10 used & new from £1.84
See All Buying Options
Have one to sell? Sell yours here
 
 
The Fish Can Sing
 
See larger image 
Share your own customer images
Publisher: learn how customers can search inside this book.

The Fish Can Sing (Paperback)

by Halldor Laxness (Author), Magnus Magnusson (Translator)
3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)

Available from these sellers.


4 new from £17.95 6 used from £1.84
Other Editions: RRP: Our Price: Other Offers:
Hardcover 2 used & new from £93.63
Paperback (New Ed) £7.99 £5.23 20 used & new from £2.44

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

Independent People

Independent People

by Halldor Laxness
4.7 out of 5 stars (43)  £6.69
Iceland's Bell

Iceland's Bell

by Halldor Laxness
5.0 out of 5 stars (2)  £8.17
Under the Glacier (Vintage International Original)

Under the Glacier (Vintage International Original)

by Halldor Laxness
3.7 out of 5 stars (3)  £6.22
The Atom Station

The Atom Station

by Halldor Laxness
4.0 out of 5 stars (6)  £5.14
Growth of the Soil (Condor Books)

Growth of the Soil (Condor Books)

by Knut Hamsun
4.8 out of 5 stars (5)  £6.91
› Explore similar items

Product details

  • Paperback: 288 pages
  • Publisher: The Harvill Press; Revised edition (Oct 2000)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 1860466877
  • ISBN-13: 978-1860466878
  • Product Dimensions: 21.6 x 13.6 x 2.1 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 1,041,206 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in this category:

    #13 in  Books > Fiction > Authors, A-Z > L > Laxness, Halldor

    •  Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?

Product Description

Product Description

Set in Iceland in the early 20th-century, this is the tale of Alfgrim, an abandoned child. It evokes his boyhood and youth, spent at his grandparents' home, an hospitable place where dignified understatement is the norm and where everything from a lumpfish to a Bible has a fixed price.

From the Back Cover

'It is a novel (a world) that transmits something of the wonder of life, its strangeness, its goodness, ocassions for stubbornness, and the stoicism of people - people everywhere.' Murray Bail

A tender coming of age story of a boy and a nation, dragged unwillingly into the modern world.

Abandoned as a baby, Alfgrimur is content to spend his days as a fisherman living in the turf cottage outside Reykjavik with the elderly couple he calls grandmother and grandfather. There he shares the mid-loft with a motley bunch of eccentrics and philosophers who find refuge in the simple respect for their fellow men that is the ethos at Brekkukot. But the narrow horizon's of Alfgrimur's idyllic childhood are challenged when he starts school and meets Iceland's most famous singer, the mysterious Gardar Holm. Garder encourages him to aim for the 'one true note', but how can he attain it withough leaving behind the world that he loves?

'This weird and wonderful novel ... is Laxness at his best: a reminder of the mad hilarity of the Icelandic sensibility. An unforgettable voice.' Nicholas Shakespeare

'Laxness's view of a child's bounded universe has humour and a light touch.' Isobel Montgomery, Guardian --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Suggested Tags from Similar Products

 (What's this?)
Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product)
 
scandinavian literature
northern skies
literature nobel prize winners
halldor laxness

Your tags: Add your first tag
 
See most popular tags

What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

The Fish Can Sing
69% buy the item featured on this page:
The Fish Can Sing 3.8 out of 5 stars (4)
Independent People
18% buy
Independent People 4.7 out of 5 stars (43)
£6.69
Iceland's Bell
6% buy
Iceland's Bell 5.0 out of 5 stars (2)
£8.17
Under the Glacier (Vintage International Original)
4% buy
Under the Glacier (Vintage International Original) 3.7 out of 5 stars (3)
£6.22
Explore similar items
 

Customer Reviews

4 Reviews
5 star:
 (2)
4 star:    (0)
3 star:
 (1)
2 star:
 (1)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
3.8 out of 5 stars (4 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A thoughtful, warm and often funny book, with a slow pace., 25 Jan 2001
By A Customer
"The fish can sing" tells the story of Alfgrimur from childhood to coming of age. Abandoned by his mother at birth, Alfgrimur is raised by his "grandparents" - an elderly couple who take him in. The centre of the tale is Brekkukot - their humble but hospitable turf cottage - which is a free and ever-open guest house for those who need it.

The book is set in Reykjavik at the beginning of its transition from an unremarkable town in a traditional society to the capital of Iceland. The characters of the "grandparents" represent the past of Icelandic society - with values which are sometimes amusingly irrational but which nevertheless are full of humanity. Through these characters, and those of some of their guests at Brekkukot, a picture of Icelandic rural life is presented with humor and lyrical beauty.

