Summary of Out Stealing Horses
After the death of his wife, Trond moves from Oslo to a forest village in the northeast of Norway, near the Swedish border, where he recognises his neighbour as the brother of his childhood friend Jon. This encounter triggers a series of memories from the summer of 1948, including a tragic accident and the disappearance of both his friend and his father.
Reasons to read Out Stealing HorsesÂ
“Out Stealing Horses” is a contemplative story about the past, focusing on the protagonist’s relationship with his father and the events of the Second World War, set in a small Norwegian village. The novel received the Norwegian Critics Prize for Literature (2003) and the Norwegian Booksellers’ Prize (2003). The English translation by Anne Born won the Independent Foreign Fiction Prize (2006) and the Dublin IMPAC Award (2007). A Norwegian film adaptation was released in 2019. Other notable works by Norwegian author Per Petterson include “In the Wake” (Brage Prize, 2000) and “I Curse the River of Time” (Brage Prize, 2008; Nordic Council Literature Prize, 2009).
Setting: Norway
 “Out Stealing Horses” is likely situated somewhere in Innlandet county. The film was shot in Trysil.
Original title: Ut og stjæle hester
Year of publication: 2003
Nr of pages: 264
