Jón Kalman Stefánsson Books

After coming through the blizzard that almost cost them everything, Jens and the boy are far from home, in a fishing community at the edge of the world. Taken in by the village doctor, the boy once again has the sense of being brought back from the grave. But this is a strange place, with otherworldly inhabitants, including flame-haired lfhei ur, who makes him wonder whether it is possible to love two women at once; he had believed his heart was lost to Ragnhei ur, the daughter of the wealthy merchant in the village to which he must now inexorably return. Set in the awe-inspiring wilderness of the extreme north, The Heart of Man is a profound exploration of life, love and desire, written with a sublime simplicity. In this conclusion to an audacious trilogy, Stefansson brings a poet's eye and a philosopher's insight to a tale worthy of the sagasmiths of old

Keflavik: a town that has been called the darkest place in Iceland, surrounded by black lava fields, hemmed in by a sea that may not be fished. Its livelihood depends entirely on a U.S. military base, a conduit for American influences that shaped Icelandic culture and ethics from the 1950s to the dawning of the new millennium. It is to Keflavik that Ari - a writer and publisher - returns from Copenhagen at the behest of his dying father, two years after walking out on his wife and children. He is beset by memories of his youth, spent or misspent listening to Pink Floyd and the Beatles, fraternising with American servicemen - who are regarded by the locals with a mixture of admiration and contempt - and discovering girls. There is one girl in particular he could never forget - her fate has stayed with him all his life. Lost in grief and nostalgia, he is also caught up in the story of how his grandparents fell in love in Nordfjordur on the eastern coast, a fishing village a world away from modern Keflavik, at time when the old ways still held sway. Their tragic love affair unfolded against the backdrop of Iceland's harsh nature and unforgiving elements.

It is three weeks since the boy came to town, carrying a book of poetry to return to the old sea captain - the poetry that did for his friend Bardur. Three weeks, but already Bardur's ghost has faded. Snow falls so heavily that it binds heaven and earth together.As the villagers gather in the inn to drink schnapps and coffee while the boy reads to them from Shakespeare's Hamlet, Jens the postman stumbles in half dead, having almost frozen to his horse. On his next journey to the wide open fjords he is accompanied by the boy, and both must risk their lives for each other, and for an unusual item of mail.THE SORROW OF ANGELS is a timeless literary masterpiece; in extraordinarily powerful language it brings the struggle between man and nature tangibly to life. It is the second novel in Stefansson's epic and elemental trilogy, though all can be read independently.

A modern saga spanning the whole of the 20th century, by one of Iceland's most celebrated writers

An extraordinary and ambitious mosaic of a novel of a family over centuries, from Iceland's most exceptional contemporary storyteller.

Bestselling novel by Iceland's outstanding writer - soon to be a film starring Olafur Darri Olafsson (TRAPPED)

Fernab von Reykjavik, gewissermaßen hinter den sieben Bergen, ist Island bisher vom Fortschritt verschont geblieben. Es gibt keine Autobahnen, keine Straßenbeleuchtung und ═ noch ═ keine Touristen. Doch das soll sich bald ändern: Zuerst hat Björn auf Hnúkar eine ausländische Zeitschrift abonniert, dann verirrt sich das erste deutsche Touristenehepaar in der ländlichen Idylle, und plötzlich ist die Gemeinde in zwei Lager gespalten: Devisen und Globalisierung, Milchwirtschaft und Schrottlager oder Esoterik und Biokost? Eine etwas andere Gretchenfrage, lauter skurrile Gestalten voll sprühendem Witz: Das ist Island at its best!

«Pour tromper le monde, je m’habille avec élégance chaque fois que je sors. J’allume mon sourire. Je maquille un peu ma tristesse puis je mets mes lunettes de soleil pour que personne ne remarque ton absence au fond de mes yeux.» Reykjavík, début des années 50. Sigvaldi et Helga décident de nommer leur fille Ásta, d’après une grande héroïne de littérature islandaise. Un prénom signifiant – à une lettre près – amour et qui, croient-ils, ne peut que porter chance à leur fille… Ce roman lyrique et charnel raconte l’urgence autant que la difficulté d’aimer, malgré notre quête inlassable du bonheur.

In "Weltliteratur & Kultmusik" begegnet ein Schriftsteller Paul McCartney in einem Londoner Park und reflektiert seine Kindheit in Reykjavík, geprägt von Trauer und Einsamkeit. Die Literatur wird zur Quelle des Lichts und der Liebe. Das Buch thematisiert Traurigkeit, Sehnsucht und die Verbundenheit menschlicher Existenzen.

An poetic, heart-rending saga by Iceland's foremost contemporary writer.