The Saga of Grettir the Strong
Penguin Classics (Publisher)
Published on 26. May 2005
Book
Paperback/Softback
320 pages
978-0-14-044773-6 (ISBN)
Description
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. 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. A mesmerising combination of pagan ideals and Christian faith, this is a profoundly moving conclusion to the Golden Age of the saga writing.
Reviews / Votes
"An amazing epic-as revenge-driven as the Greeks, with fight scenes rivaling today's superhero action films." -Rita Dove, The New York Times Book Review"The [translation is] generally excellent; accurate and readable. . . . Sure to become the standard." -The Times Literary Supplement
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Penguin Books Ltd
Product notice
Paperback (UK-B)
Dimensions
Height: 195 mm
Width: 132 mm
Thickness: 20 mm
Weight
240 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-14-044773-6 (9780140447736)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
05/2005
1st Edition
Penguin Books Ltd
€10.99
Available for download
Persons
Bernard Scudder lives in Reykjavik as a full-time translator. His translations encompass sagas, ancient and modern poetry, and leading contemporary novels and plays. In 1998 two novels in his translation were short-listed for the European Union's Aristeon Literary Prize.
Ornolfur 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 lives in Reykjavik as a full-time translator. His translations encompass sagas, ancient and modern poetry, and leading contemporary novels and plays. In 1998 two novels in his translation were short-listed for the European Union's Aristeon Literary Prize.
OErnolfur Thorsson was the editor of the World of the Sagas project which produced the multi-volume Sagas of Icelanders in Iceland in 1997.
Ornolfur 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 lives in Reykjavik as a full-time translator. His translations encompass sagas, ancient and modern poetry, and leading contemporary novels and plays. In 1998 two novels in his translation were short-listed for the European Union's Aristeon Literary Prize.
OErnolfur Thorsson was the editor of the World of the Sagas project which produced the multi-volume Sagas of Icelanders in Iceland in 1997.