[Ebook recs] Various, "Seven Icelandic Short Stories"

[emily_shore]

I found this little gem while looking for reading material for my recent Icelandic holiday. Put together by the Ministry of Education, it starts with a helpful short introduction about the history of Icelandic literature. After a traditional tale from the 13th century, "The Story of Audunn and the Bear," it moves on to feature six stories written between 1905 and 1927. They all have a strong note of realism, offering an unflinching and sometimes grim look at the lives of the ordinary farmers and fishermen of the country, focusing on reverses in fate and the struggle to stay alive in an uncompromising landscape. The final story in the collection, about Icelandic emigrants in Canada, is by the Nobel prize winner Halldor Laxness.

Iceland is per capita one of the most literary countries in the world and this collection offers an excellent first look into its modern literature. All the stories are quite short and can easily be read during idle moments... or in the evenings of an Icelandic holiday.

Seven Icelandic Short Stories via Project Gutenberg

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