Customer Reviews

Under the Glacier

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

One of the funniest "spiritual" books ever written, this one gets better as it goes along and ends astoundingly. The sketchy prose style is wonderfully transparent and must have been a pleasure to write: no muss, no fuss--an old man's work, with no words to spare and none extra needed. My only warning would be to avoid Susan Sontag's introduction, which makes so many claims for the book's comprehensive greatness that Laxness's novel sinks beneath their weight. It's best read afterward, certainly. I'm an odd reader: once a book has won me over, it has me completely, and this is one of them.

In her introduction, Susan Sontag described Under the Glacier as being a sci fi, comic, dream and philisophical novel. That may be, but to me it was something more like a long ghost story told not around the campfire but in a report. The narrator is sent to a small town on the western edge of Iceland to investigate weird goings-on in the local church. He meets people, interviewing some and just recording the conversations of others. He tries to follow what is happenning around him, sometimes getting it, and sometimes not (which means, as readers of his report, we at times don't know what is happening either). Some parts of the book are very funny, others quite thought-provoking. Although a much easier read, it reminded me of Gass's Omensetter's Luck. My biggest complaint is that at times the translation reads rather opaquely. Laxness chose words and phrases and situations that are obviously important in Icelandic culture. Some explanatory notes at the back of the book (as there are in the Inspector Montalbano mysteries) would help readers who first come into contact with Iceland through this novel.

It's never been easy or popular to challenge established religious doctrines. Jesus was crucified for his teachings. Copernicus and Galileo unsuccessfully used science, math and logic to confront Church teachings. And, monk Martin Luther never did get the Church elders to buy his argument that every individual should be able to interpret the Bible for himself. With a decided tip of his literary hat to his better known rebel predecessors, Haldor Laxness uses analogy and humor to critique what he sees as misplaced priorities of established organized religions: Protestants (especially Lutherans), Catholics, Muslims, and Jews.
The book is written as the eyewitness report by a young man sent on a mission by the local Lutheran Bishop to investigate the "goings on" at a remote Icelandic parish located by the glacier. "We're asking for a report that's all; don't try to put anything right---that's our business in the Ministry of Ecclesiastical Affairs, " the Bishop says in what later you realize is the first of many ironically funny shots at the literal interpretation of the Bible including the current day favorite, intelligent design. Because of the author's clever analogies that spoof and cut, Under the Glacier is not an easy book to read. Like the Bible that it seeks to parody, you can take it literally; you can read it as pure fable; or, you might read it as a combination of myth and reality. Whatever your response, it is unlikely to be indifferent.

I am only a physical scientist and not an expert on literature so I am not afraid to say that I found this book entirely unrewarding. I would really like to know where the supposed hilarity was in this book that at least one reviewer referred to.

I read this book prior to a trip to Iceland, in part on the great reviews. The irony is that while on the trip I met a woman who read the book based on the same reviews I read and likewise found it immensely disappointing. My son gave it a go and couldn't finish it, saying that it seemed to him like an Icelandic version of Fargo. So if you are not particularly erudite, amused by quirky characters, and drawn in by quasi-surrealism, you might read the Amazon reviews with a bit of skepticism.

Halldor Laxness continues to amaze me. His"independent people" is one of my top favorite books.

Under the Glacier is really a nice book. It is probably hard to understand and read but it has great meaning and finish.

Under the Glacier is set in the remote rural area in Iceland where certain women can raise the dead, people are sometimes turned into great salmon. It's also the story of an Australian millionaire who has built great house right behind the ruined church, and whose apostles include a trio of unwashed "winter-Pasture Shepherds" supposed to chop his dead head when he dies to assure "Lord Maitreya return after three thousand years to redeem the world".

EmBi(short for Emissary of the Bishop) is the 24 year old theology student who was sent to investigate the bitter existing truth; does Christianity exist at Glacier? did the local pastor "Jon Primus" lose his faith? did he really allow a corpse to be deposited in the Glacier? Why has the local pastor boarded up the church, refused his salary and become a blacksmith and handyman? Where is his long-missing wife?


Through the rapid events of the story;Laxness argues in a very sensational way about how stupid and feeble the traditional costums of any religion (Christianity, Buddhism, Muhammadanism).

