I Tell of Greenland: An Edited Translation of the Sauetharkrokur Manuscripts [Hardcover]

Francis Berry (Editor)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 200 pages
• Publisher: Routledge & Kegan Paul Books (September 1977)
• ISBN-10: 0710085915
• ISBN-13: 978-0710085917
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,324,130 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Fiction or realistic narration of 11th cent. Norse exped., December 1, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: I Tell of Greenland: An Edited Translation of the Sauetharkrokur Manuscripts (Hardcover)

From the inside cover: Francis Berry has travelled widely in Greenland, and has drawn on this experience to 'edit and translate' the supposed autobiography of Ingolf Brandsson. Largely attested by saga, historical document and archaeological find, it tells of Ingolf's emigration from Iceland to Greenland as a child and of his lifetime's experiences in that country. These experiences include the conversion of Greenland to Christianity and his participation in the Norse expedition to Vinland...

The narrative provides fascinating reading for all those interested in Old Icelandic Sagas and in medieval history, particularly the early Norse expeditions from Greenland to Canada and the United States. After this quote from inside cover, now my personal opinion: Great reading, yet bloody, raunchy, maybe controversial. I am disappointed that there is no facsimile of original documents and there are no references to academic work. While the book appears to claim to be authentic I believe that it is very probable that the author did not find original documents to the extent of the whole book and he probably has very creatively edited. While I am willing to forgive that if clearly labeled as fiction based on real documents, I would appreciate if the fictional nature were more clearly stated. If the book would present itself more credibly it might deserve 5 stars for people interested in the place, time, and people. This book also could be described in one sentence as "narration of the life and times of Leif Eriksson". Definitely not for young people to read. For a mature audience only.