Literature of Iceland: February 2023

Submitted by AutoModerator t3_118weaz in books

Velkominn readers,

This is our weekly discussion of the literature of the world! Every Wednesday, we'll post a new country or culture for you to recommend literature from, with the caveat that it must have been written by someone from that country (i.e. Shogun by James Clavell is a great book but wouldn't be included in Japanese literature).

February 24 is Wife's Day and to celebrate we're discussing Icelandic literature! Please use this thread to discuss your favorite Icelandic authors and books.

If you'd like to read our previous discussions of the literature of the world please visit the literature of the world section of our wiki.

Þakka þér fyrir and enjoy!

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Stebbib t1_j9jxumh wrote

How about a weird Icelandic translation of Dracula which is almost akin to a fanfiction?

http://powersofdarkness.com/

"The resulting narrative is one that is shorter, punchier, more erotic, and perhaps even more suspenseful than Stoker's Dracula. Incredibly, Makt Myrkranna has never been translated or even read outside of Iceland until now."

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bibliophile222 t1_j9kevbl wrote

I'm surprised Independent People by Halldor Laxness hasn't been mentioned yet! It's pretty grim, but excellent.

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Dave272370470 t1_j9kgyl8 wrote

Yep. Very worth reading: a grim but evocative encapsulation of a landscape and the people who lived there. It reads like something out of pre-history, but it takes place about 100 years ago.

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NoLemon5426 t1_j9kmvlv wrote

I really enjoy his writing, but I feel in each book I've read that there are subtle cultural and political themes or undercurrents that are lost to those of us who are not Icelandic. I just feel like I miss some things that probably lend understanding or depth to the story because of not being familiar with the political climates at the time of the writing. Also he had a political arc himself, and I've read others express how this manifests in his writing. But again, an Iceland-centric arc, a context that many don't have access to.

That being said I think his writing is still worth reading even when it's weird (parts of The Atom Station) for example. The Fish Can Sing is actually my favorite, the breadths of characters and all of their personalities are impressive. I spend a lot of time in Iceland and so in some ways the characters feel familiar to me, composites of people I've met and even Icelandic friends and their families. So this makes this book more understandable.

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doeverystupidthing t1_j9pesa0 wrote

I agree. I read The Atom Station and it was very good, but I felt like I was missing a lot of historical context.

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theevilmidnightbombr t1_j9km4wc wrote

I bought a copy ahead of a trip to Iceland in 2018. Thought to start it at home then read on the trip. We had such a whirlwind, jam-packed 6 days there I never had a chance! Still lingers on my TBR pile.

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wordyshipmate82 t1_j9lpd02 wrote

Just read this, the main character is such a horrible human, yet the story is compelling.

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Ixkozauki t1_j9jfyzb wrote

Sjón has been one of my favourite icelandic writers. The blue fox is an amazing novel.

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eonomine t1_j9ocvry wrote

Agreed. Have you read Moonstone – The Boy Who Never Was?

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Ixkozauki t1_j9ohdem wrote

No. I haven't. It's hard to find his books in spanish and I haven't search for them in english.

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LittleSillyBee t1_j9jncwq wrote

For more modern, I like the crime/mystery series -

  • Ragnar Jónasson
  • Yrsa Sigurðardóttir
  • Arnaldur Indriðason
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VisualGeologist6258 t1_j9lyo0l wrote

Michael Ridpath isn’t an Icelandic author but he has a mystery series set primarily in Iceland.

The first one in his series involves a murder and the chase for a legendary ring, I’d give it about 7/10 stars. Not at all bad, but a bit generic and easily breezed through. It was about 352 pages, but to me it felt very short.

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Worried_Deer_8180 t1_j9jgmig wrote

The Saga of Grettir the Strong. If you're going to read anything medieval, Icelandic sagas are the way to go.

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barney-panofsky t1_j9jjuol wrote

I read Egil's Saga while touring Iceland a couple years ago. There's a nice museum in Borgarnes which has an exhibition on Egil's adventures. I picked up a copy of the book and finished it on my flight home.

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Ok_Tangerine346 t1_j9juf4m wrote

Everything published after Njála is unnecessary. It is the perfect book.

