In 1883 a lot of interesting things happened. Krakatoa exploded. Marx died, Kafka was born. Van Gogh churned out dozens of masterpieces. Paulina Starr became the first woman dentist in Chile. In this book though, we encounter a grand allegory: in Iceland, an evil priest kills a fox and has myst...
This short book is more of a long parable or novella. Don't let the short length fool you — in true parable form the book is packed with meaning and room for interpretation by the reader. Like The Whispering Muse (also by Sjón), the story also has a bit of a Melville feel to it. The main characte...
This short novel is set in 1883 in rural Iceland. It gives a sense of the place and time, but also has the feel of a fable.Fridrik B Fridjónsson studied natural history at the University of Copenhagen, travelling to Iceland in 1868 to sell his parents' farm and other belongings after their deaths...
I might have to give this another read to get a better grasp of the story itself. That being said, the flow and lyricism of the prose-poetry takes you on as much of a journey as this bizarre, incredible tale of Jonas the Learned. If you're not the biggest fan of despair and momentary gore, then t...
Jonas the Learned is a poet, carver, exorcist of spirits, naturalist and healer (and probably many other things besides). It is 17th century Iceland, and everything is grim and cold. Jonas is found guilty of sorcery, and banished to a remote island.As a story it is strange and wild. Written as pa...