The Promise of Iceland

The Promise of Iceland
Author: Kári Gíslason
Publisher: Univ. of Queensland Press
Total Pages: 202
Release: 2012-04
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 0702246808

Born from a secret liaison between a British mother and an Icelandic father, Kari Gislason was the subject of a promise: a promise elicited by his father not to reveal his identity in order to spare his wife and five other children. At the age of 27, Kari decides to break the pact between his parents by contacting his father's family; what follows makes for a riveting journey over landscapes, time, and memory. From the shark net at Sydney's Balmoral and an unsettled life in the English countryside to the harsh yellow summer of Brisbane and the freezing cold winters of Iceland, the author traces his mother's steps into the arms of a secret lover. At the culmination of this poignant, painful, and joyous story, Kari's determination to defy his father's wishes results in his uniting with his relatives.

Saga Land

Saga Land
Author: Richard Fidler
Publisher: HarperCollins Australia
Total Pages: 329
Release: 2017-11-01
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 1460708202

'I adored this book - a wondrous compendium of Iceland's best sagas' - Hannah Kent A new friendship. An unforgettable journey. A beautiful and bloody history. This is Iceland as you've never read it before ... Broadcaster Richard Fidler and author Kári Gíslason are good friends. They share a deep attachment to the sagas of Iceland - the true stories of the first Viking families who settled on that remote island in the Middle Ages.These are tales of blood feuds, of dangerous women, and people who are compelled to kill the ones they love the most. The sagas are among the greatest stories ever written, but the identity of their authors is largely unknown. Together, Richard and Kári travel across Iceland, to the places where the sagas unfolded a thousand years ago. They cross fields, streams and fjords to immerse themselves in the folklore of this fiercely beautiful island. And there is another mission: to resolve a longstanding family mystery - a gift from Kari's Icelandic father that might connect him to the greatest of the saga authors.

Miss Iceland

Miss Iceland
Author: Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir
Publisher: Grove Press
Total Pages: 194
Release: 2020-06-16
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 0802149243

“Will appeal to readers of Elena Ferrante and Margaret Atwood . . . the unusual setting offers an interesting twist on the portrait of an artist as a young woman.” —Bookpage In 1960s Iceland, Hekla dreams of being a writer. In a nation of poets, where each household proudly displays leatherbound volumes of the Sagas, and there are more writers per capita than anywhere else in the world, there is only one problem: she is a woman. After packing her few belongings, including James Joyces’s Ulysses and a Remington typewriter, Hekla heads for Reykjavik with a manuscript buried in her bags. She moves in with her friend Jon, a gay man who longs to work in the theatre, but can only find dangerous, backbreaking work on fishing trawlers. Hekla’s opportunities are equally limited: marriage and babies, or her job as a waitress, in which harassment from customers is part of the daily grind. The two friends feel completely out of place in a small and conservative world. And yet that world is changing: JFK is shot. Hemlines are rising. In Iceland, another volcano erupts and Hekla meets a poet who brings to light harsh realities about her art—as she realizes she must escape to find freedom abroad, whatever the cost. Miss Iceland, a winner of two international book awards, comes from the acclaimed author of Hotel Silence, which received the Icelandic Literary Prize. “Only a great book can make you feel you’re really there, a thousand miles and a generation away. I loved it.” —Kit de Waal, author of My Name is Leon “[A] winning tale of friendship and self-fulfillment.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review

The Sorrow Stone

The Sorrow Stone
Author: Kári Gíslason
Publisher: Univ. of Queensland Press
Total Pages: 231
Release: 2022-03-01
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 0702266744

An epic and compelling novel that reimagines the fate of one of Iceland's famous women of history. After committing an audacious act of revenge for her brother's murder, Disa flees with her son through the fjords of Iceland. She has already endured the death of her loved ones. Now she must run to save her son, and her honour. In a society where betrayals and revenge killings are rife, all Disa has is her pride and her courage. Will it be enough for her and her son to escape retribution? Dramatic and urgent in its telling, The Sorrow Stone celebrates one woman's quest, against the dramatic backdrop of the Icelandic countryside. In this gripping novel, the co-author of the bestselling Saga Land takes a sidelined figure from the Viking tales and finally puts her where she belongs – at the centre of the story.

