Secrets of the Sprakkar

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Author :
Publisher : Simon and Schuster
ISBN 13 : 1982174048
Total Pages : 288 pages
Book Rating : 4.9/5 (821 download)

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Book Synopsis Secrets of the Sprakkar by : Eliza Reid

Download or read book Secrets of the Sprakkar written by Eliza Reid and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2022-02 with total page 288 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Canadian first lady of Iceland pens a book about why this tiny nation is leading the charge in gender equality, in the vein of The Moment of Lift. Iceland is the best place on earth to be a woman—but why? For the past twelve years, the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report has ranked Iceland number one on its list of countries closing the gap in equality between men and women. What is it about Iceland that enables its society to make such meaningful progress in this ongoing battle, from electing the world’s first female president to passing legislation specifically designed to help even the playing field at work and at home? The answer is found in the country’s sprakkar, an ancient Icelandic word meaning extraordinary or outstanding women. Eliza Reid—Canadian born and raised, and now first lady of Iceland—examines her adopted homeland’s attitude toward women: the deep-seated cultural sense of fairness, the influence of current and historical role models, and, crucially, the areas where Iceland still has room for improvement. Throughout, she interviews dozens of sprakkar to tell their inspirational stories, and expertly weaves in her own experiences as an immigrant from small-town Canada. The result is an illuminating discussion of what it means to move through the world as a woman and how the rules of society play more of a role in who we view as equal than we may understand. What makes many women’s experiences there so positive? And what can we learn about fairness to benefit our society? Like influential and progressive first ladies Eleanor Roosevelt, Hillary Rodham Clinton, and Michelle Obama, Reid uses her platform to bring the best of her nation to the world. Secrets of the Sprakkar is a powerful and atmospheric portrait of a tiny country that could lead the way forward for us all.

The Little Book of the Icelanders in the Old Days

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Author :
Publisher : Little Books Publishing
ISBN 13 : 1970125160
Total Pages : 170 pages
Book Rating : 4.9/5 (71 download)

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Book Synopsis The Little Book of the Icelanders in the Old Days by : Alda Sigmundsdóttir

Download or read book The Little Book of the Icelanders in the Old Days written by Alda Sigmundsdóttir and published by Little Books Publishing. This book was released on 2022-01-21 with total page 170 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Iceland in centuries past was a formidable place to live. Situated in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the edge of the inhabitable world, the nation was both isolated and abjectly poor. Centuries of colonization translated into oppression and subjugation from the colonial overlords, and a hostile climate and repeated natural disasters meant that mere survival was a challenge to even the hardiest of souls. In these 50 miniature essays, Alda Sigmundsdottir writes about the Icelanders in centuries past in a light and humorous way, yet never without admiration and respect for the resilience and strength they showed in coping with conditions of adversity that are barely imaginable today. Their ways of interacting with the natural world are described, as are their sometimes tragic, sometimes ingenious, means of dealing with maltreatment and injustice from the church and other rulers. These forms of oppression include a trade monopoly imposed by Denmark that lasted nearly two centuries, a ban on dancing that lasted for a similar length of time, the forced dissolution of households when the breadwinner of the family died, the tyranny of merchants granted exclusive right to trade with the Icelanders, and the dreaded decrees of the Grand Judgement—a court of law that was set up to punish various offenses, real or imagined. Yet it is not only the “big picture” that is described in this book, but also the various smaller aspects that shed light on the daily life of the Icelanders of old. These include their ingenious ways of coping with lack, of preserving food, of finding shelter, of creating or admitting light into their homes, as well as the innumerable and sometimes wacky superstitions attached to various life events, big and small. The hilarious customs of hospitality and visiting are also described, as are some of the sexual activates of Icelanders in the past, their belief in elves and hidden people, sexual interactions with hidden people (!), ways of dealing with grief, interactions with foreigners, and much, much more. Today’s Iceland is a modern, cosmopolitan place, with one of the highest standards of living in the world. Yet less than a century ago, this paragon of equality and peace was the poorest society in Europe. The conditions of life described in this book are therefore not very distant from the Icelanders today, and many of the aspects described are still very much reflected in Iceland’s unique culture. In short, The Little Book of the Icelanders in the Old Days is not only a funny, witty, and wise exposé on the Icelanders’ daily life in the past, it is also essential to understanding the Icelandic national character today. Among the fascinating subjects broached in The Little Book of the Icelanders in the Old Days: • How Icelanders' housing developed from stately longhouses to tiny turf farms • The kvöldvaka: how Icelanders managed to live through the long, dark winters • Social structure among the common folk (farmers to vagabonds) • All the superstitions: how folks attempted to gain control over their lives • The elf belief deconstructed: why did those tales of hidden people develop? • No time to be a kid (being a child was tough in the Iceland of old) • Sex and the church (yep, Icelandic ecclesiastical authorities also meddled in people's sex lives) • Precious, precious food. How do you live on the edge of the inhabitable world, where hardly anything grows? • Welcoming guests: smooching and other etiquettes • Foreigners in Iceland. Think Iceland had no visitors back then? Think again! ... and so much more!

