HESTENES KLAN: Clan of the Horses/Hestenes klan

- VELKOMMEN -

Bestselgeren Hestenes klan ble utgitt av Cappelen Damm i 2010 og er regnet som en crossover, det vil si en ungdomsbok som har potensial for å nå et voksent publikum.

Hestenes klan er ikke en hesteroman i tradisjonell forstand, men en roman som blant annet tematiserer møtepunktet mellom hest og menneske. Et møtepunkt som lett kan overføres til menneskets møte med naturen - både den ytre naturen og vår indre. Når det er sagt vil nok mange hestefolk finne en ekstra dimensjon i romanen fordi den presenterer en filosofi knyttet til hestehåndtering som er ukjent for de fleste. Dette er nok også grunnen til at romanen har fått særlig stor oppmerksomhet i hestemiljøet og svært god mottakelse i nisjeredaksjoner både i Norge og i Sverige (se omtale/blogger).

Live Bonnevie ble nominert til Debutantprisen 2010 av Kulturdepartementet. Juryens begunnelse:
"Bonnevie skriver medrivende og underholdende om de store spørsmålene i livet. Dette er et dyktig oppbygd drama som holder leseren fanget fra første til siste side. De intense skildringene av mennesker, dyr og natur bidrar også til at dette har blitt en svært fengende romandebut."

Hestenes klan er ute i 5. opplag og er også utgitt på tysk under tittelen Zwischen Himmel und Erde.

søndag 1. august 2010

Clan of the Horses/Hestenes klan

The earliest depictions of women riding astride can be seen in Mongolian, Greek and Celtic art. But through the centuries it has often been considered inappropriate for women to ride in this manner. Women were best seated aside, being led by a man...

Etymology (the study of the history of words) has always intrigued me. And I have always been fascinated by Greek and Norse mythology. About ten years ago I made an interesting discovery that had its origins in the combination of these two interests. The definition of a centaur is a “creature half human half horse”, but all the centaurs I had seen in art were masculine. Still the definition didn’t read “half man, half horse”. Where were all the female centaurs and what are they called? To my astonishment none of my dictionaries could provide an answer to that question.

Another thing I noticed was that the Amazons in Greek mythology supposedly cut off/burnt off their right breast to be able to use a bow more freely without physical "limitations". But there is no indication of such a practice in works of art, in which the Amazons are always depicted with two breasts, although the right one is frequently covered. That made me think. Why would it be so impossible to go into battle with two breasts? I can’t remember ever having read that men needed to be emasculated in order to ride a horse in battle, although it makes a lot more sense.

When reading about women and horses, I always had a feeling that something was missing or hidden. And after years of research I think I have found that missing piece, or rather, I think the piece has found me. It turns out that there is another side of the story when it comes to women and horses
- a story that is ripe to be told, as it turned out.

On this blog you can read about women and horses as they are described through written mythological and historical records, but more importantly you are invited to read excerpts of a completely different story: A story that women have preserved through the centuries solely by oral traditions and secret clans, referred to as Clan of the Horses/Hestenes klan.