''Iceland's Bell'' () is a

historical novel Historical fiction is a literary genre in which a fictional plot takes place in the setting of particular real historical events. Although the term is commonly used as a synonym for historical fiction literature, it can also be applied to oth ...

Nobel Prize The Nobel Prizes ( ; ; ) are awards administered by the Nobel Foundation and granted in accordance with the principle of "for the greatest benefit to humankind". The prizes were first awarded in 1901, marking the fifth anniversary of Alfred N ...

-winning

Iceland Iceland is a Nordic countries, Nordic island country between the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge between North America and Europe. It is culturally and politically linked with Europe and is the regi ...

ic author

Halldór Kiljan Laxness Halldór () or Halldor is a given name. Notable people with the name include: *Halldór Ásgrímsson (born 1947), Icelandic politician, formerly Prime Minister of Iceland from 2004 to 2006 *Halldór Orri Björnsson (born 1987), Icelandic internati ...

. 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 Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...

. 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 The monarchy of Denmark is a constitutional political system, institution and a historic office of the Kingdom of Denmark. The Kingdom includes Denmark proper and the autonomous administrative division, autonomous territories of the Faroe Is ...

, 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 an Icelandic scholar and collector of manuscripts who assembled the Arnamagnæan Manuscript Collection. Early life and education Árni was born in 1663 at Kvennabrekka in Dalasýsl ...

, an Icelandic scholar who collected and preserved a great deal of medieval manuscripts. The Icelandic painter

Jóhannes Kjarval Johannes is a Medieval Latin form of the personal name that usually appears as "John" in English language contexts. It is a variant of the Greek and Classical Latin variants (Ιωάννης, '' Ioannes''), itself derived from the Hebrew name '' Ye ...

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 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 ...

. 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