Under the Glacier

Under the Glacier by Halldór Laxness is one of the most singular and playful novels by Iceland’s Nobel laureate — a philosophical comedy set at the foot of Iceland’s Snæfellsjökull glacier, where a young emissary from the Bishop of Iceland arrives to investigate why the local pastor has stopped conducting services. What he finds is a community that has developed its own relationship with Christianity, paganism, science, and the supernatural, presided over by the enigmatic pastor Jón Prímus and his equally mysterious wife. Laxness writes with a deadpan irony and genuine metaphysical curiosity that makes this novel unlike anything else — funny, strange, and ultimately profound. Published by Vintage, this is essential Laxness for readers new to Iceland’s greatest writer and a perfect complement to his more celebrated works.