iceland stories (1)
Posted 27 April, 2004 in writing
i’ve just finished reading a novel called 101 Reykjavik, by Hallgrimur Helgason. i loved it. it’s sort of your typical slacker-guy story; the main character is thirty-three and still lives with his mom. what makes it special is helgason’s writing. he’s thoroughly down-to-earth and, simultaneously, completely out there. maybe it’s an icelandic frame of mind. the crappy thing is, this is the only novel of his that’s been translated into english. and as much as i like his writing, the prospect of learning icelandic just so i can read more of it is a bit daunting.
on his web site, there’s an interesting article about storytelling in iceland. sagas, or stories/histories, are the way icelandic people remember their past. no-one really knows who originally came up with the sagas. they’ve been passed down from generation to generation. icelanders love a good story, says hallgrimur, especially if it’s exaggerated.
it makes me sad that i don’t know what my great-grandfather did, or what happened five generations ago in my family. i’d like to find out, and write a family history. mine, though, wouldn’t be full of dates and immigration details. i’d like to find out who was a philanderer and who was a thief. that’s what i would want to know about my ancestors. who could hold the most liquor and who was the best at picking up chicks. a salacious, exaggerated family saga.