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The Sagas of the Icelanders (World of the Sagas) [Deckle Edge] [Paperback]

Jane Smiley
4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)

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Deckle edge paper
This Book Is Bound with "Deckle Edge" Paper
You may have noticed that some of our books are identified as "deckle edge" in the title. Deckle edge books are bound with pages that are made to resemble handmade paper by applying a frayed texture to the edges. Deckle edge is an ornamental feature designed to set certain titles apart from books with machine-cut pages. See a larger image.

Book Description

24 Feb 2005 0141000031 978-0141000039 New Ed
In Iceland, the age of the Vikings is also known as the Saga Age. A unique body of medieval literature, the Sagas rank with the world’s great literary treasures – as epic as Homer, as deep in tragedy as Sophocles, as engagingly human as Shakespeare. Set around the turn of the last millennium, these stories depict with an astonishingly modern realism the lives and deeds of the Norse men and women who first settled in Iceland and of their descendants, who ventured farther west to Greenland and, ultimately, North America. Sailing as far from the archetypal heroic adventure as the long ships did from home, the Sagas are written with psychological intensity, peopled by characters with depth, and explore perennial human issues like love, hate, fate and freedom.

Note: This book is rough-cut, which means the pages will be unevenly cut to give the book and unique look and feel.



Product details

  • Paperback: 848 pages
  • Publisher: Penguin; New Ed edition (24 Feb 2005)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0141000031
  • ISBN-13: 978-0141000039
  • Product Dimensions: 14.5 x 5.5 x 21.3 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 105,425 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Product Description

Review

"One of the great marvels of World Literature.... This is a dream come true." --Ted Hughes

"A testimony to the human spirit's ability not only to endure what fate may send it but to be renewed by the experience." --Seamus Heaney

"The glory of the Sagas is indisputable." --Milan Kundera

"Generally excellent, accurate and readable, these translations are sure to become the standard versions." --The Times Literary Supplement (London)

About the Author

Jane Smiley's ten works of fiction include The Age of Grief, The Greenlanders, Ordinary Love and Good Will, Moo, A Thousand Acres (which won the Pulitzer Prize), and most recently the bestselling Horse Heaven.

Inside This Book (Learn More)
First Sentence
Egil's Saga is acknowledged as one of the masterpieces of the genre, a magnificently wrought portrait of poet, warrior and farmer Egil Skallagrimsson. Read the first page
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Concordance
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
65 of 65 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Sagas of Icelanders 23 Oct 2000
Format:Hardcover
For anyone wanting to begin reading Icelandic Literature this has to be the starting point. The collection offers a broad mix of material; from the longer more famous pieces such as Egil's Saga, to the shorter unknown works such as The Saga of Ref the Sly. The titles chosen offer a varied and colourful collection, especially as it groups together so many of the lesser known tales that have for a long time escaped the reader through bad translation and lack of stock. The stories are placed in context by both the critical introduction and by the reference section, though these are only short pieces, their value is considerable, while the useful bibliography leads the interested party towards the more detailed texts available. It is a shame that many of the translators have written in such a scholarly way; the language can become bland at times, this is especially true of the poetry, particularly in Egil's saga, where other additions have provided more vivid and touching stanza translations. Apart from this lack of artistic espression the book remains a marvel, beautifully laid out with a nice feel to it. Packed with bloody battles, wonderfully named characters (Hkraki Filth and Eirik Bloodaxe to name just a few), wicked women and unpronounceable placenames. European literature owes the Icelanders a great deal.
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16 of 16 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely incredible 19 July 2008
Format:Paperback
Just came back from Iceland, and bought this book during my visit there (needless to say, its cheaper on Amazon, but Ive got a Krona price tag :) ).
Ive always loved medieval literature, but this takes the cake. 500 years before anything we've previously experienced, you cant help but get involved with the characters, and this book gives you the base needed to understand the basics of the writing and context of the age so that you dont get lost, which is easy to do!
I spent 3 hours on my flight back to Barcelona transfixed with Egil's Saga, even though I had already heard the story during my visit.
I cant recommend this book enough.
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13 of 13 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Magical 9 Jun 2009
Format:Paperback
I bought this in Iceland too, and it is a wonderful souvenir. I was familiar with most of the sagas already but many of them were far better translated than my old copies and I really loved revisiting the harsh and bloody tales that capture so much of the heroic and tragic that was Iceland's Viking history.
Readers need to know that this is not a complete collection and that arguably the most outstanding saga is missing here - namely Njal's Saga and if you are a keen saga reader you should definitely get this one too, as it is a rich and multi-layered tale of tremendous literary merit and also a fantastic read. I personally recommend the Magnus Magnuson translation. I imagine this was missed out of this collection because of its length. Nonethless, this volume contains real gems such as The Saga of Laxardal, Egil's Saga and Gisli's Saga as well as some lesser known tales.
I found the reference section at the back of this book both fascinating and incredibly useful. It has all sorts of gems such as a calendar of the old Icelandic month-names, as well as diagrams of ships and longhouses. I read it for sheer interest and I've also used it regulary for reference.
This is a huge tome, but it will provide many happy hours of reading. And it may well fill you with a desire to visit Iceland, where many of the locations in the sagas can be visited.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars The Real Sagas !
This book is required reading for anyone wishing to understand the ancient Nordic world and indeed to trace its influence upon modern Iceland and the rest of Northern Europe. Read more
Published 7 days ago by Adrianne Louise Brown
1.0 out of 5 stars KINDLE EDITION WARNING
I was investigating buying this book on Kindle but beware - the Kindle edition advertised is not of the book it claims to be. Read more
Published 14 days ago by Dr. S. J. Wyatt
5.0 out of 5 stars excellent
Took me ages to read it but very good and kept me interested until the very end of the book
Published 15 days ago by julie
5.0 out of 5 stars excellent book
This book immerses you in the Viking way of life,and social reactions of the "Dark Ages".If you want to think like a Viking.....!
Published 2 months ago by david lobb
3.0 out of 5 stars Weighty
Got as a gift and seems very happy about the sheer weight of the thing (looks very comprehensive). However, the quality of the book itself is a bit odd - the paper isn't quite... Read more
Published 12 months ago by S. Perry
4.0 out of 5 stars spiritual salvation
when i watch the world news today , i feel i gonna puke so reading is my utter spititual salvation.in this regard, saga of the icelanders , combined with its historical as well as... Read more
Published 22 months ago by Omar Farid
5.0 out of 5 stars Medieval history - but not as you know it!
I was attracted to this book on the basis of a recent TV programme outlining the background to the oral recording and later writing of these tales. Read more
Published 23 months ago by Harlake
5.0 out of 5 stars Hubby Loved it
Brought this for my viking loving husband. He was over the moon! Loves that they are all in one book.
Published on 11 Feb 2011 by Jojo88
5.0 out of 5 stars Magical, poetical.. so honest and full of morals..
Only two words come out about that book: Purely Magical..
After reading it I asked myself why this world has only one Iceland...?? :)
Published on 30 Oct 2010 by Irena Kolek
5.0 out of 5 stars The perfect introduction
I too bought this in Iceland. Without a doubt, this volume is the best introduction to a magic, epic and ancient world that will surprise the reader with a realistic yet full of... Read more
Published on 19 Oct 2008 by Antonio Elena Batllo
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