''Animal Life'' () is a

literary fiction Literary fiction, mainstream fiction, non-genre fiction or serious fiction is a label that, in the book trade, refers to market novels that do not fit neatly into an established genre (see genre fiction); or, otherwise, refers to novels that are ch ...

novel by

Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir (born 1958) is an Icelandic professor of art history, a novelist, playwright and poet. She received the Nordic Council Literature Prize for ''Hotel Silence'' in 2018 and the Médicis Foreign Award for ''Miss Iceland'' in ...

published in Icelandic in 2020 and in

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

on December 6, 2022.

Plot

''Animal Life'' follows Dýja, a midwife who has kept meticulous count of the number of babies she has delivered since losing her own child in a

stillbirth Stillbirth is typically defined as fetal death at or after 20 or 28 weeks of pregnancy, depending on the source. It results in a baby born without signs of life. A stillbirth can result in the feeling of guilt or grief in the mother. The term ...

. In her spare time, she works through her late great-aunt Fífa's belongings and tried to make sense of Fifa's worldview and their relationship.

Development and publication

The main character of ''Animal Life'', Dýja, is a midwife. The Icelandic word for midwife is , which is a combination of the Icelandic words for "light" and "mother." Much of ''Animal Life'''s thematic content revolves around Dýja's relationship with light and the short winter daylight period in Iceland. The book's English language release was translated by Brian FitzGibbon and published by

Grove Atlantic Grove Atlantic, Inc. is an American independent publisher, based in New York City. Formerly styled "Grove/Atlantic, Inc.", it was created in 1993 by the merger of Grove Press and Atlantic Monthly Press. As of 2018 Grove Atlantic calls itself "An ...

. It was released on December 6, 2022. It is Ólafsdóttir's seventh novel to be translated into English.

Reception

''Animal Life'' received mostly positive reviews from critics upon its English language release. Connie Biewald, reviewing the book for the ''

San Francisco Chronicle The ''San Francisco Chronicle'' is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of Northern California. It was founded in 1865 as ''The Daily Dramatic Chronicle'' by teenage brothers Charles de Young and M. H. de Young, Michael H. de ...

,'' praised Ólafsdóttir's descriptions of the natural world. ''

The Economist ''The Economist'' is a British weekly newspaper printed in demitab format and published digitally. It focuses on current affairs, international business, politics, technology, and culture. Based in London, the newspaper is owned by The Econo ...

'' wrote positively of the novel's characters. FitzGibbon's translation work was praised by Cory Oldweiler of ''

The Star Tribune ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

'', who wrote that he "seamlessly handled" translating Icelandic culture to a more global audience. Mia Levitin was more critical of the book, writing in the ''

Financial Times The ''Financial Times'' (''FT'') is a British daily newspaper printed in broadsheet and published digitally that focuses on business and economic current affairs. Based in London, England, the paper is owned by a Japanese holding company, Nik ...

'' that "not much happens in ''Animal Life'' in the way of plot" and criticizing the bleak worldview expressed throughout the novel. ''

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of B ...

'' described the book as a "rich slice of life." ''

Kirkus Reviews ''Kirkus Reviews'' (or ''Kirkus Media'') is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus (1893–1980). The magazine is headquartered in New York City. ''Kirkus Reviews'' confers the annual Kirkus Prize to authors of fic ...

'' praised Ólafsdóttir for

fact-checking Fact-checking is the process of verifying factual information, in order to promote the veracity and correctness of reporting. Fact-checking can be conducted before (''ante hoc'') or after (''post hoc'') the text is published or otherwise dissem ...

much of the book but criticized Dýja and Fifa's objective worldviews.

References

{{Reflist

External links

Animal Life
at BookMarks 2020 novels