'And it happened when Martine or Philippa spoke to Babette that they would get no answers, and would wonder if she had even heard what they said ... Orshe would sit immovable on the three-legged kitchen chair, her strong hands in her lap and her dark eyes wide open, as enigmatical and fatal as a Pythia upon her tripod. At such moments, they realised that Babette was deep, and that in the soundings of her being there were passions, there were memories and longings of which they knew nothing at all.' Babette's Feast is a ...
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'And it happened when Martine or Philippa spoke to Babette that they would get no answers, and would wonder if she had even heard what they said ... Orshe would sit immovable on the three-legged kitchen chair, her strong hands in her lap and her dark eyes wide open, as enigmatical and fatal as a Pythia upon her tripod. At such moments, they realised that Babette was deep, and that in the soundings of her being there were passions, there were memories and longings of which they knew nothing at all.' Babette's Feast is a sublime celebration of eating, drinking and sensual pleasure. In Isak Dinesen's life-affirming short story, two elderly sisters living in a remote, god-fearing Norwegian community take in a mysterious refugee from Paris one night - and are rewarded for their kindness with the most decadent, luxurious feast of a lifetime.
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Seller's Description:
Fine. Little Clothbound Classics . In Stock. 100% Money Back Guarantee. Brand New, Perfect Condition, allow 4-14 business days for standard shipping. To Alaska, Hawaii, U.S. protectorate, P.O. box, and APO/FPO addresses allow 4-28 business days for Standard shipping. No expedited shipping. All orders placed with expedited shipping will be cancelled. Over 3, 000, 000 happy customers.
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Seller's Description:
Dispatched, from the UK, within 48 hours of ordering. Though second-hand, the book is still in very good shape. Minimal signs of usage may include very minor creasing on the cover or on the spine.
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Seller's Description:
Fine. Afterword by Richard Olney. Illustrated with woodcuts by Karin Wikstrom, including two full-page color plates and numerous figures in the text. [6], 51, [2]pp. Slim 4to, cloth-backed patterned boards with an inset paper turtle design on cover; uncut edges. (Covelo CA: Yolla Bolly Press, 1997). A fine copy, but lacking the slipcase. Limited edition-number 100 of 225 copies for sale. Signed by Olney and Wikstrom.
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Seller's Description:
Fine. Afterword by Richard Olney. Illustrated with woodcuts by Karin Wikstrom, including two full-page color plates and numerous figures in the text. [6], 51, [2]pp. Slim 4to, blue cloth-backed patterned boards with an inset paper turtle design on cover, uncut edges. cloth slipcse. (Covelo CA: Yolla Bolly Press, 1997). A fine copy. Limited edition-number 100 of 225 copies for sale. Signed by Olney and Wikstrom.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Fine. Little Clothbound Classics . In Stock. 100% Money Back Guarantee. Brand New, Perfect Condition, allow 4-14 business days for standard shipping. To Alaska, Hawaii, U.S. protectorate, P.O. box, and APO/FPO addresses allow 4-28 business days for Standard shipping. No expedited shipping. All orders placed with expedited shipping will be cancelled. Over 3, 000, 000 happy customers.
I am a great admirer of the Danish writer Isak Dinesen (Karen Blixen, 1885 -- 1962) even though I hadn't read her work in many years. A review of Dinesen's "Babette's Feast" by a friend and fellow reviewer prompted me to revisit this work at last. "Babette's Feast", a story of only 22 pages, was included in Dinesen's 1958 colection of stories, "Anecdotes of Destiny" and was made into a celebrated film in 1987 which received the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.
The story is set in a small Norwegian village called Berlevaag in the mountains in the late 19th century. The setting has an archaic, distant feel captured by the beautiful Baroque character of Dinesen's English. The story involves two elderly sisters who have been raised in a strict Protestant religious sect which taught the shunning of the things of this world. Each of the sisters, Martine and Phillipa, had an experience with a man in early womanhood which verged on becoming sensual and romantic but failed. Many years later, the failed suitor of Phillipa sends a mysterious, shabbily dressed poor woman, Babette, to the sisters' house. She becomes their cook and maid and works without pay. When Babette wins a French lottery, she uses, without telling the sisters, the entire proceeds to stage an elaborate feast for the sisters and the dwindling members of the religious sect. The failed suitor of Martine many years earlier attends the feast. He has become a famous and powerful figure, General Loewenhielm. Dinesen's story builds carefully up to Babette's feast, describes its climactic moment, and then explores the aftermath. During the feast, General Loewenhielm, gives a speech which, like much else in the story and in Dinesen is both obscure and profound. Loewenhielm describes the "frail and foolish" character of humanity, but he finds that for a brief moment "mercy and truth have met together and righteousness and bliss have kissed one another."
In its few short pages, "Babetter's Feast" is a powerfully enigmatic tale which suggests competing ways of understanding life. There is a strongly religious component of grace and God's love for sinful humanity. There is also the sense of a too-narrow spirituality in the lives of the sisters and their shunning of sexuality and the joys of the world. Then there is Babette whose life suggests the nature and importance of artistic creativity. The threads of the story come together in a dazzling way.
"Babette's Feast" is a moving, enigmatic tale of religion, sensuality, and art. The story has a depth underlying its Baroque, elaborate veneer. I was glad to reread this story and to remember after many years my fascination with the work of Isak Dinesen.
