MixedThe Buffalo NewsIn Autumn, Knausgaard addresses his audience through letter-essays to an unborn daughter. He provides his fans with another look into his personal life by way of these letter-essays... Knausgaard’s writing to an unborn daughter serves him well, enabling him to use simple, straightforward language to describe some difficult concepts. It’s sort of like he’s writing to the village idiot, which gives way to some beautiful descriptions and stripped-down explanations... Sometimes, however, this strategy of simplified, direct language is ineffective, or turns melodramatic. The result is text that feels like a cheap Scandinavian imitation of Ernest Hemingway ... Autumn has moments of gorgeous astuteness as well as moments that are overexplanatory or dull. Nevertheless, Knausgaard has established himself as a captivating figure in the collective consciousness of literary circles.