The Far Traveler

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Author :
Publisher : Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
ISBN 13 : 9780156033978
Total Pages : 324 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (339 download)

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Book Synopsis The Far Traveler by : Nancy Marie Brown

Download or read book The Far Traveler written by Nancy Marie Brown and published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. This book was released on 2008 with total page 324 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Brown's enthusiasm is infectious as she re-teaches us our history."--The Boston Globe Five hundred years before Columbus, a Viking woman named Gudrid sailed off the edge of the known world. She landed in the New World and lived there for three years, giving birth to a baby before sailing home. Or so the Icelandic sagas say. Even after archaeologists found a Viking longhouse in Newfoundland, no one believed that the details of Gudrid's story were true. Then, in 2001, a team of scientists discovered what may have been this pioneering woman's last house, buried under a hay field in Iceland, just where the sagas suggested it could be. Joining scientists experimenting with cutting-edge technology and the latest archaeological techniques, and tracing Gudrid's steps on land and in the sagas, Nancy Marie Brown reconstructs a life that spanned--and expanded--the bounds of the then-known world. She also sheds new light on the society that gave rise to a woman even more extraordinary than legend has painted her and illuminates the reasons for its collapse. "Brown rightly leaves scholarly work to scholars. Instead, her account presents an enthusiastic appreciation of her education in how fieldwork and literature offer insights into the past."--The Seattle Times "[Brown has] a lovely ear for storytelling."--Los Angeles Times Book Review NANCY MARIE BROWN is the author of A Good Horse Has No Color and Mendel in the Kitchen. She lives in Vermont with her husband, the writer Charles Fergus.

Athenaeum

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Author :
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 886 pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (319 download)

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Book Synopsis Athenaeum by :

Download or read book Athenaeum written by and published by . This book was released on 1863 with total page 886 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

The Athenaeum

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Author :
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 894 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (126 download)

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Book Synopsis The Athenaeum by :

Download or read book The Athenaeum written by and published by . This book was released on 1861 with total page 894 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

The Little Book of the Icelanders

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Author :
Publisher : Little Books Publishing
ISBN 13 : 1970125152
Total Pages : 144 pages
Book Rating : 4.9/5 (71 download)

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Book Synopsis The Little Book of the Icelanders by : Alda Sigmundsdóttir