Where We Live Now

Where We Live Now
Author: John Iceland
Publisher: Univ of California Press
Total Pages: 238
Release: 2009-03-04
Genre: Family & Relationships
ISBN: 0520257634

"In Where We Live Now, John Iceland documents the levels and changes in residential segregation of African Americans, Hispanics, and Asian Americans from Census 2000. Although the concentration of new immigrants in neighborhoods with more co-ethnics temporarily increases segregation, there is a clear trend toward lowered residential segregation of native born Hispanics and Asians, especially for those with higher socioeconomic status. There has been a modest decrease in black-white segregation, especially in multi-ethnic cities, but African Americans, including black immigrants, continue to experience much higher levels of housing discrimination than any other group. These important findings are clearly explained in a well written story of the continuing American struggle to live the promise of E Pluribus Unum."—Charles Hirschman, University of Washington "Where We Live Now puts on dazzling display all the virtues of rigorous social science to go beyond mere headlines about contemporary American neighborhoods. Iceland's book reveals much more complex developments than can be summarized in a simple storyline and dissects them with admirable precision to identify their dynamics and implications. The reader comes away with a more sophisticated understanding of the ways in which residential patterns are moving in the direction of the American ideal of integration and the ways in which they come grossly short of it."—Richard Alba, co-author of Remaking the American Mainstream "A unique work that takes on immigration, race and ethnicity in a novel way. It presents cutting-edge research and scholarship in a manner that policy makers and other nonspecialist social scientists can easily see how the trends he examines are reshaping American life."—Andrew A. Beveridge, Queens College and the Graduate Center of City University of New York “This is the new major book about racial residential segregation; one that will influence research in this field for several decades. Using new measures, John Iceland convincingly shows that the Asian and Hispanic immigrants who are arriving in large numbers gradually adopt the residential patterns of whites. The presence of many immigrants, he demonstrates, is also linked to declining black-white segregation. His analysis shows that the era of 'white flight' has ended since many racially mixed neighborhoods now are stable over time. This careful analysis cogently explains how race, economic status, nativity and length of residence in the United States contribute to declining residential segregation. Future investigators who conduct research about racial and ethnic residential patterns will begin by citing Iceland's Where We Live Now.”—Reynolds Farley, Research Scientist, University of Michigan Population Studies Center "Where We Live Now is both a very timely and highly significant study of changes in living patterns among racial/ethnic groups in the United States, showing how such groups are being affected by immigration, and what this means for racial/ethnic relations today and tomorrow. This book is a must-read for all persons interested in the country's new diversity."—Frank D. Bean, Director, Center for Research on Immigration "In Where We Live Now, John Iceland paints a clear yet nuanced picture of the complex racial and ethnic residential landscape that characterizes contemporary metropolitan America. No other book of which I am aware places residential segregation so squarely or effectively in the context of immigration-fueled diversity. Thanks to its rare blend of theoretical insight, empirical rigor, and readability, Where We Live Now should appeal to audiences ranging from research and policy experts to undergraduate students."—Barrett Lee, Professor of Sociology and Demography, Pennsylvania State University

Nightblind

Nightblind
Author: Ragnar Jónasson
Publisher: Minotaur Books
Total Pages: 240
Release: 2017-12-05
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1250096103

Chilling and complex, Nightblind is an extraordinary thriller from Ragnar Jónasson, an undeniable new talent. Ari Thor Arason is a local policeman who has an uneasy relationship with the villagers in an idyllically quiet fishing village in Northern Iceland—where no one locks their doors. The peace of this close-knit community is shattered by a murder. One of Ari’s colleagues is gunned down at point-blank range in the dead of night in a deserted house. With a killer on the loose and the dark Arctic waters closing in, it falls to Ari Thor to piece together a puzzle that involves a new mayor and a psychiatric ward in Reykjavik. It becomes all too clear that tragic events from the past are weaving a sinister spell that may threaten them all.

The Ash Burner

The Ash Burner
Author: Kári Gíslason
Publisher: University of Queensland Press
Total Pages: 266
Release: 2015-02-01
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN: 0702254770

In The Ash Burner, a sensitive, poignant novel about growing up, running away, and the many guises of love, 12-year-old Ted lives with his father, the local magistrate, in the small coastal town of Lion's Head. All Ted knows about his mother is that she died when he was a boy, and that his father—despite moving halfway across the world to start anew—still grieves for her privately. When he is hospitalized after a swimming accident, Ted meets Anthony and Claire, and is immediately captivated by the older pair. Intelligent and perspicacious, they introduce him to poetry and art, and he feels a sense of belonging at last. But as the trio's friendship intensifies over the years, Ted must learn to negotiate the boundaries of love and come to terms with a legacy of secrets and silence.

