Summary of The Prophets of Eternal Fjord
“The Prophets of Eternal Fjord” is a historical novel set at the end of the 18th century in Greenland. It follows a young and naive Danish missionary who sails to Greenland with the mission to convert the Inuit to Christianity. However, the local people resist Christianisation and colonisation. Some establish an alternative settlement at Eternal Fjord, far from the reach of the Danish State and Church, where they practice a blend of shamanic rituals and Christian beliefs. The protagonist gradually realises that this rival settlement is actually closer to the ‘true’ version of Christianity than the teachings he is supposed to impart.
Reasons to read The Prophets of Eternal Fjord
“The Prophets of Eternal Fjord” is a widely acclaimed historical novel about Denmark’s colonisation of Greenland, partly based on authentic events. As a reader, you almost feel the cold of Greenland blowing through the pages. The novel is an epic tale about the impact of colonisation on both the colonised and the colonisers. “The Prophets of Eternal Fjord” is considered a contemporary classic of Danish literature. Kim Leine won the prestigious Nordic Council Literature Prize for this novel in 2013 and the Danish Golden Laurel award (De Gyldne Laurbær) in 2012. The book is the first part of Kim Leine’s Greenlandic trilogy. The second part, translated as “The Colony of Good Hope” (“Rød mand/Sort mand”), explores the clashes between Danish colonizers and Greenlandic Inuit in the early 18th century. The third instalment (“Efter Ă…ndemaneren”) has not yet been translated into English.
Setting: Greenland & Copenhagen (Denmark)
Book set in Greenland (Kangerlussuatsiaq, Kangaamiut) and Copenhagen
Original title: Profeterne i Evighedsfjorden
Year of publication: 2012
Nr of pages: 576
