BY THE SEA/RUMAH KOSONG DI TEPI LAUT was published as an e-book recently by Ivan Grahovec from Cakovec, Croatia. Link: https://online.anyflip.com/almmb/opnz/mobile/index.html.