Download or read book The Little Book of the Icelanders written by Alda Sigmundsdóttir and published by Little Books Publishing. This book was released on 2022-01-21 with total page 144 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: After more than 20 years away, Alda Sigmundsdottir returned to her native Iceland as a foreigner. With a native person's insight yet an outsider's perspective, Alda quickly set about dissecting the national psyche of the Icelanders. This second edition, from 2018, contains new and updated chapters from the original edition, reflecting the changes in Icelandic society and among the Icelandic people since the book was first published in 2012. Among the fascinating subjects broached in The Little Book of the Icelanders: • The appalling driving habits of the Icelanders • Naming conventions and customs • The Icelanders’ profound fear of commitment • The Icelanders’ irreverence • Why Icelandic women are really men • How the Icelanders manage to make social interactions really complicated • The importance of the family in Icelandic society • Where to go to meet the real Icelanders (and possibly score some free financial advice) • Rituals associated with the most important life events (weddings, confirmations, graduations, and deaths) ... and many more. One chapter leads to the next, creating a continuous chain of storytelling. It feels as if you’re sitting in the author’s kitchen, enjoying a cup of coffee and conversing with her about the quirks of her countrymen, every now and then bursting out laughing. [...] I’m going to heartily recommend The Little Book of the Icelanders, both to fans of Sigmundsdóttir’s blog and those unfamiliar with her work. - Iceland Review Online There aren’t many books I’d recommend reading over morning coffee but The Little Book of the Icelanders is one of them. [...] I laughed at the essays in this book, not because I was laughing at Icelanders but because I recognize much of the behavior in myself and members of my family. It felt good. It’s not just the sanest, most impressive characteristics that we pass on and share but also some of the zaniest. As I read this book, I frequently thought, yup, I’m definitely part Icelandic. - Lögberg-Heimskringla, Canada Excerpt "Even though they live on the edge of the inhabitable world with engulfing darkness for several months of the year, the Icelanders continue to score among the most optimistic people in the world. Is it the fish? The fresh air? The cod liver oil? Natural selection? The copious amounts of anti-depressants they consume? Nobody really knows. However, one thing is sure: this character trait serves Icelanders well and has helped the nation cope with innumerable shocks, from volcanic eruptions to famines, to a massive economic crisis. Whatever happens, you can be sure that the Icelanders will seek the silver lining and soldier on, firmly believing that things will soon get better. Indeed it is fascinating to observe how the Icelanders deal with trauma at a national level. Their initial reaction always seems to be to bond together. People who on regular days will bicker and quarrel amongst themselves, suddenly become enormously supportive of each other. I’ve seen this happen in the aftermath of disasters such as snow avalanches and volcanic eruptions, or tragedies that capture the nation’s attention. Take, for example, the economic meltdown of 2008, which for the Icelanders was one of the most catastrophic events in recent history. Many people feared an onslaught of suicides in the wake of all the bankruptcies that ensued. Yet it turned out that the number of suicides actually declined. According to the Directorate of Health, it was because the nation had bonded together, and people were closer and more supportive of each other than they had been in a very long time. In other words, the optimism is probably a long-term survival strategy. After all, through the centuries of hardship and geographical isolation that the Icelandic nation has endured, defeat was not an option – it was stand together, fight together, or die."

A Good Horse Has No Color

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Author :
Publisher : Stackpole Books
ISBN 13 : 9780811707046
Total Pages : 276 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (7 download)

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Book Synopsis A Good Horse Has No Color by : Nancy Marie Brown

Download or read book A Good Horse Has No Color written by Nancy Marie Brown and published by Stackpole Books. This book was released on 2001 with total page 276 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: After several visits to study Icelandic sagas, Nancy Brown returns to Iceland to search for the perfect Icelandic horse, one she can bring back to her Pennsylvania farm and make her own. To do so, she must become part of the country's tightly knit horse-breeding community, which can be wary of outsiders and extremely protective of the world-famous breed. In this clear-eyed, evocative account set against Iceland's austere and majestic landscape, she describes what makes Icelandic horses and their owners so distinctive. She also discovers her limitations as a horsewoman and learns much about what she is looking for-in a horse and in her life.

Icelanders in the Viking Age

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Author :
Publisher : McFarland
ISBN 13 : 0786447273
Total Pages : 285 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (864 download)

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Book Synopsis Icelanders in the Viking Age by : William R. Short

Download or read book Icelanders in the Viking Age written by William R. Short and published by McFarland. This book was released on 2010-03-15 with total page 285 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Sagas of Icelanders are enduring stories from Viking-age Iceland filled with love and romance, battles and feuds, tragedy and comedy. Yet these tales are little read today, even by lovers of literature. The culture and history of the people depicted in the Sagas are often unfamiliar to the modern reader, though the audience for whom the tales were intended would have had an intimate understanding of the material. This text introduces the modern reader to the daily lives and material culture of the Vikings. Topics covered include religion, housing, social customs, the settlement of disputes, and the early history of Iceland. Issues of dispute among scholars, such as the nature of settlement and the division of land, are addressed in the text.

