Orion's Belt (novel)

Orion's Belt (Norwegian: Orions belte) is an action-thriller novel written by Norwegian author Jon Michelet. It was published by Oktober Forlag in 1977 and became a popular seller. It was translated into English by Ellen Nations.[1] The novel was adapted into a 1985 film by the same name, which is regarded as Norway's first modern action film.[2]

The novel follows three shabby Svalbard-based seamen who discover a Soviet bearing station. The are subsequently both targets of Soviet liquidation and American interrogation in an attempt quiet them and retain the political status quo. The Cold War topics were a critique of the Norwegian policy of allowing a Soviet presence on Svalbard.

The book received mixed reviews. It was appreciated by Dagbladet, but criticized by Aftenposten.[3] The book's popularity came in part from the public interest in what 3,000 Russians were doing living on the Norwegian archipelago. The title is a reference to that Svalbard was as central located in a potential Cold War war theater as Orion's Belt. The novel also played on the fear of nuclear war and the lack of information from Norwegian media about the issue.[4]

References

Bibliography
Notes
  1. Skagen: 10
  2. Hansen, Ellinor (24 August 2005). "Seiler på nytt under "Orions belte"". Aftenposten (in Norwegian). Archived from the original on 18 March 2012. Retrieved 18 March 2012.
  3. Skagen: 9
  4. Skagen: 17


This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Sunday, December 14, 2014. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.