The Sealwoman's Gift

The Sealwoman's Gift
Author: Sally Magnusson
Publisher: Hachette UK
Total Pages: 384
Release: 2018-02-08
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1473638976

'REMARKABLE' Sarah Perry | 'EXTRAORDINARILY IMMERSIVE' Guardian | 'EPIC' Zoe Ball Book Club | 'A REALLY, REALLY GOOD READ' BBC R2 Book Club' | 'LYRICAL' Stylist | 'POETIC' Daily Mail 1627. In a notorious historical event, pirates raided the coast of Iceland and abducted 400 people into slavery in Algiers. Among them a pastor, his wife, and their children. In her acclaimed debut novel Sally Magnusson imagines what history does not record: the experience of Asta, the pastor's wife, as she faces her losses with the one thing left to her - the stories from home - and forges an ambiguous bond with the man who bought her. Uplifting, moving, and sharply witty, The Sealwoman's Gift speaks across centuries and oceans about loss, love, resilience and redemption. SHORTLISTED FOR THE HWA DEBUT CROWN | THE BEST FIRST NOVEL AWARD | THE MCKITTERICK PRIZE | THE PAUL TORDAY MEMORIAL PRIZE | THE WAVERTON GOOD READ AWARD | A ZOE BALL ITV BOOK CLUB PICK 'Sally Magnusson has taken an amazing true event and created a brilliant first novel. It's an epic journey in every sense: although it's historical, it's incredibly relevant to our world today. We had to pick it' Zoe Ball Book Club 'Richly imagined and energetically told' Sunday Times 'The best sort of historical novel' Scotsman 'Compelling ' Good Housekeeping 'An accomplished and intelligent novel' Yrsa Sigurðardóttir, author of Why Did You Lie? 'Vivid and compelling' Adam Nichols, co-translator of The Travels of Reverend Ólafur Egilsson

The Medieval Icelandic Saga and Oral Tradition

The Medieval Icelandic Saga and Oral Tradition
Author: Gísli Sigurðsson
Publisher: Harvard University Press
Total Pages: 422
Release: 2004
Genre: Literary Criticism
ISBN:

This work explores the role of orality in shaping and evaluating medieval Icelandic literature. Applying field studies of oral cultures in modern times to this distinguished medieval literature, G sli Sigur sson asks how it would alter our reading of medieval Icelandic sagas if it were assumed they had grown out of a tradition of oral storytelling, similar to that observed in living cultures. Sigur sson examines how orally trained lawspeakers regarded the emergent written culture, especially in light of the fact that the writing down of the law in the early twelfth century undermined their social status. Part II considers characters, genealogies, and events common to several sagas from the east of Iceland between which a written link cannot be established. Part III explores the immanent or mental map provided to the listening audience of the location of Vinland by the sagas about the Vinland voyages. Finally, this volume focuses on how accepted foundations for research on medieval texts are affected if an underlying oral tradition (of the kind we know from the modern field work) is assumed as part of their cultural background. This point is emphasized through the examination of parallel passages from two sagas and from mythological overlays in an otherwise secular text.

The Promise of Elsewhere

The Promise of Elsewhere
Author: Brad Leithauser
Publisher: Vintage
Total Pages: 354
Release: 2020-02-25
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 0525564128

A comic novel about a Midwestern professor who tries to prop up his failing prospects for happiness by setting out on the Journey of a Lifetime. Louie Hake is forty-three and teaches architectural history at a third-rate college in Michigan. His second marriage is collapsing, and he's facing a potentially disastrous medical diagnosis. In an attempt to fend off what has become a soul-crushing existential crisis, he decides to treat himself to a tour of the world's most breathtaking architectural sites. Perhaps not surprisingly, Louie gets waylaid on his very first stop in Rome--ludicrously, spectacularly so--and fails to reach most of his other destinations. He embarks on a doomed romance with a jilted bride celebrating her ruined marriage plans alone in London. And in the Arctic he finds that turf houses and aluminum sheds don't amount to much of an architectural tradition. But it turns out that there's another sort of architecture there: icebergs the size of cathedrals, bobbing beside a strange and wondrous landscape. It soon becomes clear that Louie's grand journey is less about where his wanderings have taken him and more about where his past encounters with romance have not. Whether pursuing his first wife, or his estranged current wife, or the older woman he kissed just once a quarter-century ago, Louie reveals himself to be endearing, deeply touching, wonderfully ridiculous . . . and destined to find love in all the wrong places.