An Introduction to the Sagas of Icelanders

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Author :
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9780813058719
Total Pages : 224 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (587 download)

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Book Synopsis An Introduction to the Sagas of Icelanders by : Carl Phelpstead

Download or read book An Introduction to the Sagas of Icelanders written by Carl Phelpstead and published by . This book was released on 2021 with total page 224 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Combining an accessible approach with innovative scholarship, this book provides up-to-date perspectives on a unique medieval literary genre. Carl Phelpstead draws on historical context, contemporary theory, and close reading to deepen our understanding of Icelandic saga narratives about the island's early history.

“The” Athenaeum

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Author :
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 874 pages
Book Rating : 4.+/5 (21 download)

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Book Synopsis “The” Athenaeum by :

Download or read book “The” Athenaeum written by and published by . This book was released on with total page 874 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

The Saturday Review of Politics, Literature, Science and Art

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Author :
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 1028 pages
Book Rating : 4.A/5 ( download)

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Book Synopsis The Saturday Review of Politics, Literature, Science and Art by :

Download or read book The Saturday Review of Politics, Literature, Science and Art written by and published by . This book was released on 1862 with total page 1028 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Sophie's World

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Publisher : Farrar, Straus and Giroux
ISBN 13 : 1466804270
Total Pages : 599 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (668 download)

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Book Synopsis Sophie's World by : Jostein Gaarder

Download or read book Sophie's World written by Jostein Gaarder and published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux. This book was released on 2007-03-20 with total page 599 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A page-turning novel that is also an exploration of the great philosophical concepts of Western thought, Jostein Gaarder's Sophie's World has fired the imagination of readers all over the world, with more than twenty million copies in print. One day fourteen-year-old Sophie Amundsen comes home from school to find in her mailbox two notes, with one question on each: "Who are you?" and "Where does the world come from?" From that irresistible beginning, Sophie becomes obsessed with questions that take her far beyond what she knows of her Norwegian village. Through those letters, she enrolls in a kind of correspondence course, covering Socrates to Sartre, with a mysterious philosopher, while receiving letters addressed to another girl. Who is Hilde? And why does her mail keep turning up? To unravel this riddle, Sophie must use the philosophy she is learning—but the truth turns out to be far more complicated than she could have imagined.

Icelandic Journals

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Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9781300868866
Total Pages : 220 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (688 download)

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Book Synopsis Icelandic Journals by : William Morris

Download or read book Icelandic Journals written by William Morris and published by . This book was released on 2013-03-24 with total page 220 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: William Morris was plump, unfit and relatively untravelled but his enthusiasm, grit and phenomenal eye for detail sustained him for six weeks in 1871 and a further two in 1873 through 'the most romantic of all deserts'. He kept very few diaries and the Icelandic Journals are the most complete. Written daily, in pencil, in small black-covered notebooks, they are unguarded, spontaneous and by turn discouraged and excited. He records wild flowers and wilder landscapes, spectacular sunsets, vast expanses of lava, magnificent waterfalls, dangerous tracks and rivers. He grew to love his indomitable ponies, bringing one back to England for his daughters. And he loved the Icelanders: priests, farmers, scholars and children. Their kindness, generosity and hospitality - despite their poverty - moved him greatly and had a profound effect on his political thinking. His journey included visits to many of the main Saga sites - a route that is still followed by lovers of Iceland and William Morris.

Icelandic Folktales and Legends

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Author :
Publisher : Univ of California Press
ISBN 13 : 9780520021167
Total Pages : 224 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (211 download)

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Book Synopsis Icelandic Folktales and Legends by : Jacqueline Simpson

Download or read book Icelandic Folktales and Legends written by Jacqueline Simpson and published by Univ of California Press. This book was released on 1972 with total page 224 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A translated selection devoted to supernatural beings, ghosts, and magic practices.

O Pioneers!

