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From The Desk Of Aloha: Karl Ive Knausgård’s “My Struggle”

Karl

Tony Cavallario: While writing the latest Aloha record, as a happy but creatively frustrated primary caregiver of two children, I tried to avoid all traces of myself. I just thought my point of view was totally overrepresented and unnecessary. I avoided modern fiction, eschewed indie music for rap, jazz and—for my kids’ sake—top 40. Soon, my well-intentioned attempt at narrative songwriting fell apart; the characters weren’t real, and the stories began to leak details from my own life. At this point Amazon and Powell’s algorithms started pitching me Karl Ove, and I resigned myself to it. Here was a book of intimidating Proustian heft and overwhelming detail from a brooding, creatively frustrated dad in his 40s. So I knew I was about get my head really deep into my own ass. Like, 2,000 pages deep and counting. Like midlife crisis, shame spiral deep. Relatability, though, is not what I got out the deal. Instead I have been in awe of the presence he’s had in his life, to recount his past in such detail, to be so aware. It showed me that specificity can overcome banality, and removing certain expectations means you won’t get bored. The books are quite addictive, for the same reason you might have binged on a random LiveJournal; it’s pulling you ever deeper into caring about or understanding Karl Ove, warts and all. You feel like you are helping him unload his shame and guilt, and you’re not judging him even at his most problematic. But more, there is something hypnotic about the writing, knowing it is boundless and moves at a gentle, human pace. Knausgård can drift off into ruminations about art, life, identity, horniness, marriage, without every being prescriptive or offering pithy insights or value-signaling. Comforting even when it’s haunting, like a Tim Hecker record. Would I much sooner recommend Ben Lerner, Rachel Kushner, hell even Miranda July? Probably, but I’m happy to have 1,600 pages to go in Knausgård’s world. And I owe him for giving me license to put a little bit more of my boring, brooding self into my work.

Video after the jump.