The Saga of Grettir the Strong (Penguin Classics)
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | 4.51 (619 Votes) |
| Asin | : | 0140447733 |
| Format Type | : | paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 320 Pages |
| Publish Date | : | 2014-12-28 |
| Language | : | Icelandic |
DESCRIPTION:
A mesmerising combination of pagan ideals and Christian faith, this is a profoundly moving conclusion to the Golden Age of the saga writing.For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Unable to settle into a community of farmers, Grettir becomes the aggressive scourge of both honest men and evil monsters - until, following a battle with the sinister ghost Glam, he is cursed to endure a life of tortured loneliness away from civilisation, fighting giants, trolls and berserks. Composed at the end of the fourteenth century by an unknown author, The Saga of Grettir the Strong is one of the last great Icelandic sagas. It relates the tale of Grettir, an eleventh-century warrior struggling to hold on to the values of a heroic age becoming eclipsed by Christianity and a more pastoral lifestyle. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.
In 1998 two novels in his translation were short-listed for the European Union's Aristeon Literary Prize. His translations encompass sagas, ancient and modern poetry, and leading contemporary novels and plays. . Ornólfur Thorsson was the editor of the World of the Sagas project which produced the multi-volume Sagas of Icelanders in Iceland in 1997. Bernard Scudder
"The translation is generally excellent; accurate and readable sure to become the standard." —The Times Literary Supplement
"Strong, Stubborn "Snake"" according to Christopher A. Fulkerson. Two-line version of this review: You MUST read this if you have any interest in ancient Icelandic literature, this saga is one of the best, and culminates many trends in saga and Norse religion. This edition is quite good, and has a fine introduction.Grettir was indeed an enormous, strong man. His name means literally "Snake" in Icelandic. But "Passing Grettir" was the name of an ancient Icelandic circle game, in which the participants "palm off" (as we might say) a dried animal [] on each other - what an entertainment. (This anc. Five Stars Amazon Customer Love the Sagas. Grettir David T. Melnick Now this saga definitely reads like one that Stephen King got part of his main character, Roland (The Last Gunslinger), off from -;). Just a die-hard SK Constant Reader.