The Swan (novel)
Encyclopedia
The Swan is a novel written by the Icelandic writer, Guðbergur Bergsson
in 1991.
to serve her probation for shoplifting (which is a characteristic Icelandic sentence). In the novel, the girl finds a kind of freedom by submitting to the inevitable restraints and suffering of remote rural life.
Guðbergur Bergsson
Guðbergur Bergsson is an Icelandic writer born in Grindavík on 16 October 1932. He went to the University of Iceland for his Teaching degree and then went for further study in literature at the University of Barcelona. He is one of the leading translators of Spanish works in Iceland.His first book...
in 1991.
Plot introduction
The story is about a nine-year-old girl sent to a country farm in IcelandIceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
to serve her probation for shoplifting (which is a characteristic Icelandic sentence). In the novel, the girl finds a kind of freedom by submitting to the inevitable restraints and suffering of remote rural life.
Awards and nominations
- In 1991, Guðbergur BergssonGuðbergur BergssonGuðbergur Bergsson is an Icelandic writer born in Grindavík on 16 October 1932. He went to the University of Iceland for his Teaching degree and then went for further study in literature at the University of Barcelona. He is one of the leading translators of Spanish works in Iceland.His first book...
got the Icelandic Literary PrizeIcelandic Literary PrizeThe Icelandic Literary Prize , or Icelandic Literary Award, is an award which is given to two books each year by the Icelandic Publishers Association. The prize was founded on the association's centennial in 1989. One award is for fiction or poetry and the other for academic and non-fiction works...
for his novel, Svanurinn.
- In 1992, Svanurinn was nominated for the Literary Prize of the Nordic Council.
Trivia
- This is one of the few novels of Guðbergur BergssonGuðbergur BergssonGuðbergur Bergsson is an Icelandic writer born in Grindavík on 16 October 1932. He went to the University of Iceland for his Teaching degree and then went for further study in literature at the University of Barcelona. He is one of the leading translators of Spanish works in Iceland.His first book...
, which is available in English. The English Version is translated by Bernard ScudderBernard ScudderBernard John Scudder was an award-winning British translator from Icelandic into English. He died in 2007. His translations include the work of best-selling crime writer Arnaldur Indriðason and Yrsa Sigurðardóttir. Scudder's translation of Indriðason's novel Silence of the Grave won the 2005...
, the member of the team producing an English translation of the Icelandic Sagas.