CoDex 1962. By Sjon. Translated by Victoria Cribb. Sceptre; 527 pages; £18.99. To be published in America by MCD in September; $30.
SINCE the age of the medieval sagas, the stories told by Icelanders have helped enthrone their lonely mid-Atlantic island as a narrative superpower. From this “northern periphery”, argues this bewitching trilogy of short novels, a yarn-spinner must deploy “every trick in the book” to “think your way into human history”. Poet, novelist and lyric-writer for his compatriot Bjork, Sjon commands more tricks than most. Born, as Sigurjon Sigurosson, in Reykjavik in 1962, the prolific author has beguiled audiences abroad with shape-shifting fictions such as “The Blue Fox”, “From the Mouth of the Whale” and “Moonstone”. His stories compound the dreamscapes of Surrealism, the marvels of Icelandic folklore and a pop-culture sensibility into free-form fables. Call it magic realism under Nordic lights.
“CoDex 1962”...
from The Economist: Books and arts https://ift.tt/2Mx09It
No comments:
Post a Comment