HALLDOR KILJAN LAXNESS
Halldór Kiljan Laxness was born in 1902 in Reykjavik, the capital of Iceland,
but spent his youth in the country. From the age of seventeen on, he travelled
and lived abroad, chiefly on the European continent. He was influenced by
expressionism and other modern currents in Germany and France. In the
mid-twenties he was converted to Catholicism; his spiritual experiences are
reflected in several books of an autobiographical nature, chiefly Undir
Helgahnúk (Under the Holy Mountain), 1924. In 1927, he published his first
important novel, Vefarinn mikli frá Kasmir (The Great Weaver from Kashmir).
Laxness's religious period did not last long; during a visit to America he
became attracted to socialism. Althydubókin (The Book of the People), 1929, is
evidence of a change toward a socialist outlook. In 1930, Laxness settled in
Iceland.
Laxness's main achievement consists of three novel cycles written during the
thirties, dealing with the people of Iceland. Pú vínvidur hreini, 1931, and
Fuglinn í fjörunni, 1932, (both translated as Salka Valka), tell the story of a
poor fisher girl; Sjalfstaettfolk (Independent People), 1934-35, treats the
fortunes of small farmers, whereas the tetralogy Ljós heimsins (The Light of the
World), 1937-40, has as its hero an Icelandic folk poet. Laxness's later works
are frequently historical and influenced by the saga tradition: Islandsklukkan
(The Bell of Iceland), 1943-46, Gerpla (The Happy Warriors), 1952, and
Paradísarheimt (Paradise Reclaimed), 1960. Laxness is also the author of the
topical and sharply polemical Atómstödin (The Atom Station), 1948.
Halldór Kiljan Laxness was born in 1902 in Reykjavik, the capital of Iceland,
but spent his youth in the country. From the age of seventeen on, he travelled
and lived abroad, chiefly on the European continent. He was influenced by
expressionism and other modern currents in Germany and France. In the
mid-twenties he was converted to Catholicism; his spiritual experiences are
reflected in several books of an autobiographical nature, chiefly Undir
Helgahnúk (Under the Holy Mountain), 1924. In 1927, he published his first
important novel, Vefarinn mikli frá Kasmir (The Great Weaver from Kashmir).
Laxness's religious period did not last long; during a visit to America he
became attracted to socialism. Althydubókin (The Book of the People), 1929, is
evidence of a change toward a socialist outlook. In 1930, Laxness settled in
Iceland.
Laxness's main achievement consists of three novel cycles written during the
thirties, dealing with the people of Iceland. Pú vínvidur hreini, 1931, and
Fuglinn í fjörunni, 1932, (both translated as Salka Valka), tell the story of a
poor fisher girl; Sjalfstaettfolk (Independent People), 1934-35, treats the
fortunes of small farmers, whereas the tetralogy Ljós heimsins (The Light of the
World), 1937-40, has as its hero an Icelandic folk poet. Laxness's later works
are frequently historical and influenced by the saga tradition: Islandsklukkan
(The Bell of Iceland), 1943-46, Gerpla (The Happy Warriors), 1952, and
Paradísarheimt (Paradise Reclaimed), 1960. Laxness is also the author of the
topical and sharply polemical Atómstödin (The Atom Station), 1948.