Ever since I first started reading novels, I have been attracted to the work of Jan Bernlef. Still, when I review the ten novels I have read so far, I usually rate then at three point five. Then, too, the novels stay with me for a long time.

In many of Bernlef's works, as in Onder ijsbergen, the main characters are unable to see what is in front of them. The obstruction is often suggested through the imagery of snow or ice, or a blur, whereas in the story the oversight is often caused by (mental) inability to see or realize, often due to not understanding or misunderstanding others.

Onder ijsbergen belongs to the early work, so this theme is still fairly literal. A Danish inspector of the police investigates a murder case on Greenland. The novel creates a dazzling mirror of wondering whether the inspector is deceived or whether the deception originates in himself. The title seems to simulaneously suggest that "the truth" is buried under "a heap of ice", or as one says, we can only see the tip of the iceberg, while the larger part is obscured beneath. ( )

weer erg prettig om te lezen, mooie observaties, duidelijke beperkingen in aantal personages, metaforen; hetgeen dit korte verhaal goed leesbaar maakt. in deze edities stonden citaten uit recensies o.a. van Jacques Kruithof ( )