Isa - Bjarni Haukur Thorsson

Bjarni Thorsson, the author of the hugely successful play “Father” in Estonia, has now written his play into a novel.

After I had stood in front of the mirror for five or more minutes, my staring child in my arms, I began to think that there must be something wrong with the child. Why was he staring at me like that? Maybe he was sick? But before I knew it, he was smiling his biggest smile at me, slapping and stamping his feet appropriately. The smile grew wider and wider, and the slapping became more and more intense. When the slapping and the joy seemed to be reaching their peak, he suddenly stopped, became serious again, and began to look me deeply in the eyes. It was clear that he was trying to tell me something.

“Dear Daddy. I know it can take you a long time to get out of bed when I need you; you’re a terrible slob when it comes to changing poopy diapers and you shouldn’t put colored ones in the laundry with the white ones, but when all is said and done, I’m quite happy and content to have you as my daddy. You know, I still really like you.”

It was one of the most beautiful and precious moments of my life. It was at that moment that I finally realized that I must never let this boy down. Never.

“So funny, very real and sometimes surprising. Inside this simple little story, there’s like another story: young people get together, have a baby, do their best, but then eventually they break up. But the angle from which the young father tells all this is crooked with laughter at times.”