Modernity is represented by the mysterious character of Gardar Holm, who has achieved fame in the outside world as an opera singer. He is the hero of the new merchant class, who have opened department stores and newspapers and who threaten the livelihood of the old time fisherman with their trawler fleets. Through his contact with Gardar Holm, Alfgrimur is drawn towards that world.

Laxness succeeds in immersing the reader in the life of Brekkukot. This is a sometimes funny book, sometimes full of pathos. Memorable scenes come back to you many days after you have put the book down. Some might find the book a bit on the sentimental side, but it is much more than a sentimental tale. Just as it beautifully describes the change from childhood to adulthood, it describes the transition of a society - both with their own inevitability. Written in 1957, it is ahead of its time in its awareness of the environmental issues which result.

A thoughtful, warm and often funny book, with a slow pace. It's not for everyone, but many will find it a rewarding read.

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews  
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No


 
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Very different from "Independent People", but just as good.., 7 Dec 2004
By Dr. Kenneth W. Douglas "drkennydouglas" (Glasgow) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   
This review is from: The Fish Can Sing (Panther) (Paperback)
The justly famous opening sentence sums up the book's quirkiness: "...next to losing its mother, there is nothing so healthy for a child as losing its father." Alfgrímur ("Elf-guest"), the novel's narrator, has indeed lost - or at least mislaid - both his parents, and is being raised by his loving grandparents (who turn out not to be his real grandparents, or indeed married to each other) and an extraordinary but always supportive crew of archetypal Laxness characters who are boarders in his grandparents' house. During the opening chapters, we are gradually introduced to the child Alfgrímur's world: Laxness brilliantly evokes the way a child's initially limited understanding gradually deepens, so that the reader is learning the real truths behind the characters and events in Alfgrímur's Reykjavik at the same time as he himself is discovering them. This part of the book is deceptive - it can at the time feel slow-moving (though always quirkily charming), but in fact there is deeper and darker stuff going on than meets the eye.

The second half of the book becomes increasingly focussed on Alfgrímur's cousin, the internationally famous Icelandic tenor Gardar Hólm ... what, you haven't heard of him? Now, why might that be? This section of the tale suddenly and unexpectedly darkens, as Gardar's true circumstances are gradually revealed; and there are some utterly unforgettable moments - particularly Gardar's impromptu concert in the virtually empty cathedral, for the benefit of his aged and near-blind mother - this moment comes after Alfgrímur, and the reader, have been waiting all through the novel to finally hear Gardar sing, and it's undoubtedly worth the wait. The final few chapters combine high tragedy and low comedy in typical Laxness style: this is a slow-burner of a book that really blazes up towards the end.

This novel is perhaps the ideal introduction to Laxness' work - though less craggily monolithic than "Independent People", it is (for all its idiosyncrasy and charm) just as deeply serious. It is ultimately, like so many great books, about growing up - both Alfgrímur's own journey to adulthood, and his country's journey to modern, independent nationhood. Both processes involve as many losses as gains.

As usual, Magnus Magnusson gives us an unobtrusively idiomatic translation, which is a delight to read. This is an utterly unique book - highly recommended.

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews  
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No


 
9 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars "The Fish Can Sing" but does the book?, 3 July 2002
By James R Myles (BELFAST, Down United Kingdom) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Fish Can Sing (Panther) (Paperback)
"The Fish Can Sing" I purchased having recently visited Iceland. I was interested in finding out some more than my day visit allowed me about Icelandic life and culture. Laxness paints a quaint world of simplicity and good manners practised by the Icelandic people. However, as a novel, I found the beginning chapters, about the various people who visited young Alfgrimur's house, slightly monotonous and somewhat detatched from the story. It was not until about halfway through the 246 page novel that a story actual began to emerge. It is difficult not to think of the book as an autobiography or biography while reading through although the book does not sell itself as such. Laxness has managed to make a story out of what the modern, Western world would consider insignificant events and chance meetings in young Alfgrimur's life. As you can imagine, living in a small, closed community on the island of Iceland, at that time, did not make for much drama or excitement. The novel is not for those looking for pace, intrigue, mystery or suspense but is a glimpse into the recent past: the life of a young island boy who sees (and makes) adventure and discovery in the everyday things of life.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews  
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No

Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
 
Most Recent Customer Reviews

2.0 out of 5 stars Not Singing Enough
Having read and loved 'Independent People' I put 'The Fish Can Sing' forward to our Book Club. I found the book full of absolute gems of those small transactions of everyday... Read more
Published 19 months ago by M. Robinson

Only search this product's reviews


Customer Discussions

This product's forum
Discussion Replies Latest Post
No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
 


Active discussions in related forums
   
Related forums

Listmania!

Create a Listmania! list

Look for similar items by category

Look for similar items by subject











i.e., each product must be in subject 1 AND subject 2 AND ...

Feedback


Your Recent History

 (What's this?)

After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.