Under the Glacier

The novel moves fast probably due to the clarity of the text. The story takes place in modern Iceland. Every page fascinated me because I know nothing about modern Iceland. The characters are loveable, clever, and downright sneaky. And the syntax of the translator deserves a major award!

Halldor Laxness continues to amaze me. His"independent people" is one of my top favorite books. Under the Glacier is really a nice book. It is probably hard to understand and read but it has great meaning and finish. Under the Glacier is set in the remote rural area in Iceland where certain women can raise the dead, people are sometimes turned into great salmon. It's also the story of an Australian millionaire who has built great house right behind the ruined church, and whose apostles include a trio of unwashed "winter-Pasture Shepherds" supposed to chop his dead head when he dies to assure "Lord Maitreya return after three thousand years to redeem the world". EmBi(short for Emissary of the Bishop) is the 24 year old theology student who was sent to investigate the bitter existing truth; does Christianity exist at Glacier? did the local pastor "Jon Primus" lose his faith? did he really allow a corpse to be deposited in the Glacier? Why has the local pastor boarded up the church, refused his salary and become a blacksmith and handyman? Where is his long-missing wife? Through the rapid events of the story;Laxness argues in a very sensational way about how stupid and feeble the traditional costums of any religion (Christianity, Buddhism, Muhammadanism). "Oh, no, better to be silent. That is what the glacier does. That is what the lilies of the field do." The Highly dedicated religious EmBi who describes himself as "puritan!",at the end of the story, is lost in lust,love and "uncertain balance". lost between what is real and phantom,what is right or wrong, good or bad?? This is very powerful story. it starts in slow,may be boring dialog, but ends up in very charming, mysterious tragedy. Good job Halldor! Five stars

One of the funniest "spiritual" books ever written, this one gets better as it goes along and ends astoundingly. The sketchy prose style is wonderfully transparent and must have been a pleasure to write: no muss, no fuss--an old man's work, with no words to spare and none extra needed. My only warning would be to avoid Susan Sontag's introduction, which makes so many claims for the book's comprehensive greatness that Laxness's novel sinks beneath their weight. It's best read afterward, certainly. I'm an odd reader: once a book has won me over, it has me completely, and this is one of them.

First, having now read some of Magnusson's other translations, it must be said here that he does a fine job adapting this book for the nether world of English readers. Now for the nitty gritty. The blurbs used here, with one exception, were not written for this book, but are general ones about a great author. I only noted this after reading the book. The most obvious point, and least controversial: UNDER THE GLACIER is not as accomplished as INDEPENDENT PEOPLE or WORLD LIGHT. That in itself is no crime. Maybe it's just that I've lived through Giuliani's assualt on the arts here in New York, but the high modernist moment for its own sake no longer does much for me. The themes in this later work by Laxness are well worn, and handled better elsewhere. Flann O'Brien comes to mind first. Laxness is better on more hallowed ground than this, which is ironic given that the title of this book in Icelandic is _Kristnihald undir jökli_, or _Christianity Under Glacier_. In a nutshell: This is an odd salmagundi of Nietzschean arcana that's worth reading if you A). like that sort of thing or B). have enjoyed other books by Laxness.

It's never been easy or popular to challenge established religious doctrines. Jesus was crucified for his teachings. Copernicus and Galileo unsuccessfully used science, math and logic to confront Church teachings. And, monk Martin Luther never did get the Church elders to buy his argument that every individual should be able to interpret the Bible for himself. With a decided tip of his literary hat to his better known rebel predecessors, Haldor Laxness uses analogy and humor to critique what he sees as misplaced priorities of established organized religions: Protestants (especially Lutherans), Catholics, Muslims, and Jews. The book is written as the eyewitness report by a young man sent on a mission by the local Lutheran Bishop to investigate the "goings on" at a remote Icelandic parish located by the glacier. "We're asking for a report that's all; don't try to put anything right---that's our business in the Ministry of Ecclesiastical Affairs, " the Bishop says in what later you realize is the first of many ironically funny shots at the literal interpretation of the Bible including the current day favorite, intelligent design. Because of the author's clever analogies that spoof and cut, Under the Glacier is not an easy book to read. Like the Bible that it seeks to parody, you can take it literally; you can read it as pure fable; or, you might read it as a combination of myth and reality. Whatever your response, it is unlikely to be indifferent.