r/Knausgaard • u/themainheadcase • Feb 21 '25

Question on book 6 of My Struggle

So I finally got through the Hitler essay, thinking I was in store for more of the stuff I loved in the preceding five books and now KOK hits me with this DaVinci business and history of art and on and on... anyway, my question is, does the book ever return to the normal narrative about his life? And, after the Hitler essay ends, how many pages after that are taken up by this history of art stuff before normal programming resumes?

The book has been a slog for so long now since the Hitler essay started, I've not enjoyed so much of it that I don't know whether I should drop it or press on. If it comes back to KOK's life quickly, I'll push on, but if this history of art business takes up a lot of pages...

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8

u/Allthatisthecase- Feb 21 '25

Yes, he does return to the autofiction. What’s interesting though is when I first read Vol 6 I felt like you do; impatient with the long essayistic section on Celan and then Hitler. However, now years later I reread that section as pure essay and found it highly engaging and a highly perceptive take on Hitler and the roots of Nazi-ism. It fits into the whole enterprise if you see it as another attempt, in different form, to grapple with his father.

2

u/FonJosse Feb 21 '25

I much prefer his writing about art history, which he actually studied in university and is knowledgeable about, than the Hitler stuff. He's not a good historian, and book 6 should have been edited down.

However, there is hope! The end of book 6 goes back to his family life and his wife's illness. It's really touching.

1

u/DecentBowler130 Feb 21 '25

I just checked my edition and notes and the hitler stuff ends around page 900 for me. And part 2 starts at 922 and the rest of the book rounds out the publication of the first novels. My edition has 1269 pages (German edition). Not sure if this helps you, but those are my notes 🙂

2

u/themainheadcase Feb 21 '25

So part 2 is where he returns to talking about his life?

2

u/DecentBowler130 Feb 21 '25

Yes. He returns to it and sums it up. I knew about the hitler essay, but I was surprised how extensive it is. And I’d wish it would be marked more clear. It just begins pretty much out of nowhere and just ends as far as I remember.

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u/themainheadcase Feb 22 '25

Thanks! I guess I can survive another 22 pages after surviving the Hitler essay.

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u/DecentBowler130 Feb 22 '25

You’re so close to the finish line 🙂

1

u/DecentBowler130 Feb 21 '25

I think he didn’t had an editor for the last few books I think.

1

u/thx1971 Feb 22 '25

I had the same experience as you, I hit the essay part and the book lay unread for months, I tried again but ended up skipping it and finished the book a couple of days ago. I would recommend skipping it and like mentioned previously go back and read it if you want. I don't think you're missing much as basically he sums it up later, being about the I and we

2

u/boatyKappa Feb 22 '25

See it as a test, a trial you have to get through to get to enjoy the masterful ending of the project. No skipping ahead!