Description
In the stark, wind-swept world of early 20th-century Iceland, a shepherd-turned-farmer finally secures his own croft and vows to live as an independent man—free from debt, dependence, and the humiliations of hired labor. Centered on Bjartur of Summerhouses, the novel follows his determination to build a life with his wife, Rósa, while the unforgiving landscape and the pressures of rural society test every promise. With sweeping realism and sharp psychological insight, it traces how pride, love, and survival collide as hardship reshapes family and future. Halldór Laxness’s epic storytelling—grounded in Icelandic speech, culture, and hardship—turns one man’s struggle into a broader meditation on dignity, resilience, and the cost of freedom.
Available Editions
paperback
Everyman's Library
Published Oct 6, 2020
554 pages
ISBN: 9781101908273
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Details
First Published
1946
Language
eng
Translation
From: isl
Content Warnings
Content and trigger warnings for Independent People by Halldór Laxness.