Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 13, 2021)
B4 THE ASTORIAN • SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2021 Bend author, historian takes on the Vikings By DAVID JASPER The Bulletin Among the many fasci- nating people who call Bend home is author and historian C.J. Adrien, a Summit High grad and, more notably, a bona fi de Viking expert. Adrien, 34, has writ- ten several books about the Vikings. One of the more recent books is “The Kings of the Sea,” the third in his Saga of Hasting the Avenger trilogy. It was pub- lished in May by Rune- stone Books and released last month in audio format from Tantor Audio. In Sep- tember, Runestone Books published Adrien’s chil- dren’s book, “I’m a Viking!: A History Book About the Vikings for Kids,” illus- trated by his fi ancee, Crys- tal Whithaus. How does a kid from a mountain town in the Northwest develop a fascination, much less expertise, with Viking his- tory and culture? Well, if you’re Adrien — friends know him as Chris- tophe — you’re half-French and half-American, and you spend a signifi cant portion of your childhood in France. “I grew up between the two,” Adrien said. “My par- ents bought a house in Sun- river in ’91. It was kind of a vacation house, so we lived in France and then we vaca- tioned here.” Still, France isn’t all that close to Scandinavia, from whence the Vikings sailed. The French branch of his family is on his father’s side, “and the island that they’re from, called Noirmoutier, has this kind of mythol- ogy around it,” Adrien said. “It was the fi rst place the Vikings attacked in France during the Viking Age.” For a kid who had a nascent interest in history, a subject he’d go on to major in, that news was riveting. “I grew up around castles and stuff . I just always loved it,” Adrien said. “My favor- ite class in school was his- tory. So when I got to col- lege, I was going to study history. That was it.” He went on to enter a doctoral program in history at the University of Ore- gon, but that didn’t pan out due to the onset of the Great Recession. He switched gears and instead went for a master’s degree so he could teach in Bend. (Today he works as an estimator for Webfoot Painting.) Ironically, given his Northern European appear- ance, more than one islander believed he was of Viking heritage at the sight of him. As a teen, he worked sum- mers at a fi sh market on the island, “And we had this little old lady that would come in, and she wanted to be served by ‘the Viking.’ … We later fi gured out that it wasn’t the Vikings that C.J. Adrien is an author in Bend. The cover of one of Adrien’s books. made us tall, blue-eyed blondes in an area that is not known for that. It was the Dutch.” And given his inter- est in history, Adrien began exploring the story of the Viking presence in France, which hadn’t gar- nered much previous atten- tion, and eventually came to write the epic series. “By and large, histori- ans (in France) were like, ‘There’s not much to go on.’ It’s always been kind of swept under the rug,” Adrien said. “I think it’s kind of a national embarrassment, this idea that during the for- mative years of the Brittany region of France, they were occupied by the Vikings for three decades. Nobody talks about it.” Nor did the corner of his- tory receive much attention from British historians, he said. “I think it’s a linguistic disconnect, where there’s a ton of French sources, but people in the Angli- can world don’t really care because it didn’t happen in England.” It so happened that Adrien’s grandfather, a businessman who retired to Noirmoutier, served as pres- ident of the historical asso- ciation on the island. “He’s very well-known, very well-regarded on the island,” Adrien said. The nonprofi t association’s board had “wanted some- body who wasn’t a histo- rian to settle the disputes, because they constantly bicker. It’s hilarious.” His grandfather’s posi- tion aff orded the multilin- gual Adrien unprecedented access to historical archives. “I got access to stuff that your average person is just never going to have access to,” he said. “I have been able to pinpoint things that French historians haven’t been able to see the broader picture, or Anglophone his- torians haven’t been able The Astoria City Council wishes everyone a SAFE AND JOYOUS HOLIDAY SEASON! Wear your mask and enjoy the lights and holiday festivities while social distance shopping in Downtown Astoria www.astoriadowntown.com Friday, November 26, 2021 to Saturday, January 1, 2022 Customers can park downtown longer than posted time limits to see the broader picture. Because I sit in the mid- dle, and I can see and read and understand the two sources, contextually as well, between the two, I can do a little bit of crossover.” The fi rst book, “The Lords of the Wind,” arrived in 2019. Published in both French and English and written in the fi rst person, it told the story of Hasting as an orphaned and enslaved child, and how he came to sail with the Vikings. Critics praised it, and the Historical Novel Society, which promotes the genre for readers and writers, lauded it as well: “It’s clear Adrien has a passion for this time and these peoples. The intricate details and engrossing characters pro- pel the plot forward. If you want to sit down with an extremely well-researched tale involving heroic bat- tles, fi rst loves and the mak- ing of a legend, this book is for you. Recommended.” In December, he’ll launch a virtual interna- tional book tour to promote “The Kings of the Sea” and “I’m a Viking!” The latter was inspired by the dearth of good children’s books about Vikings, as Adrien discovered during a visit to France in which he gave an academic speech, in French, to a group of historians on the subject of the Vikings’ presence in France. “That was nerve-wrack- ing, (but) I did very well,” he said. While there, a museum near the island was host- ing a traveling exhibit about Vikings on loan from the Swedish Nationalmuseum. “It must have been fate, as the Vikings would say,” Adrien said. There, he bought a kid’s book about Vikings for his son. “It was just bad,” Adrien said. “So I was like … ‘I’m going to write an actual book that kids will actually like, that will teach them about the Vikings — and parents, too.’” “That’s the big one I’m pushing right now,” Adrien said. “I think it’s my proud- est achievement, and I didn’t even do it. My fi an- cee did.” WANTED Alder and Maple Saw Logs & Standing Timber Northwest Hardwoods • Longview, WA Contact: John Anderson • 360-269-2500 Our Thriving Senior Community is Like a Friendly Small Town in Our Friendly Small City. (except in metered spaces) facebook.com/dailyastorian At Astoria’s lovely assisted living community, you will find lots of the same warm people and way of life that you have always found around here. Lots of other wonderful reasons to come are: • Chef-prepared meals • Pet friendly • Family-centered events • Scheduled transportation • Housekeeping and laundry • Individualized care plans Call us today at 503-325-6970 to schedule a personalized tour. Astor Place Senior Living 999 Klaskanine Avenue Astoria, OR 97103 503-325-6970 enlivant.com
