Hansson, Per One in Ten Had to Die

Translated from the Norwegian; originally published in Oslo in 1970 under the title Hver Tiende Mann Måtte Dø. A somber, harrowing look at life aboard a Norwegian freighter during three stressful North Atlantic convoy crossings. Hansson’s characters are identified solely by occupation (such as “Skipper” or “Carpenter” or “Boy”) which makes for an oddly formal, though thoroughly moving, reading experience. An afterword by Leif Heimstad, a veteran Norwegian seaman who had himself seen wartime convoy service, vouches for the historical and emotional accuracy of Hansson’s novella, and concludes with a plea that the work “open the eyes of the Norwegian authorities and so make it possible for all disabled wartime seamen ... receive recognition for what they did and be granted the pensions they should have received many years ago.”