tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81091079010583869212012-02-26T19:26:33.782-08:00A Celebration of the work of Halldór Laxness, Icelandic Author and Nobel LaureateProfessor Battyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09802171986501104683noreply@blogger.comBlogger241100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109107901058386921.post-84369342482186431772011-09-26T19:12:00.000-07:002011-10-09T17:31:03.077-07:00

This site was created for people interested in information about the work (and life) of Halldór Laxness, the greatest Icelandic author of the 20th century. Because this information is sometimes hard to find in English, this site brings together reviews, essays, photos, video clips, and links in one location. New material will be added from time to time; this site can keep information from being

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Halldór Laxness, circa 1948                       &nbsp                                       &nbsp                                       &nbsp                         Photo: Heimur     The Blacklisting of Halldór Laxness    By Chay Lemoine     Icelandic Nobel Prize winning writer Halldór Laxness was blacklisted by the policies of the United States government using the same fear and

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W.D. Valgardson's review: One True Note, Laxness    A genius of a book. A brilliant book. A book that grabbed my heart.     How could I, coming from Gimli, with some Icelandic genes and a lot of Icelandic history and culture, not have read this book before now? It makes one wonder about the waving of flags and toasts to Iceland and speeches and Viking helmets and all that and just how meaningful

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Dust Jacket art, images, artifacts and other curios relating to HKL:Esperanto cover of Independent People:Salka Valka, Greek cover:Salka Valka, German cover:Halldór Laxness commemorative stamp:Halldór Laxness and Davíd Stefansson LP:

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This project started as a series of reading challenges between "Rose" and "Professor Batty" on their respective blogs. Over the years it has gotten a little out of hand, which was why this site was created. You can read the original posts by clicking on the name-links above. Here are the lists:Stephen's list of "top ten" Laxness novels in translation...#10. The Great Weaver From Kashmir (Vefarinn

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The man who brought Iceland in from the coldThe Nobel laureate's ungainly but fascinating 1927 novel, finally available in English, is considered to have made modern literature possible in his homeland.The Great Weaver From KashmirA NovelHalldor LaxnessTranslated from the Icelandic by Philip RoughtonArchipelago Books: 446 pp., $26Americans are sometimes not too sure where or what Iceland is, but

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Abi Cooper is an ex-pat from Somerset who writes about working and living in Iceland.Angus Miranda waxes rhapsodic about books in his blog based in Makati, Philippines. Caroline is a book and film reviewer, living in Switzerland.Chay Lemoine is a professor and Laxness scholar currently living Edwardsville, IL.Lisa is a sagaholic, living in Virgina. Niranjana Iyer is a writer and book critic based

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Photo: John DukeAn excerpt from Rose's Iceland diary,  July 19, 2006    Gljúfrasteinn is nestled in a large, lovely valley with imposing mountains nearby, across the road from Laxnes horse farm. Laxness's name, a pseudonym he took in 1923, means "of Laxnes."    First we walk around through the gardens to the back of the house, and have our picnic lunch on a bench in an alcove shaded by small

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Alan Boucher: Quire of SevenKenneth G. Chapman: The Honour of the HouseKatherine John: The Happy WarriorsF.H. Lyon: Salka Valka (from the Danish translation by Gunnar Gunnarsson)Magnus Magnusson: World Light, The Atom Station, The Fish Can Sing, Paradise Reclaimed, Under the GlacierPhilip Roughton: Iceland's Bell, The Great Weaver from Kashmir, GerplaJ.A. Thompson: Independent

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A History of Icelandic LiteratureBy Stefán EinarssonThe Johns Hopkins Press, New York, 1957Review by Stephen:I've finally gone off the deep end on this Icelandic Literature thing. It's one thing to read a few Icelandic mysteries, see a few Icelandic films, and build a web site devoted to Halldór Laxness. But when I reach the point of reviewing a 53 year old reference book, perhaps I should step

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The IslanderA biography of Halldór Laxnessby Halldór GuðmundssonTranslated by Philip RoughtonMaclehose Press, London, 2008Stephen's impressions:    This book artfully ties together the loose threads I've managed to accumulate since I've began reading the novels and stories of this great Icelandic novelist. The earliest date of importance in this well-written biography is 1832, when his very

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Salka Valka, The Reykjavík Theatre Company, 1982There have been several adaptations of Halldór's work. Most have not made it into English versions. These listings are a rough guide: this section is most definitely "under construction" with more information published as it becomes available...Filmed Adaptations:Atómstöðin (The Atom Station), Directed by Thorsteinn Jónsson, 1984:Ungfrúin góða og

