Mathias Storch: Singnagtugaq (Singnagtugaq. A Greenlander’s Dream)

storch

The latest addition to my website is Mathias Storch‘s Singnagtugaq (Singnagtugaq. A Greenlander’s Dream). This follows on from my post of Mitiarjuk Nappaaluk: Sanaaq unikkausinnguaq (Sanaaq) three days ago and it is interesting to compare the two. Both tell the story of hunting groups, their problems with the hunt and their not always easy relationship with their colonial masters. The main character, Pavia, is presumably based on Storch, as, like Storch, he goes on to become a priest. He questions the disputes between the native population and the difficult relationships with the Danes. We see not only difficulties with the hunts but inter-generational disputes as parents insist that their children marry against their will. We even get a bit of Rip van Winkle style science fiction as Pavia falls asleep and wakes up in 2105. It is certainly, like Sanaaq, an interesting novel, even if the translation is somewhat sloppy.

Leave a comment