Jón Kalman Stefánsson

In a remote part of Iceland, a boy and his friend Bardur join a boat to fish for cod. A winter storm surprises them out at sea and Bardur, who has forgotten his waterproof as he was too absorbed in 'Paradise Lost', succumbs to the ferocious cold and dies. Appalled by the death and by the fishermen's callous ability to set about gutting the fatal catch, the boy leaves the village, intending to return the book to its owner. The extreme hardship and danger of the journey is of little consequence to him - he has already resolved to join his friend in death. But once in the town he immerses himself in the stories and lives of its inhabitants, and decides that he cannot be with his friend just yet. Set at the turn of the twentieth century, Heaven and Hell is a perfectly formed, vivid and timeless story, lyrical in style, and as intense a reading experience as the forces of the Icelandic landscape themselves. An outstandingly moving novel

Longlisted for the Man Booker International Prize 2017 Keflavik: a town that may be the darkest place in Iceland, surrounded by black lava fields, hemmed in by a sea that may not be fished, and site of the U.S. military base, whose influences shaped Icelandic culture from the '50s to the dawning of the new millennium. Ari - a writer and publisher - lands back in Keflavik from Copenhagen. His father is dying, and he is flooded by memories of his youth in the '70s and '80s, listening to Pink Floyd and the Beatles, raiding American supply lorries and discovering girls. And one girl he could never forget. Layered through Ari's story is that of his grandparents in a village on the eastern coast, a world away from modern Keflavik. For his grandfather Oddur, life at sea was a destiny; for Margret its elemental power brings only loneliness and fear. Both the story of a singular family and an epic that sparkles with love, pain and lifelong desire - with all of human life - Fish have no Feet is a novel of profound beauty and wisdom by a major international writer. By the author of the acclaimed trilogy, Heaven and Hell, The Sorrow of Angels and The Heart of Man.

Ambientadas en las pequeñas aldeas del oeste de Islandia, las historias de Jón Kalman Stefánsson exploran con sutileza los laberintos del alma humana a la par que destilan una visión poética de la existencia.Primera entrega de la Trilogia del muchacho.La novela se situa hace poco mas de un siglo, en un poblado de pescadores de los fiordos occidentales, entre montañas escarpadas y un mar generoso y voraz, capaz tanto de dar alimento como de arrebatar vidas. Siguiendo una tradicion centenaria, los hombres salen a pescar desde muy jovenes en diminutos botes y, para alcanzar los bancos de bacalao, con frecuencia deben remar durante horas entre el oscuro oleaje. Y no saben nadar.Una noche, un muchacho y su amigo Barur se embarcan en la cuadrilla de Petur y se lanzan a la mar. Apenas adolescentes, comparten su aficion por los libros y sus ganas de conocer mundo. Despues de largar las lineas, mientras aguardan la captura, el horizonte se llena de nubes y se levanta una peligrosa ventisca de invierno. El bote inicia a duras penas el regreso a tierra y, a medida que aumenta el frio polar, la frontera que separa la vida y la muerte puede depender de una sola prenda: un chaqueton de piel.Reseñas:En las novelas hipnoticas [de Jon Kalman Stefansson], la naturaleza reina sobre todas las cosas, incluso de manera despotica: lo da y lo quita todo.Antonio G. Iturbe,La VanguardiaSu hondura poetica, su enorme belleza literaria y las aventuras de unos jovenes que se enamoran, comen, rien, se pelean, leen a Milton y trabajan y viven al borde de la muerte en un entorno tan bello como hostil situan a Stefansson entre los grandes nombres de la literatura islandesa.Xavi Ayen,La VanguardiaTal vez sea el lenguaje entendido como un destello inexcusable de luz en la ominosa tiniebla del mundo lo que marque a fuego esta novela. El amparo de la voz frente a la oscuridad. La entronizacion de la palabra.Javier Aparicio Maydeu,Babelia

Après deux ans d'exil au Danemark, Ari rentre à Keflavik, en Islande, à la demande de son père mourant. C'est l'occasion pour lui d'explorer son passé et celui de sa famille : les deuils, les trahiso

After coming through the blizzard that almost cost them everything, Jens and the boy are far from home, in a fishing community at the edge of the world. Taken in by the village doctor, the boy once again has the sense of being brought back from the grave. But this is a strange place, with otherworldly inhabitants, including flame-haired Alfheidur, who makes him wonder whether it is possible to love two women at once; he had believed his heart was lost to Ragnheidur, the daughter of the wealthy merchant in the village to which he must now inexorably return. Set in the awe-inspiring wilderness of the extreme north, The Heart of Man is a profound exploration of life, love and desire, written with a sublime simplicity. In this conclusion to an audacious trilogy, Stefansson brings a poet's eye and a philosopher's insight to a tale worthy of the sagasmiths of old.