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Stephen's reflections:    Short stories may be considered the step children of Literature. Usually not the center of attention, but worthy of consideration nevertheless. This book of absurd sketches is a real curio, redeemed by Halldór's wonderful language and sharp insight into the human condition.     The stories give the sense of being individual parts of various larger wholes, indeed, The

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Honour of the House, A filmed adaptation by Guðný Halldórsdóttir, 1999 Rose's review:    This novel tells the tale of an Important Family in a small town in (it appears) east coastal Iceland. The Deacon father and and his wife have two children, both girls. Each travels abroad to Denmark in her twenties to experience the wider world.    Similar circumstances, but different personalities.

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Graveyard, Buðir, Snæfellsness, Iceland, 2004...Don't forget that few people are likely to tell more than a small part of the truth: no one tells much of the truth, let alone the whole truth...When people talk they reveal themselves, whether they're lying or telling the truth...Remember, any lie you are told, even deliberately, is often a more significant fact than a truth told in all sincerity..

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Family at Holt, circa 1900, by Frederick W. HowellRose's review:    Another Laxness character that I want to SHAKE--hard! Steinar has some lovely qualities (generosity, naiveté, a simple faith in himself, trust in others, and a very wry sense of humor). But: he is single minded and simpleminded, and his simple faith can lead to unforeseen consequences.    The beginning of the book details

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Rekjavík from the Tjörn, Ca.1900, Frederick W.W. Howell, Cornell University LibraryRose's Review: The One Pure Note    On the shore of Lake Tjörn in Reykjavík, at the beginning of the 20th century, a coming-of-age tale unfolds. In this small, turf-and-stone cottage called Brekkukot, Álfgrímur Hansson views the world around him.    Álfgrímur's foster grandfather, Björn, is a man with his own moral

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The battle at Stiklestad, 1030, Halfdan Egedius"You are strange men in Iceland, who will not submit to a king, but rely only upon yourselves, which is without parallel in the world."Stephen's review:    Historical fiction, if it is to succeed in transporting the reader to a distant era, must impart a sense of verisimilitude in the events it depicts. Even more difficult is the re-creation of the

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U.S. Military base, Keflavík, ca. 1950But the people did nothing. The people are children. They are taught that criminals live in Skólavörðustígur and not Austurvöllur. Their faith in this wavers a bit, perhaps, from time to time, but when politicians have sworn often enough and hurrahed for long enough, they begin to believe it again. People don't have the imagination to understand politicians.

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Thingvellir church, early 19th centuryRichard's review:    If you love the 18th century, chances are you have a favourite historical novelist. It’s a boom area in literature – and an opportunity for readers to slip, for a few hours, into a world of classical terraces, elegant ballrooms, porticoed mansions and rolling parkland. But in the right hands, readers have shown themselves more than

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The correct understanding of life, let me tell you, is love despite everything. Love despite everything, that is the aim and object of life. Love, you see, is the only thing that pays in the long run, even though it might seem a dead loss in the short run.Rose's review:    I love Sven Birkerts’ description of Laxness’s huge literary presence:World Light, like any of Laxness’s works… is but a

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Haying, Iceland, 1911, Magnús Ólafsson, Cornell University Library CollectionsAbi's review:"How much can one sacrifice for the sake of one's pride? Everything, of course - if one is proud enough." - Halldór Laxness, The Atom Station, 1948    No less than the best book I have read so far in my life.    Independent People (original title: Sjálfstætt Fólk) is the tragedy of a man who is proud enough

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Fish Washing Indoors, Reykjavik, 1911, Magnús Ólafsson, Cornell University Library Collections"Aren't we to talk about love at all at this time?" he asked."I must go out and dry fish," she said.Silja's appreciation:    It should be an impossible task for a person involved in Icelandic literature as as a writer, critic and editor to decide on a favorite book - choose one of thousands. But I am not

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Abbaye St. Maurice et St. Maur in Clervaux, Luxembourg Stephen's impressions:     A late winter's snowstorm had left Reykjavík clad in white. After sitting down to breakfast in the day-room of Bólstaðarhlíð 8 I was soon joined by a group of grad students and their advisor who were also staying in the family-run guesthouse. We had a stimulating discussion over muesli, smoked fish, cheese, breads

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