Books from Iceland
86 popular icelandic books
Travel the world without leaving your chair.
The target of the Read Around The World Challenge is to read at least one book written by an author from each and every country in the world.
All books that are listed here as part of the "Read Around Europe Challenge" were written by authors from Iceland.
Find a great book for the next part of your reading journey around the world from this book list. The following popular books have been recommended so far.
31.
Iceland's Bell by Halldór Laxness EN
Description:
From the acclaimed Nobel Prize winner: At the close of the 17th century, Iceland is an oppressed Danish colony, suffering under extreme poverty, famine, and plague. A farmer and accused cord-thief named Jon Hreggvidsson makes a bawdy joke about the Danish king and soon after finds himself a fugitive charged with the murder of the king’s hangman. In the years that follow, the hapless but resilient rogue Hreggvidsson becomes a pawn entangled in political and personal conflicts playing out on a far grander scale. Chief among these is the star-crossed love affair between Snaefridur, known as “Icel... continue
32.
Icelandic folk tales by Hjörleifur Helgi Stefánsson EN
Description:
Iceland is a country where stories are as important as history. When Vikings settled the island, they brought their tales with them. Every rock, hot spring and waterfall seems to have its own story. Cruel man-eating trolls rub shoulders with beautiful elves, whose homes are hidden from mortal view. Vengeful ghosts envy the living, seeking to drag lost loves into their graves – or they may simply demand a pinch of your snuff. Some of the stories in this collection are classic Icelandic tales, while others are completely new to English translation. Hjörleifur has always been deeply interested in... continue
33.
Illska. La maldad by Eiríkur Örn Norðdahl ES
Description:
Ómar y Agnes se conocen una madrugada en la fila del ómnibus, e inician su historia de pareja. Ómar parece ser un joven sin mucha iniciativa ni autoestima; de su historia inicialmente no sabremos mucho. Agnes, hija de lituanos que padecieron la herencia del holocausto, está haciendo su tesis sobre el nazismo y neonazismo en Europa; en una entrevista conoce a Arnór, un neonazi cultivado e inteligente, que pasa a ser el tercero en discordia.
La historia se desarrolla en torno a la vida de la pareja y sus peripecias, intercalado con flashbacks sobre la historia... continue
34.
Independent People by Halldor Laxness EN
Description:
The great Icelandic novel by the Nobel Prize-winning novelist Halldór Laxness 'There are good books and there are great books and there may be a book that is something still more: it is the book of your life' New York Review of Books First published in 1946, this is a humane, epic novel set in rural Iceland. Bjartus is a sheep farmer determined to eke a living from a blighted patch of land. Nothing, not merciless weather, nor his family, will come between him and his goal of financial independence. Only Asta Solillja, the child he brings up as his daughter, can pierce his stubborn heart. As sh... continue
35.
Jar City by Arnaldur Indridason EN
Description:
An old man, murdered in his Reykjavik flat... Only a cryptic note and a photograph of a young girl's grave are left behind.. DID THE DEAD MAN'S PAST COME BACK TO HAUNT HIM? Inspector Erlendur discovers that several decades ago the victim was accused, but not convicted, of an unsolved crime. As he follows a fascinating trail of strange forensic evidence, Inspector Erlendur uncovers secrets that are much larger than the murder of one man - dark secrets that have been carefully guarded for many, many years... The acclaimed first installation in the bestselling Reykjavik Murder Mysteries series, J... continue
36.
Karitas Untitled by Kristín Marja Baldursdóttir EN
Description:
A portrait of an artist trapped by convention and expectations but longing for the chaos that can set her free. Growing up on a farm in early twentieth-century rural Iceland, Karitas Olafsdóttir, the youngest of six siblings, yearns for a new life. An artist, Karitas has a powerful calling and is determined to never let go of her true being, one unsuited for the conventional. But she is powerless against the fateful turns of real life and all its expectations of women. Pulled back time and again by design and by chance to the Icelandic countryside--as dutiful daughter, loving mother, and fishe... continue
37.
Description:
'Kristjansson takes the reader along at a breakneck speed, and it doesn't let up until the final very end' Historical Novel Society First came Scandi-crime and Nordic Noir - now it's time for Viking Crime! Make way, Lisbeth Salander and Sarah Lund, for Helga Finnsdottir. Lies. Manipulation. Murder. There's nothing quite like family . . . Everyone loves a family reunion . . . It is the summer of 970. Adopted daughter Helga awaits the arrival of Unnthor Reginsson's children, who are coming for the regular family gathering at their remote family farm. Unnthor, once a fearsome Viking warlord, now ... continue
38.
La excepcion by Audur Ava Olafsdottir ES
Description:
"Mi marido lo repite de nuevo y esta vez lo oigo con claridad.
- Perdona, pero lo amo. Tu serás la última mujer de mi vida."
María y Flóki conforman un matrimonio feliz, con once años de casados y dos mellizos de dos años.
Hasta que Flóki le anuncia que la va a abandonar porque se ha enamorado de otro hombre, y el mundo de María estalla en pedazos. ¿Porqué? ¿Qué pasó? ¿Qué hice mal? ¿Cómo competir, como mujer, contra otro hombre? "Has sido la excepción... continue
40.
La mujer de verde by Arnaldur Indridason ES
Description:
Unos obreros de la construcción descubren un esqueleto humano mientras trabajan en una urbanización de Reykiavik. Años antes, esa parte de la ciudad era todo colinas, y Erlendur y su equipo esperan que se trate de un caso típico de desaparición; quizá alguien una vez se perdió en la nieve y ha permanecido enterrado durante décadas. Pero las colinas tienen más de una trágica historia que contar: relaciones fallidas y angustias, la ira, la violencia doméstica y el miedo, la lealtad familiar y la vergüenza de la familia. Pocas personas quedan aún con vida que puedan contar la historia, y los secr... continue