Halldor Laxness

? Independent People

The great Icelandic novel by the Nobel Prize-winning novelist Halldor Laxness.

? About the book

This is a humane, epic novel set in rural Iceland. Bjartur is a sheep farmer determined to make 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 she grows up, keen to make her own way in the world, Bjartus's obstinacy threatens to estrange them forever.

The book was first published in 1946 and written by the Nobel prize-winner dubbed the 'Tolstoy of the North', this is a magnificent portrait of the eerie Icelandic landscape and one man's dogged struggle for independence.

⭐️ Critics’ reviews

'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

'I defy anyone to finish Halldor Laxness's Independent People without wetting the pages with tears' Jonathan Franzen, Guardian

'The greatest Icelandic novel and surely one of the best books of the 20th century' Hallgrimur Helgason, Guardian

Book Details

• Genre: Literary Fiction / Historical Fiction / Classics
• Setting: Iceland
• Language: English
• Original title: Sjálfstætt fólk
• Format: Paperback