Last year when Icelandair announced a non-stop flight between my mid-sized city and Reykjavik, I jumped at the opportunity. With only one other non-stop to Europe, getting to the continent in only 6 hours was an obvious choice.
And so we were on our way for a 10 day self-driving tour. Self-driving, by the way, is the way to go if you want someone else to create the ideal itinerary, book your hotels, and provide recommendations and directions, but leave the specific timing and crowd avoidance opportunities to you.
As usual, I planned to read some local authors before and after the trip. For Iceland, there were plenty of choices. Out of the 300,000 residents, 1 in 10 Icelanders publish a book in their lifetime. Of those books, Independent People by Halldór Laxness is possibly the most famous book by the most famous author. He gets top billing in every store. In fact, if you ask an Icelander to name an Icelandic writer, Laxness is typically the first you’ll hear. As a bonus you can stop by the Nobel Prize winner’s former home outside of Reykjavik, now a museum.
I made a note of the book, expecting to pick it up at home instead of lugging it across the country.
But back in the US, finding the book was not so easy. It wasn’t in my local library, so I put in a request.
When it was finally approved and my TBR list accommodated (which I’m embarrassed to admit was a year later), I trekked to the library, only to find it not on the shelf. That was odd, since the online search tool showed several available copies. But it wasn’t there under L On a whim, I turned down the next aisle and looked under H. And there it was. Somehow it had been catalogued under the author’s first name. Maybe it fancied itself like its title an independent book, able to alphabetize itself as it pleases?
Even with those minor mishaps, I have to say that finding the book was easier than reading it. It’s a dense novel of 512 pages, with tiny print and page-long paragraphs. References to the sagas, Iceland’s origin folklore, are frequent and consonant-heavy. Reading it required some adjustment.
Set in the early 20th century, Independent People is the story of Bjartur, a peasant sheep farmer. Much of the book is tales of sheep. Worries of sheep, woes of sheep – complete with sheep matings and sheep birthings. Long descriptions of worms and diseases. Dialogue of who in the valley lost how many sheep and the going price of sheep. Daily life in the farmer’s croft – a structure built partly into the ground with turf walls and roof – where livestock live on the bottom floor and humans reside overhead. And, of course, snow and storms.
The book reminded me of the movie Lamb, also set in Iceland, possibly recommended to me because of my trip or possibly because it was really bad. (What kind of friend recommends a movie that is really bad, by the way?) At first, I agreed, but after watching it half a dozen times, I got into it.
This book may require the same before I can appreciate all the layers, complexity, and wry humor.
It turns out that Bjartur is not very likeable. He wants to be left alone to manage his sheep and land. But unfortunately for him and his family (the only likeable characters), his pride leads to unnecessary hardship and loss. He is given a cow for milk for his sickly wife, but complains that he has to feed it. He’s offered assistance for his newborn, which he turns down. He declines offers to educate his children and offers of fresh goose meat and fish when he is starving.
I didn’t find myself in tears at the end as the writer of the Introduction did. Just regret over what could have been for him.
Still, I recommend giving the book its due, just like I recommend visiting Iceland if you can swing it. Just allocate plenty of time to fully appreciate it – both the book and the country.
Perhaps we all could learn from a man so stubborn in his independence, so unwilling to offer or receive a hand or a kind word, that he makes life significantly harder for his family.
And perhaps we all could learn from the unique portrait of a different culture and time. It certainly provided an answer to what rural Icelanders do, a question I had frequently when spotting a house seemingly in the middle of nowhere. My peasant Italian ancestors possibly lived a similar life.
All in all, the book paints what is probably a more realistic view of the country’s history than what I saw hiking a glacier in crampons on a crowded mountain. Or getting jostled by tourists at Thingvellir (Þingvellir) National Park all trying to walk between the tectonic plates that separate Europe and North America.
Like the country, maybe Independent People is one of those books you need to read several times to fully absorb all the layers. I plan to. At least I know where to find it now.
Have you read it? I’d love to hear your perspective!
Hi Cathy.
My daughter Valerie and I also took advantage of the direct flights to visit Iceland this past May. We also did a ten-day self-driving tour around the island. What marvelous scenery the entire way!
After an earlier trip to Iceland my son gave me a paperback copy of THE INDEPENDENT PEOPLE. I did not read because the print was so small. But on your recommendation, I have ordered a Kindle copy that will be more readable.
In conjunction with the trip, I read mysteries by three Icelandic authors: Eva Aegisdotter, Arnaldur Indridason, and Olaf Olafsson. I have found Nordic mysteries very enjoyable to read.
Very best,
Marvin
Iceland is such a beautiful country! I look forward to returning, and spending more time in the countryside this time. Thanks for the additional author reccs!