{"title":"Halldór Laxness","description":"\u003cp\u003eHalldór Laxness crafts rich narratives rooted in Icelandic landscapes and culture, weaving historical and social themes with poignant character studies. His works often explore the complexities of rural life, tradition, and change through evocative prose and vivid storytelling.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eReaders can immerse themselves in profound explorations of identity and resilience, where the stark beauty of the North meets timeless human struggles. Laxness’s novels offer a unique blend of \u003cem\u003ehistorical fiction\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003egeneral fiction\u003c\/em\u003e that resonates beyond their setting.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"independent-people-by-halldor-laxness-9780099527121","title":"Independent People","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA magnificent Icelandic epic by the \u003cem\u003eTolstoy of the North\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eFirst published in 1946, this is a humane, epic novel set in rural Iceland. Bjartus is a sheep farmer determined to eke 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWritten by the Nobel prize-winner dubbed the \u003cem\u003eTolstoy of the North\u003c\/em\u003e, this is a magnificent portrait of the eerie Icelandic landscape and one man's dogged struggle for independence.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThere 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.\u003c\/em\u003e — New York Review of Books\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Penguin Random House Distribution","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46271943147756,"sku":"9780099527121","price":23.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9780099527121.jpg?v=1742264892"},{"product_id":"under-the-glacier-by-halldor-laxness-9781784877613","title":"Under the Glacier","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDarkly funny and surprising novel about superstition and religion in an isolated Icelandic town. With an introduction from Susan Sontag.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e'Wildly original, morose, uproarious... It is also one of the funniest books ever written'\u003c\/em\u003e Susan Sontag\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eA naive young man is sent by the bishop of Iceland to investigate a small town that has reportedly lost its faith. The church is boarded up, and the errant pastor lives with a woman who is not his wife. He has also allowed a corpse to be lodged in the glacier. So the rumours go.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWhat he discovers is a community that regards itself as the centre of the world - earthly yet otherworldly, banal yet astonishing. Brimming with humour, mystery, and the supernatural, this is a surprising and moving novel from the Nobel Prize-winning Icelandic author.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eUnder the Glacier\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWITH AN INTRODUCTION BY SUSAN SONTAG\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Penguin Random House NZ","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46846903484652,"sku":"9781784877613","price":29.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/13390963482823.jpg?v=1758928125"},{"product_id":"a-parish-chronicle-by-halldor-laxness-9781529985757","title":"A Parish Chronicle","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eExperience a \u003cem\u003ebrief encounter\u003c\/em\u003e with Halldór Laxness, the Nobel Prize-winning Icelandic author, in this rich, rustic and charming novel.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAn intimate, magical novel about one enduring church in a rural Icelandic valley—an ode to a quiet way of life now lost to time forever.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe resting place of the legendary Viking warrior Egil Skallagrimsson's skull, Mosfell Church is a lonely, country church, fated to be destroyed. But as the plans to destroy it take shape, stories, myth and folklore abound in one magical last attempt to leave Mosfell standing.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eBrief Encounters\u003c\/em\u003e: classic novellas and captivating stories, to be read in a single sitting or savoured over days.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Penguin Random House NZ","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47976648769772,"sku":"9781529985757","price":24.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9781529985757-a-parish-chronicle.jpg?v=1784694042"}],"url":"https:\/\/bookhero.live\/collections\/halldor-laxness.oembed","provider":"Book Hero","version":"1.0","type":"link"}