The Boat in the Evening

The Boat in the Evening is a 1968 novel by the Norwegian writer Tarjei Vesaas. It has a fragmentary and meditative narrative which centres on a child who observes a crane colony perform its breeding ritual. It was the author's final book. It was published in English in 1971, translated by Elizabeth Rokkan.

Reception

Kirkus Reviews critic wrote: "From the work of the late Norwegian writer, there always seems to emanate that curious fiery chill of snow defining the edge of dark fjords, and this 'novel,' really a series of overlapping sketches and meditations, again is concerned with essential paradoxes.... Vesaas' prose has a dynamic variety of rhythms and visual progressions so that even when the atmosphere is pure philosophic ozone, the reader can still keep his footing. But this is decidedly special."