The Atom Station
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Keynote/Publisher' s Comment' Laxness has been hailed as Iceland' s John Steinbeck, Sinclair Lewis and Upton Sinclair combined. His is a significant voice in world literature' Magnus Magnusson
Nicholas Shakespeare
"To read Laxness is to discover an extra taste bud. He creates a world that belongs in another dimension"
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
In the Atom Station, Halldor Laxness demonstrates the skill and complexity that led to his being awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature. The novel tells the story of a simple lass from the north of Iceland who comes face to face with the duplicity of politicians who sell out Icelandic sovereignty for the sake of a nuclear station during the cold war. She also comes to some realizations about herself and the importance of social class and knowledge and how these interact in today's modern world. The novel will be of very special interest to those with some knowledge of Iceland and its history. For those without such knowledge, the novel will compel you to learn more about this fascinating country and its wonderful author laureate, Halldor Laxness.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Halldor Laxness, the prodigal son of Icelandic literature, made a distinct stylistic change with this novel, moving from long post-Naturalist tragedies of the outlying regions of Iceland to a fast-paced and often funny romp through Reykavik.
This novel tells the story of the protest surrounding the founding of an American military base in Iceland. The story is told through the eyes of a young, naive servant girl from the country, who, shortly after moving to the city, finds herself surrounded by poets, protesting Socialist students, and Icelandic and American government officials.
The girl loses her innocence but gains, not knowledge of the world, but rather entry to the modern world.
Laxness is one of the largely-ignored greats (possibly doomed to obscurity by winning the Nobel prize for literature), and this novel is a fantastic entry into the canon of postmodern literature.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Do all Laxness' novels end in a mood of despair? I am beginning to wonder. Perhaps despair is wrong; instead, stoicism, since one might as well carry on in the face of hopelessness, even if the story isn't going to.
This is my fifth Laxness and, like Christianity At Glacier, I feel like reading it again right away, precisely because it is rather bizarre. The taciturnity and eccentricity of the Icelanders is a continual source of fascination, in some respects admiration. A north country girl goes to work in the house of her MP down south. She finds much that is strange and reprehensible, much that is rewarding and exhilarating, in that most extraordinary of cities, Reykjavik. Ultimately she returns home to give birth, but by then the city has changed her and a burgeoning sense of self causes her to pack her bags and go out again in search of her true place in the world.
Short and very readable, sometimes funny, as suitable a place to begin an exploration of Iceland's favourite novelist as Independent People. If you're entirely new to Icelandic literature, maybe take a look at the book most referred to in The Atom Station - Njal's Saga (also translated by M. Magnusson).
This is my fifth Laxness and, like Christianity At Glacier, I feel like reading it again right away, precisely because it is rather bizarre. The taciturnity and eccentricity of the Icelanders is a continual source of fascination, in some respects admiration. A north country girl goes to work in the house of her MP down south. She finds much that is strange and reprehensible, much that is rewarding and exhilarating, in that most extraordinary of cities, Reykjavik. Ultimately she returns home to give birth, but by then the city has changed her and a burgeoning sense of self causes her to pack her bags and go out again in search of her true place in the world.
Short and very readable, sometimes funny, as suitable a place to begin an exploration of Iceland's favourite novelist as Independent People. If you're entirely new to Icelandic literature, maybe take a look at the book most referred to in The Atom Station - Njal's Saga (also translated by M. Magnusson).
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Another slightly satirical but deeply insightful piece of writing from...
Halldor Laxness will probably be more familiar to readers for his Nobel Prize winning Independent People. Read more
Published 3 months ago by AK
A Charming Tale
The Atom Station is a highly entertaining work by the great Icelandic storyteller Halldor Laxness. The heroine of the tale is Ugla, a plain speaking country girl from the North who... Read more
Published 21 months ago by Thormod Morrisson
The world is one atom station
This book is a biting satire on world and Icelandic policies and on Capitalism and Communism. It lays bare the world's blatant immorality. Read more
Published on 5 Nov 2009 by Luc REYNAERT
Patchy and Ultimately Disappointing
I had been looking forward to reading this and was sadly underwhelmed. There were some interesting and beautifully written/translated chapters but unfortunately much of what lay... Read more
Published on 13 Nov 2003 by Brian Moore
A wonderful satire from the master of icelandic realism
I thouroughly enjoyed this book, even more so than Laxness' masterpiece Independant People. The Atom Station is a biting parody of the pretentions and politics of a newly... Read more
Published on 24 Sep 2003 by "evilpaganoverlord"
It's the one book I couldn't get through.
I read Halldor Laxness' Independent People and loved it so much that I ordered all the out of print books by him I could find-- and The Atom Station, conveniently in print and... Read more
Published on 23 May 1998
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