To prolong the glow of our recent trip to Iceland, I reread Halldór Laxness' masterpiece Independent People. Perhaps I was inspired by seeing the book in the window of every book shop and souvenir stand in the country?
Independent People tells the story of Bjartur of Summerhouses, a sheep farmer living in a turf-roofed croft in the Icelandic highlands. His sole goal is to not be in debt to anyone, neither financial debt nor social indebtedness. It's an admirable goal, but it makes Bjartur difficult to get along with, especially for his wives and children.
Most of Independent People takes place at Bjartur's croft. We learn a lot about the sheep and about the harsh, beautiful moors that form his land. The outside world intervenes only rarely until near the end. Laxness' prose is sardonic and lovely. There are a few vivid chapters that I'll not forget: the night of terror that Bjartur's first wife Rosa spends alone in the croft, Bjartur's nearly fatal search for a missing ewe, the crofters discussing the stroke of good fortune provided by World War I. The relationship between Bjartur and his (foster) daughter Asta Sóllilja is well drawn and even heartwarming.
The book loses some of its power when it expands its borders in the final 50 pages or so. On the one hand, introducing the politics of wider Iceland helps put Bjartur's struggles into perspective, but at the expense of the focus on character and setting. It also felt a little rushed to me; I'd adjusted to the pace of Bjartur's life.
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