Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Two Brothers from a time Past!


Elin Høyland
The Brothers

While my fellow Norwegians are out there waving their flags, eating pølse and lompe (hot dog with a potato lefse) and ice cream. Shouting Hurrah, Hurrah! or singing "Ja vi er så glad i dette landet" (Yes, we love this Country). I am sitting quietly in London writing about the little event at the Norwegian Embassy yesterday. Yes, it is our constitution day today, and I guess I should be wearing a Bunad (our national custom), but to make my jeans valid I am doing a post about two good old traditional men from Vågå in the middle of rural Norway to compensate.

Two brothers, living and working on a farm, never to want to venture anywhere else. Well, Mathias once worked in Oslo for two months and Harald actually spent a night at a Hotel in Lillehammer... the worst night in his life, he would say.

I think anyone who grew up in the Countryside of Norway can relate to the brothers, they are the ultimate characters of a time past.
Actually, when I come to think of it, in 9th grade at my school, I remember a boy who had been to Sweden once, never ventured to Oslo (1 hour away) and had to take days off to work at the farm. So we might still find them out there. But not without a TV I would think? they did hire one in the 60's but found it took up too much time. They read the newspaper, listened to the radio and were avid bird watchers.


Elin Høyland's book launch yesterday at the Embassy had to unfortunately happen with the brothers only in memory. Harald died of an asthma attack while shoveling snow in -20 degrees and Mathias died a few years later in 2007, at an old peoples home.

But with this book, they will always be remembered.




Towels for top and bottom





Elin Høyland


"The Brothers" is printed by the English publishing company Dewi Lewis Publishing, with words by Gerry Badger. The book has already been written about in the Guardian... Wonder, where I will see it next.

With Love 
Kristin

25 comments:

  1. Hello Kristin:
    The wonderful images you show here of the brothers convey a most intriguing lifestyle of true country people. We concur wholeheartedly with their view that television is a great stealer of time. We gave up ours some 30 or so years ago but, unlike the brothers, did not take up birdwatching in the hours that were gained!

    We are sure that the book would be a most interesting read and shall seek it out.

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  2. I think I would love to own that book!

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  3. Amazing pics and bio!
    I think I need this book!

    xoxox,
    CC

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  4. After reading your post and have to get my hands on that book. Sounds really interesting. Have a great day, sweetie!
    Kisses

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  5. I love black and white photos! They're so nostalgic and tell so many stories :) Thanks for sharing.

    <3 Belly B

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  6. now
    that is
    an even
    sweeter
    post
    x
    ...

    ***

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  7. Withour memory, we are... nothing. A nice double story and book! Thanks for the discovery.

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  8. what a nice story. too bad they never saw their story in book form. and i love the photos.

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  9. Wow, what amazing photos, and I am sure a very inspiring book!

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  10. Oh wow this looks like a great read, I'll have to check it out and the photos of them are so sweet.
    alexa
    www.theshortandthesweetofit.com

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  11. i would like to read this book. I am currently living at the countryside so I understand and I saw that many people can live the similar life like mentioned Brothers. by the way photography is amazing

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  12. I just want to make a quick note, it is a Photography book.
    Elin Høyland is a photographer. Thank you all:)

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  13. Fantastic photographs! WOW!!! I love how the brothers are so close. It is as if they complete each other. I see some siblings who are that close and it is amazing. I'm sure their setting influenced them some. Wonderful post!

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  14. it's easy to forget that this is what most of human history has been like.

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  15. thank you for visiting by blog and commenting.

    I've never heard of these brothers before but they remind me of a few characters in Iceland, whose story has been written through photography. Beautiful work.

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  16. That is so interesting! I bet the book is beautiful, a story with pictures. ♥

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  17. what a fabulous pair to document and print. that photo of the mittens is wonderful, and i like how they are always shirtless... even though it's probably pretty cold (for lots of us folk at least)...

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  18. loved the pics and their story sounds so interesting !!

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  19. I don´t know this brothers before! But it´s very interesting!
    Have a nice day,
    Yvonne

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  20. Je fais le rapprochement, peut-être faux, avec Gilbert and Georges. Et c' est très troublant !
    Tout faire ensemble, se faire photographier ensemles.
    Very srange, in fact.
    Beau sujet !

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  21. I'm pretty sure giving up tv would give me years..but I don't want to. Pout. Haha! What a cool book!

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  22. Sounds like a really awesome book!

    Leia

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