Gill's Reviews > Wayward Heroes

'Wayward Heroes' by Halldór Laxness

4.5 stars/ 9 out of 10

I was interested in reading "Wayward Heroes", because I have spent time in Iceland, and also have read and enjoyed Independent People by the same author.

This is a new translation, direct from Icelandic, by Phillip Roughton, (an earlier English translation by a different translator having been from a Swedish translation), to be published in October 2016.

I thought the translation was excellent. The descriptions were vivid, and used colloquial language where appropriate. The character and place names were given in the Icelandic alphabet; once I had checked out how to pronounce these, they felt completely natural to me.

This story of the exploits of Þorgeir and Þormóður, sworn brothers, inspired by old Icelandic Sagas, was adventurous, humorous and moving. I liked that Laxness had adopted a tragicomical approach to them. The two men seemed very true to life. The other characters in the novel were also well rounded. I liked how several of the women were such strong characters.

I found "Independent People" very good, but also almost unremittingly gloomy, so it was a pleasant surprise to find humour in "Wayward Heroes ". At times it seemed like a cross between Don Quixote and Jason and the Argonauts.

I am really pleased that I read this translation of "Wayward Heroes", and will definitely read further works by Halldór Laxness.

Thank you to Archipelago and to NetGalley for an ARC.