Johan Harstad’s new novel explores memory and art

The novel ‘Max, Mischa e l’Offensiva del Tet’ by Norwegian writer and playwright Johan Harstad has emerged as a significant literary event. Published by Sellerio, the expansive work explores themes of memory, art, and the passage of time.

The narrative follows Max Hansen, a Norwegian theater director raised on Long Island, as he travels across the United States. The story weaves together autobiographical elements, including Max’s reflections on theater, his family history dating back to the 1970s, and the influence of cinema, such as Francis Ford Coppola’s ‘Apocalypse Now’.

A central motif involves the collection of mundane objects—keys, cups, and old newspapers—which serve as relics used to map lived experiences and resist the disintegration of memory. The novel is described as a work of deconstruction that functions as a modern Bildungsroman, attempting to fix memories before they vanish.