Shark Drunk

The Art of Catching a Large Shark from a Tiny Rubber Dinghy in a Big Ocean

By: Morten Stroksnes

Narrated by: P. J. Ochlan

Winner of the Norwegian Brage Prize 2015

Winner of the Norwegian Critics' Prize for Literature 2015

Winner of the Norwegian Reine Ord Prize at Lofoten International Literature Festival 2016

A salty story of friendship, adventure, and the explosive life that teems beneath the ocean, for fans of Bill Bryson and such classics as The Snow Leopard.

In the great depths surrounding the Lofoten islands in Norway lives the infamous Greenland shark. At 26 feet in length and weighing more than a ton, it is truly a beast to behold. But the shark is not just known for its size alone: Its meat contains a toxin that, when consumed, has been known to make people drunk and hallucinatory. Shark Drunk is the true story of two friends, the author and the eccentric artist Hugo Aasjord, as they embark on a wild pursuit of the famed creature - from a tiny rubber boat. Together the two men tackle existential questions, survive the world's most powerful maelstrom, and, yes, get drunk as they attempt to understand the ocean from every possible angle, drawing on poetry, science, history, ecology, mythology, and their own sometimes intoxicated observations.

©2017 Morten Stroksnes (P)2017 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

"Move over, Ishmael. Move over, Jonah. Move over, Izaak Walton and Norman Maclean. Make room for a fish tale, wry and fantastical, weird and melancholy, that must now take its rightful place among our classic existential stories about the denizens of the deep." (Hampton Sides, best-selling author of In the Kingdom of Ice)

"The Greenland shark is the bait. Not quite a red herring, and certainly not the reeking bull flesh used at one point as a lure, this enormous, ancient, toxic shark that Morten Strøksnes and his friend Hugo pursue through the seasons in northern Norway is nonetheless a snare and a delusion. The point is not to catch the fish. It's the phantasmagoric journey, both ultra-vivid and laconic, through the history and natural history of a remarkable region, its teeming seas and tough, resourceful locals. Hugo, a painter, mixes his paints from oil harvested from the livers of cod they catch while chasing the great shark. Strøksnes weaves his tale from a dense wool of close observation, fishing yarns, erudition lightly worn, and a helpless, consuming love of the ocean." (William Finnegan, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Barbarian Days: A Surfing Life)

"With the open-minded inquisitiveness of Charles Darwin and the obsession of Captain Ahab, Morten Strøksnes heads out to sea, chasing a monster of the deep known as the Greenland shark. Every page of Shark Drunk feels like a cabinet of curiosities, filled with head-scratching surprises, nuggets of wisdom, and wondrous insights. Gorgeously written and thoroughly addictive." (Michael Finkel, author of The Stranger in the Woods: The Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermit)

A Classic Nordic Tale

Meandering through natural history and fishing history in Norwegian Lofoten. Very entertaining and further proof, if any were needed, that Scandinavians simply don't take anything completely seriously. Recommended.

Not bad, but not great, for this sort of thing.

I like this sort of account, for that's what it is. I find myself interested in Norway and this book is like taking a walk through a bit of Norwegian life. It's not a novel, and it doesn't really go very far,. but at the end I felt I had gained some real, but narrow, insight into the life of a Norwegian writer and his artist friend and their fascination with the sea.

Amazing. Both fascinating and illuminating

If you are curious about the world, the many digressions from the history of the planet to the descriptions of sea creatures all strung together by life in the beautiful Norwegian Lofoton Islands ... all these are a treasure. If you have ever travelled there or are considering it, this is a “must “ You could even listen while on your trip!

Great information and entertainment

Reminds me of Moby-Dick (probably no accident) the way it shifts between background information and storytelling. Since it’s nonfiction, it’s limited by, well, truth, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing once you adjust your expectations. Well worth the read or the time; I recommend it.

Havboks

Any additional comments?

`Shark Drunk` is an outdoor travel memoir by a Norwegian author that won some awards in 2015. Translations are now appearing in Spanish, German and English. It uses modern techniques of creative non-fiction with the mystery element being the elusive Greenland shark which the author is attempting to catch in the Fjords of Norway, specifically the Lofoten region which is remote and traditional. Along the way we learn about the history, fauna and culture of Lofoten with plenty of place names to follow on Google Maps. It's generous, occasionally artistic, occasionally funny, appealing to anyone who reads outdoor literature wanting to "sail about a little and see the watery part of the world". The English title `Shark Drunk` makes it sound campy and the sickly blue cover looks self-published but ignore those potential faults they give the wrong impression. The Norwegian title is "Havboka" which means "Sea Book" or "Book of the Sea" which is a better title. This is a good book and glad to have discovered it.On the audiobook, the narrator is fine and the text seamlessly transitions to audio there is no problem. I wish it had been a Norwegian accent.

Loved it.

Greatest mix of science, adventure, nature and travel. Sit back, relax and be prepared to spend some time in Norway.