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Publisher : Modernista
ISBN 13 : 9181080794
Total Pages : 188 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (81 download)

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Book Synopsis O Pioneers! by : Willa Cather

Download or read book O Pioneers! written by Willa Cather and published by Modernista. This book was released on 2024-07-15 with total page 188 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: When the young Swedish-descended Alexandra Bergson inherits her father's farm in Nebraska, she must transform the land from a wind-swept prairie landscape into a thriving enterprise. She dedicates herself completely to the land—at the cost of great sacrifices. O Pioneers! [1913] is Willa Cather's great masterpiece about American pioneers, where the land is as important a character as the people who cultivate it. WILLA CATHER [1873-1947] was an American author. After studying at the University of Nebraska, she worked as a teacher and journalist. Cather's novels often focus on settlers in the USA with a particular emphasis on female pioneers. In 1923, she was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for the novel One of Ours, and in 1943, she was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

How Iceland Changed the World

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Author :
Publisher : Icon Books
ISBN 13 : 1785787667
Total Pages : 288 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (857 download)

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Book Synopsis How Iceland Changed the World by : Egill Bjarnason

Download or read book How Iceland Changed the World written by Egill Bjarnason and published by Icon Books. This book was released on 2021-06-03 with total page 288 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 'A joyously peculiar book' - The New York Times 'A fascinating insight into Icelandic culture and a fresh perspective on her global influence. Warning: may well make readers wish they were Icelandic, too.' - Helen Russell, author of The Year of Living Danishly The untold story of how one tiny island in the middle of the Atlantic has shaped the world for centuries. The history of Iceland began 1,200 years ago, when a frustrated Viking captain and his useless navigator ran aground in the middle of the North Atlantic. Suddenly, the island was no longer just a layover for the Arctic tern. Instead, it became a nation whose diplomats and musicians, sailors and soldiers, volcanoes and flowers, quietly altered the globe forever. How Iceland Changed the World takes readers on a tour of history, showing them how Iceland played a pivotal role in events as diverse as the French Revolution, the Moon Landing, and the foundation of Israel. Again and again, one humble nation has found itself at the frontline of historic events, shaping the world as we know it - How Iceland Changed the World paints a lively picture of just how it all happened. 'Egill Bjarnason has written a delightful reminder that, when it comes to countries, size doesn't always matter. His writing is a pleasure to read, reminiscent of Bill Bryson or Louis Theroux. He has made sure we will never take Iceland for granted again.' A.J. Jacobs, New York Times bestselling author of Thanks a Thousand and The Year of Living Biblically 'Bjarnason's intriguing book might be about a cold place, but it's tailor-made to be read on the beach.' - New Statesman 'Egill Bjarnason places Iceland at the center of everything, and his narrative not only entertains but enlightens, uncovering unexpected connections.' Andri Snær, author of On Time and Water 'Icelander Egill Bjarnason takes us on a high-speed, rough-and-tumble ride through 1,000-plus years of history-from the discovery of America to Tolkien's muse, from the French Revolution to the NASA moonwalk, from Israel's birth to the first woman president-all to display his home island's mind-opening legacy.' Nancy Marie Brown, author of The Real Valkyrie and The Far Traveller 'I always assumed the history of Iceland had, by law or fate, to match the tone of an October morning: dark, gray, and uninviting to most mankind. This book challenges that assumption, and about time. Our past, much like the present, can be a little fun.' Jón Gnarr, former mayor of Reykjavík and author of The Pirate and The Outlaw 'How Iceland Changed the World is not only surprising and informative. It is amusing and evocatively animates a place that I have been fascinated with for most of my life. Well worth the read!' - Jane Smiley, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of A Thousand Acres 'An entertaining, offbeat (and pleasingly concise) history of the remote North Atlantic nation ... perfect for a summer getaway read' - The Critic

The Sagas of the Icelanders

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Author :
Publisher : Penguin UK
ISBN 13 : 0141933267
Total Pages : 348 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (419 download)

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Book Synopsis The Sagas of the Icelanders by : Jane Smilely

Download or read book The Sagas of the Icelanders written by Jane Smilely and published by Penguin UK. This book was released on 2005-02-24 with total page 348 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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.