'' Íslenskir kóngar'' ('Icelandic Kings') is a 2012 novel by

Einar Már Guðmundsson Einar Már Guðmundsson (born 18 September 1954 in Reykjavík) is an Icelandic author of novels, short stories, and poetry. His books have been translated into several languages. Background Einar grew up in Reykjavík. In 1979 he received hi ...

, published by

Mál og Menning Mál og menning (, ) is an Icelandic publishing house, established in 1937. The press has published the work of many of Iceland's best known authors, among them Þórbergur Þórðarson, Jóhannes úr Kötlum, Svava Jakobsdóttir, Þórarinn El ...

, in

Reykjavík Reykjavík is the Capital city, capital and largest city in Iceland. It is located in southwestern Iceland on the southern shore of Faxaflói, the Faxaflói Bay. With a latitude of 64°08′ N, the city is List of northernmost items, the worl ...

Summary

The novel is a satire of the ups and downs of the petty aristocracies of rural twentieth-century Iceland, depicting the fortunes of the imaginary Knudsen dynasty in the fictional fishing town of Tangavík, supposedly situated on the south coast of Iceland, near the

Vestmannaeyjar Vestmannaeyjar (, sometimes anglicized as Westman Islands) is a municipality and archipelago off the south coast of Iceland. The largest island, Heimaey, has a population of 4,414, most of whom live in the archipelago's main town, Vestmannaeyja ...

. The dynasty's intertwined relationships with the right-wing Independence Party (usually referred to simply as 'The Party'), its widespread alcoholism, and the criminal activities it undertakes under the Party's shelter, are key themes. The novel involves a large cast, most of whom are represented in the family tree above. However, it focuses on the charismatic Arnfinnur Knudsen, born in 1930 at the beginning of the

Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

, and dying on 6 October 2008, the day of Geir Haarde's infamous '

Guð blessi Ísland ''Guð blessi Ísland'' ('God bless Iceland') is the sentence with which the Icelandic Prime Minister Geir Haarde ended his television broadcast to the Icelandic nation on 6 October 2008, shortly after the beginning of the 2008–11 Icelandic fi ...

' speech, which marked the beginning of the

2008–2011 Icelandic financial crisis The Icelandic financial crisis was a major financial crisis, economic and political event in Iceland between 2008 and 2010. It involved the default (finance), default of all three of the country's major privately owned commercial banks in late 2 ...

. The story is narrated by an ex-student of Arnfinnur's who despite his own left-wing convictions provides an adulatory account of his former mentor. The tone is one of somewhat rambling reminiscence, with repetition, poorly explained family relationships, and anecdotes all important features of the style.

Translations

* ''Islandske konger'', trans. by Erik Skyum-Nielsen (København: Lindhardt og Ringhof, 2013) ; 2nd edn 2016, ; 9788711485828

anish The name Anish is derived from Sanskrit. It means "supreme". The name also shares references to Shiva, Krishna and Vishnu. Notable people with the name include: *Anish Kapoor (born 1954), Indian sculptor *Anish Giri (born 1994), Dutch chess player ...

* ''Isländische Könige'', trans. by Betty Wahl (München: btb, 2016),

erman Erman may refer to: Given name * Erman Bulucu (born 1989), Turkish footballer * Erman Eltemur (born 1993), Turkish karateka * Erman Güraçar (born 1974), Turkish footballer * Erman Kılıç (born 1983), Turkish footballer * Erman Kunter (born ...

* ''Kungar av Island'', trans. by Inge Knutsson (Stockholm:

Natur & Kultur Natur & Kultur is a Swedish publishing foundation with its head office in Stockholm. It is known for an extensive series of teaching materials, and its logotype is an apple tree. Overview The publishing house was founded in 1922 by Johan H ...

, 2015), wedish

References

2012 novels Icelandic novels Novels set in Iceland Icelandic-language novels Mál og menning books {{2010s-hist-novel-stub