''Iceland's Bell'' () is a historical novel by

Nobel prize The Nobel Prizes ( ; sv, Nobelpriset ; no, Nobelprisen ) are five separate prizes that, according to Alfred Nobel's will of 1895, are awarded to "those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind." Alfr ...

-winning

Iceland Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...

ic author Halldór Kiljan Laxness. It was published in three parts: ''Iceland's Bell'' (1943), ''The Bright Jewel'' or ''The Fair Maiden'' (1944) and ''Fire in Copenhagen'' (1946). The novel takes place in the 18th century, mostly in

and

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark , establish ...

. Like many of Laxness's works, the story paints a tragic and ironic picture of the terrible state of the Icelandic populace in the 18th century.

Plot summary

Part 1 – ''Iceland's Bell''

The first part tells the story of the farmer Jón Hreggviðsson and his battle with the

ic authorities. Jón is sentenced to death for the murder of an executioner, an official of the King of Denmark, but manages to flee from Iceland to Denmark, where he hopes to get an interview with the King to persuade him to grant a pardon.

Part 2 – ''The Bright Jewel'' or ''The Fair Maiden''

Snæfríður Íslandssól (lit. "Snow-Beautiful Iceland's-Sun") is the protagonist in the second part. She is in love with a collector of manuscripts named Arnas Arnaeus but is married to a drunkard. This character is based on an actual historical figure, Thordis Jónsdóttir, who was the daughter of the bishop of Hólar and was widely considered at the time to be the most beautiful woman in southern Iceland. Her husband, squire Magnús Sigurðsson, was wealthy and well-fed, as well as a violent alcoholic.

Part 3 – ''Fire in Copenhagen''

The third part is about Arnas Arnaeus the manuscript-collector and the fate of his collection in Copenhagen. In the end, Arnas does not marry the woman of his heart, Snæfríður, but stays with his rich Danish wife who financed his life's work.

Background

The character Arnas Arnæus is based on

Árni Magnússon Árni Magnússon (13 November 1663 – 7 January 1730) was a scholar and collector of manuscripts from Iceland who assembled the Arnamagnæan Manuscript Collection. Life Árni was born in 1663 at Kvennabrekka in Dalasýsla, in western Iceland ...

, an Icelandic scholar who collected and preserved a great deal of medieval manuscripts. The Icelandic painter Jóhannes Kjarval depicts the "cutting down the bell" scene from ''Íslandsklukkan'' in a painting of the same title that currently hangs in th
Kjarvalstadir museum
in

Reykjavík Reykjavík ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Iceland. It is located in southwestern Iceland, on the southern shore of Faxaflói bay. Its latitude is 64°08' N, making it the world's northernmost capital of a sovereign state. With a po ...

. 1943 Icelandic novels Historical novels Novels by Halldór Laxness Novels set in Iceland Novels set in Denmark Novels set in the 18th century Icelandic-language novels {{1940s-hist-novel-stub