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Iceland's Bell (novel)
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Wikipedia article
'Iceland's Bell' is a historical novel by Nobel prize-winning Icelandic author Halldr Kiljan Laxness. It was published in three parts: 'Iceland's Bell' (1943), 'The Bright Jewel' or 'The Fair Maiden' (1944) and 'Fire in Copenhagen' (1946). The novel takes place in the 18th century, mostly in Iceland and Denmark. Like many of Laxness's works, the story paints a tragic and ironic picture of the terrible state of the Icelandic populace in the 18th century.
Plot summary
Part 1 'Iceland's Bell'
The first part tells the story of the farmer Jn Hreggvisson and his battle with the Icelandic authorities. Jn is sentenced to death for the murder of an executioner, an official of the King of Denmark, but manages to flee from Iceland to Denmark, where he hopes to get an interview with the King to persuade him to grant a pardon.Part 2 'The Bright Jewel' or 'The Fair Maiden'
Snfrur slandssl (lit. "Snow-Beautiful Iceland's-Sun") is the protagonist in the second part. She is in love with a collector of manuscripts named Arnas Arnaeus but is married to a drunkard. This character is based on an actual historical figure, Thordis Jnsdttir, who was the daughter of the bishop of Hlar and was widely considered at the time to be the most beautiful woman in southern Iceland.Her husband, squireMagns Sigursson, was wealthy and well-fed, as well as a violent alcoholic.Part 3 'Fire in Copenhagen'
The third part is about Arnas Arnaeus the manuscript-collector and the fate of his collection in Copenhagen. In the end, Arnas does not marry the woman of his heart, Snfrur, but stays with his rich Danish wife who financed his life's work.Background
The character Arnas Arnus is based on rni Magnsson, an Icelandic scholar who collected and preserved a great deal of medieval manuscripts. The Icelandic painter Jhannes Kjarval depicts the "cutting down the bell" scene from 'slandsklukkan' in a painting of the same title that currently hangs in the [http://listasafnreykjavikur.is/kjarvalsstadir/ Kjarvalstadir museum], in Reykjavk.
Category:1943 novels
Category:Icelandic novels
Category:Historical novels
Category:Novels by Halldr Laxness
Category:Novels set in Iceland
Category:Novels set in Denmark
Category:Novels set in the 18th century
Category:Icelandic-language novels
Category:Icelandic books
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