"Oh, no, better to be silent. That is what the glacier does. That is what the lilies of the field do."

The Highly dedicated religious EmBi who describes himself as "puritan!",at the end of the story, is lost in lust,love and "uncertain balance". lost between what is real and phantom,what is right or wrong, good or bad??

This is very powerful story. it starts in slow,may be boring dialog, but ends up in very charming, mysterious tragedy.

Good job Halldor! Five stars

I wanted to read one of Laxness' books and this one, and not Independent People, caught my attention, because of its unique plot. Believe me, this book is UNIQUE. I often found myself not having a clue about what was going on, but there was always something ahead letting me know that THAT was the point: to make you feel as confused as the bishop's emissary. I agree that this is not a 5 star book, because Laxness often rambles about the same over and over to make you feel consfused, and that can become annoying. Of course, I understood what was really going on at the very end and THAT makes this book worth reading. Is it hilarious like some reviewers and Susan Sontag claim? Hmmm... I guess I don't get icelandic humor. I smiled a few times, but I wouldn't say it's "the funniest book ever written". However, I liked it enough to buy the 1989 movie adaptation, directed by Laxness' granddaughter, which is as confusing as the book. One piece of advice, DO NOT READ the introduction because it gives away crucial points in the plot.

First, having now read some of Magnusson's other translations, it must be said here that he does a fine job adapting this book for the nether world of English readers.

Now for the nitty gritty. The blurbs used here, with one exception, were not written for this book, but are general ones about a great author. I only noted this after reading the book. The most obvious point, and least controversial: UNDER THE GLACIER is not as accomplished as INDEPENDENT PEOPLE or WORLD LIGHT.

That in itself is no crime.

Maybe it's just that I've lived through Giuliani's assualt on the arts here in New York, but the high modernist moment for its own sake no longer does much for me. The themes in this later work by Laxness are well worn, and handled better elsewhere. Flann O'Brien comes to mind first. Laxness is better on more hallowed ground than this, which is ironic given that the title of this book in Icelandic is _Kristnihald undir jökli_, or _Christianity Under Glacier_.

In a nutshell: This is an odd salmagundi of Nietzschean arcana that's worth reading if you A). like that sort of thing or B). have enjoyed other books by Laxness.

After enjoying Independent People, I picked this up and...dang...the bizarre, peculiar fable lost me completely. I nearly didn't read another Laxness book, which would have been a shame, since Iceland's Bell, for example, is a total charmer. Try his other books first, the ones that earn him a place alongside Marquez and Dickens, in my opinion.

This is a very creative book although it is different in its structure than one has come to expect from Laxness. It does not contain the long, articulate descriptive passages found in say, Independent People. It is written in a `script' type format ( I don't know the word that your creative writing teacher would use to describe it) and its prose is sparse although not lacking in the Laxness wit: "Icelanders are not particularly hospitable in the Sagas, and that persisted for a long time; although things have improved since coffee was discovered...".

Although "Glacier" is different from his other works, "Laxness does provide the reader with elements that are found in his other works: an imaginative story, brilliant writing and a wonderful wit. It also contains an entertaining cast of characters that range from the enigmatic to the bizarre.

The language in Glacier, as in his other books, borrows heavily from the Sagas. The translation was done by Magnus Magnusson, KBE, who has provided us with a number of splendid translations of Laxness works, including: AThe Fish Can Sing@, AParadise Reclaimed@, AWorld Light@, AThe Atom Station@, AUnder the Glacier@ and ABread of Life@. We are all indebted to Magnus for allowing us anglophiles to appreciate the genius of Laxness. Magnus was born in Iceland and became the long standing host of the British television show AMastermind@. He was named a Knight of the Britisth Empire in 1989. He was also a prolific writer and translator, also translating several sagas including ANjal=s Saga@ and ALaxdaela Saga@. Those struggling with the prose in `Under the Glacier' should read one or more of these timeless literary treasures.

The novel moves fast probably due to the clarity of the text. The story takes place in modern Iceland. Every page fascinated me because I know nothing about modern Iceland.
The characters are loveable, clever, and downright sneaky.
And the syntax of the translator deserves a major award!