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Steviej2802 t1_j9jyjll wrote

After having a holiday in Iceland a few years ago, we binged on Icelandic detective novels

I can really recommend Yrsa Sigurðardóttir: She has a great series of books, some of them kind of spooky and dark

We also loved Arnaldur Indriðason: We found his Detective Erlendur books compared to Ian Rankin's Rebus series

I also loved reading through all the Sagas. Penguin has a big compendium called Sagas of Icelanders which has a good cross section

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sleepiestgf t1_j9kw0bg wrote

i've been slowwwwwly making my way through Independent People by Halldór Laxness since august. currently a 3rd of the way through.

i know i can love this novel if im at the right place when i pick it up but i hardly ever find myself at that place. some of it has been absolutely incredible, most of it has been a struggle.

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HomelessCosmonaut t1_j9k34az wrote

I think I’ve only read two books by Icelandic authors.

Butterflies in November by Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir. Charming road-trip novel, I don’t remember much of the plot but I recall enjoying it. It has a section at the end with recipes for all the food mentioned throughout the story.

Snowblind by Ragnar Jónasson. Nordic noir/crime novel set in an isolated northern coast town. First in a series. Didn’t grab me, felt more shallow and less fleshed-out than some of the better works from this subgenre.

I admire anyone who translates novels from Icelandic into English, given how tricky Icelandic is, especially for non native speakers.

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littletuxcat t1_j9k9egb wrote

Adding Woman at 1,000 Degrees by Hallgrimur Helgason! It's a fascinating read. Told from the point of view of a spirited, but dying 80 year-old Icelandic woman recounting her exploits across Iceland and Europe through WWII, Iceland's independence, and other major 20th century events.

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MollyPW t1_j9kytgy wrote

Lilja Sigurðardóttir: Betrayal; Reykjavík Noir Trilogy

Ragnar Jónasson: Hidden Iceland series

Eva Björg Ægisdóttir: Forbidden Iceland series

Yrsa Sigurðardóttir: Why Did You Lie?; I Remember You

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tastin t1_j9lc2k1 wrote

Havent seen Angels of the universe yet. it is written by Einar Már Guðmundsson and based on his brother who suffered from schizophrenia. The mark left on popular culture by this book is still felt today especially since mental health is more talked about now than ever before. In 2000 a movie was made based on the book and while it stars legendary Icelandic actor Ingvar E. Sigurðsson it also features Baltasar Kormákur who is now a very successful director.

Laxness has already been mentioned but i want to recommend my favorite book of his: Salka Valka. Written in the 1920's it features a unique look into the struggles of the icelandic proletariat in a fictional town called Óseyri.

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Tugboat47 t1_j9m5dsp wrote

big ups auđur ava olafsdottir and kirstin omarsdottir

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kas405 t1_j9mebrr wrote

I just read and loved Miss Iceland by Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir and now I want to read everything she’s written

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SpecificPotential223 t1_j9q9aky wrote

Rosa Candida is so beautiful, it’s a book I will never stop recommending

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kas405 t1_j9qa358 wrote

I’ll have to check it out next! Thanks!

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Lemmonyhaze t1_j9mm8mu wrote

My great grandfathers biography Nú brosir nóttin is a good book but sadly has not been translated yet

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NoLemon5426 t1_j9n0d4j wrote

Can you tell a little about it? I’d be so interested in this, I love biographies and memoirs.

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Lemmonyhaze t1_j9o15k9 wrote

He was a fox hunter and still holds the record for most foxes he was born 1870s and spent a lot of time on the highlands hunting foxes.

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Peter_deT t1_j9o9rl5 wrote

Brennu-Njal (The Story of Burnt Njal) is a near-perfect novel - balanced twisted, winds to an end and an epilogue that are complete and satisfying. I read it to my younger sister, to my son, and to my mother, and my copy is worn, and I still tear up at a few moments.

Grettir and Egil are excellent adventure stories, and Egil is a wonderfully complex character - a violent psycho, a great poet and occasional hero.

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little_carmine_ t1_j9lmpae wrote

I’ve been hearing good things about Jón Kalman Stefánsson - has anyone read his work?

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e_crabapple t1_j9n5o3e wrote

If you want some grim multi-generational blood feuds, there's always Njal's Saga. Stupid and petty spats drive reasonable friends into into murders and pitched battles, and for poignancy, there's evidence that at least some of this stuff really did happen, around the year 1000.

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