Un homme se retrouve dans une église, quelque part dans les fjords de l'ouest, sans savoir comment il est arrivé là, ni pourquoi. C'est comme s'il avait perdu tous ses repères. Quand il découvre l'in

In a remote part of Iceland, a boy and his friend Barur join a boat to fish for cod. A winter storm surprises them out at sea and Barur, who has forgotten his waterproof as he was too absorbed in Paradise Lost, succumbs to the ferocious cold and dies. Appalled by the death and by the fishermens callous ability to set about gutting the fatal catch, the boy leaves the village, intending to return the book to its owner. The extreme hardship and danger of the journey is of little consequence to him - he has already resolved to join his friend in death. But once in the town he immerses himself in the stories and lives of its inhabitants, and decides that he cannot be with his friend just yet. Set at the turn of the twentieth century, Heaven and Hell is a perfectly formed, vivid and timeless story, lyrical in style, and as intense a reading experience as the forces of the Icelandic landscape themselves. An outstandingly moving novel.

Un écrivain qui ressemble beaucoup à Jón Kalman Stefánsson aperçoit Paul McCartney dans un parc londonien, en août 2022. L'ancien Beatles est le héros de sa jeunesse, et le narrateur rêve de lui parl

Reykjavik, années 1950. Sigvaldi et Helga, très amoureux, ont deux filles, Sesselja puis Asta. Mais le couple finit par se séparer. Vingt ans plus tard, à Vienne, Asta, étudiante en théâtre, éprouve

A modern saga spanning the whole of the 20th century, by one of Iceland's most celebrated writers. At the beginning of this story there is death, and yet it is a celebration of life - the passion between a man and a woman, forbidden love, violence, sorrow, betrayal. Happiness and misfortune are passed down from one generation to the next. The sorrow over what was and what might have been weighs heavily on the characters and at the end of this chain, for now, stands Ari, on his way to his dying father, with a score still to be settled. The raw beauty of life is written into the dramatic Icelandic landscape, and into a society that has undergone great transformation within a century. In language both archaic and lyrical, and yet entirely contemporary and full of humour, Jon Kalman Stefansson proves himself one of the finest European writers of his generation. A companion volume to Fish Have No Feet (longlisted for the Man Booker International Prize 2017). Translated from the Icelandic by Philip Roughton

Et maintenant, il est trop tard, répond Ari, pétri de remords. Anna esquisse un sourire, elle lui caresse à nouveau la main et lui dit, quelle sottise, il n’est jamais trop tard tant qu’on est en vie

Était-ce ce qu’il venait de vivre en mer, était-ce pour cette raison qu’il ne voyait vraiment Margrét que maintenant ? Il peinait tant à détacher d’elle son regard qu’il s’était entaillé la main gauc

Un homme amnésique se retrouve dans un village des fjords sans savoir pourquoi ni comment il est arrivé lá. Tout le monde semble le conna®tre mais lui n'a aucun souvenir ni de Soley, la propriétaire

Primeiro livro da trilogia de Jón Kalman Stefánsson, um dos maiores escritores contemporâneos da Islândia.Numa parte remota da Islândia do século XIX, um pequeno barco de pesca é apanhado no meio de

"Était-ce ce qu’il venait de vivre en mer, était-ce pour cette raison qu’il ne voyait vraiment Margrét que maintenant ? Il peinait tant à détacher d’elle son regard qu’il s’était entaillé la main gau

Maintenant, il ferait bon dormir jusqu’à ce que les rêves deviennent un ciel, un ciel calme et sans vent où quelques plumes d’ange virevoltent doucement, où il n’y a rien que la félicité de celui qui

"Et maintenant, il est trop tard, répond Ari, pétri de remords. Anna esquisse un sourire, elle lui caresse à nouveau la main et lui dit, quelle sottise, il n’est jamais trop tard tant qu’on est en vi

Certains mots sont probablement aptes à changer le monde, ils ont le pouvoir de nous consoler et de sécher nos larmes. Certains mots sont des balles de fusil, d’autres des notes de violon. Certains s

"Et maintenant, il est trop tard, répond Ari, pétri de remords. Anna esquisse un sourire, elle lui caresse à nouveau la main et lui dit, quelle sottise, il n’est jamais trop tard tant qu’on est en vi