One of Us

Name: One of Us
ISBN: 9787532796267

奥斯娜·塞厄斯塔 / 钱思文Shanghai Translation Publishing House · ChinaDec 2024

4.3

Word count: 316K words
Chapters: 46
ISBN: 9787532796267

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Summary

On July 22, 2011, Anders Behring Breivik detonated a bomb outside the Norwegian prime minister's office in central Oslo, killing eight people. He then traveled to the island of Utøya, where he infiltrated a Norwegian Labour Party youth camp and killed another sixty-nine. In One of Us, journalist Åsne Seierstad tells the story of that terrible day and its aftermath with exquisite sensitivity. How did Breivik, from an affluent Oslo neighborhood, become Europe's most notorious terrorist? How did he carry out a shocking massacre single-handedly? How did a nation known for peace and prosperity respond? Seierstad traces Breivik's childhood, revealing how a boy who loved hip-hop and graffiti became consumed by right-wing activism, built a successful business through forgery, and finally became addicted to the internet, declaring himself commander of the Knights Templar and convinced he could save Europe from the threat of Islam and multiculturalism. Interwoven with Breivik's story are the lives of his principal victims, whose displacement, political awakening, and fateful journey to the island the author brings to light. In the book's epilogue, the author presents Breivik's public trial, where his stated views threw the proceedings into turmoil and left lawyers, psychologists, and the entire nation divided over whether he should be considered insane.

Editor's review

One of Us is a powerful work of nonfiction by Norwegian author and journalist Åsne Seierstad; the English edition, One of Us, has won several international awards. This is not a light novel but an in-depth investigation into the dark side of human nature. Set against the 2011 Utøya shooting in Norway, and drawing on years of follow-up interviews, the author offers a detailed and restrained analysis of the upbringing and ideological evolution of the perpetrator, Anders Behring Breivik, and of how this attack that shocked the world came about. With a journalist's precision, Seierstad interweaves personal tragedy with social, political, and cultural context, exploring extremism, identity, and social alienation—heavy but vital issues. Reading this book gives you not only an understanding of a specific event but also a way of thinking about the complex causes behind extreme violence. The author avoids simple moral judgment and instead guides readers to examine how a “monster” is made and what role the society we live in plays in that process. The narrative is calm, the material well documented, and the reflection it leaves is long and piercing.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in Nordic society, politics, and the predicaments of modernity
Readers who enjoy in-depth nonfiction and documentary reporting
Those who want to understand the roots of extremism and social violence
People in sociology, psychology, or journalism

Not a good fit for

Readers seeking light entertainment or purely fictional reading
Readers with a low tolerance for detailed descriptions of violent crime

Reading tips

Read when calm and with ample time, as the content is heavy and needs time to digest
You may combine it with background knowledge on European society and immigration policy to deepen your understanding
After reading, consider comparing it with works such as Eichmann in Jerusalem that explore human nature and responsibility

About the publisher

Shanghai Translation Publishing House China · Founded in 1978

Shanghai Translation Publishing House is a Chinese publisher oriented mainly toward translation and publishing. Its publications cover foreign literature, world classics and classic works, as well as social culture, folk literature and classical poetry. The database contains 2,618 titles, including Never Let Me Go, Les Misérables (2 volumes), Don Quixote (illustrated collector's edition), The Complete Comedies of Molière (4 volumes), The Complete Novels of Kafka (3 volumes), The Collected Works of Dostoevsky (9-volume set), Reason and Persons, and Oedipus Rex (Translation Classics). Its author resources include foreign writers such as Kazuo Ishiguro, Victor Hugo, Cervantes and Molière, as well as translators such as Zheng Kelu, Sun Jiameng, Li Jianwu and Zhang Kun. The publisher has brands such as "Translation Classics Selections" and "Translation Documentary," and emphasizes translated works in foreign literature and the humanities and social sciences, while also publishing bilingual dictionaries and foreign-language educational books. Public information is limited; the above is based on the book information in the database.

版权信息
作者说明
第一部
1．一个新生命（1979）
2．光的漩涡
3．国家之变
4．天丝公寓的男孩
5．在楼梯上小便
6．安法尔行动
7．我们的孩子
8．青春梦
9．去大马士革
10．请求庇护
11．榜上有名
12．“优质假文凭！”
13．选一个世界
14．三位同志
15．写作
16．书
17．我怎么才能过上你的生活？
18．到那儿之前别跟任何人交朋友！
19．爱国者与暴君
20．不只是一件衣服而已
21．主席的演讲
22．毒药
23．化学家日志
24．我们梦想的一切
25．夏日高烧
26．我爱你
27．星期五
28．一切都结束的时候
29．你的孩子有没有什么明显特征？
30．但永远别天真
第二部
31．纳西瑟斯登台
32．独白
33．案件的心脏
34．生的意志
35．精神分析研讨会
36．判决
第三部
37．青山
38．编织乐园
39．徒刑
后记
参考文献

FAQ

Is this book fiction or nonfiction?

It is rigorous nonfiction. The author based it on extensive interviews, court records, and official documents; it has the accuracy and depth of journalism, but is also highly literary.

Do I need to know about the Utøya incident before reading?

Some familiarity helps you get into the situation faster, but it is not required. The book itself is one of the most comprehensive and in-depth accounts of the event, and the author provides the full sequence of events and background analysis.

Is the author's stance objective?

As a veteran journalist, Åsne Seierstad strives to present facts and multiple perspectives, and her writing is known for being calm and restrained. She does not aim to excuse the crime but to understand the complexity of the tragedy, and this exploration itself has sparked discussion about the limits of objectivity.

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About the author

奥斯娜·塞厄斯塔 Author

Osna Seierstad is an author who has drawn attention in the field of foreign literature, and her works have been translated into the Chinese-speaking world, with two titles held in the collection. Among the representative works known to Chinese readers are One of Us and the six-volume series Contemporary Norwegian Literature in Translation. Judging from the available bibliographic information, her writing is classified as foreign literature, and its themes and style reflect the landscape of contemporary Norwegian literature. Because public information is limited, verifiable details about her nationality, dates of birth and death, educational background, and writing career are lacking, so speculation is inappropriate. Based on the works currently confirmed, readers can gain a sense of her narrative approach and literary concerns through these translations; her visibility in the Chinese book market rests mainly on the translation of these two works.

钱思文 Author

Public information about Qian Siwen is limited. What can be confirmed at present is that three works by this author are held in the collection, all classified under foreign literature. Judging from these works, Qian Siwen's work is connected with the translation, introduction, or compilation of foreign literary works. The representative titles include One of Us, Curious Pursuits: Essays by Atwood (1970–2005), and The Dancing Girls. Curious Pursuits is related to the essays of the Canadian writer Margaret Atwood, and The Dancing Girls is also a work by Atwood, suggesting that Qian Siwen has been involved in bringing Atwood's writing to Chinese readers. Reliable records of birth and death dates, nationality, and educational background have not been found, so such details should not be supplied. Overall, Qian Siwen's involvement in foreign literature is the main available clue for understanding this author's focus.