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The Fish Can Sing

By Halldor Laxness
Introduction by Jane Smiley

By Halldor Laxness
Introduction by Jane Smiley

By Halldor Laxness

By Halldor Laxness

Best Seller

Part of Vintage International

Part of Vintage International

Category: Fiction

Category: Fiction

Paperback $16.95

Feb 19, 2008 | ISBN 9780307386052

Ebook $9.99

Feb 19, 2008 | ISBN 9780307389343

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    The Fish Can Sing by Halldor Laxness
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    Feb 19, 2008 | ISBN 9780307386052
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      Feb 19, 2008 | ISBN 9780307386052

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      Feb 19, 2008 | ISBN 9780307389343

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    About The Fish Can Sing

    The Fish Can Sing is one of Nobel Prize winner Halldór Laxness’s most beloved novels, a poignant coming-of-age tale marked with his peculiar blend of light irony and dark humor.

    The orphan Alfgrimur has spent an idyllic childhood sheltered in the simple turf cottage of a generous and eccentric elderly couple. Alfgrimur dreams only of becoming a fisherman like his adoptive grandfather, until he meets Iceland’s biggest celebrity. The opera singer Gardar Holm’s international fame is a source of tremendous pride to tiny, insecure Iceland, though no one there has ever heard him sing. A mysterious man who mostly avoids his homeland and repeatedly fails to perform for his adoring countrymen, Gardar takes a particular interest in Alfgrimur’s budding musical talent and urges him to seek out the world beyond the one he knows and loves. But as Alfgrimur discovers that Gardar is not what he seems, he begins to confront the challenge of finding his own path without turning his back on where he came from.

    About The Fish Can Sing

    The Fish Can Sing is one of Nobel Prize winner Halldór Laxness’s most beloved novels, a poignant coming-of-age tale marked with his peculiar blend of light irony and dark humor.

    The orphan Alfgrimur has spent an idyllic childhood sheltered in the simple turf cottage of a generous and eccentric elderly couple. Alfgrimur dreams only of becoming a fisherman like his adoptive grandfather, until he meets Iceland’s biggest celebrity. The opera singer Gardar Holm’s international fame is a source of tremendous pride to tiny, insecure Iceland, though no one there has ever heard him sing. A mysterious man who mostly avoids his homeland and repeatedly fails to perform for his adoring countrymen, Gardar takes a particular interest in Alfgrimur’s budding musical talent and urges him to seek out the world beyond the one he knows and loves. But as Alfgrimur discovers that Gardar is not what he seems, he begins to confront the challenge of finding his own path without turning his back on where he came from.

    Read An Excerpt

    Read An Excerpt

    About Halldor Laxness

    Halldor Laxness was born near Reykjavík, Iceland, in 1902. His first novel was published when he was 17. The undisputed master of contemporary Icelandic fiction and one of the most outstanding novelists of the century, Laxness wrote more than 60… More about Halldor Laxness

    About Halldor Laxness

    Halldor Laxness was born near Reykjavík, Iceland, in 1902. His first novel was published when he was 17. The undisputed master of contemporary Icelandic fiction and one of the most outstanding novelists of the century, Laxness wrote more than 60… More about Halldor Laxness

    Product Details

    Category: Fiction

    Paperback | $16.95
    Published by Vintage
    Feb 19, 2008 | 272 Pages | 5-3/16 x 8 | ISBN 9780307386052

    Category: Fiction

    Ebook | $9.99
    Published by Vintage
    Feb 19, 2008 | 246 Pages | ISBN 9780307389343

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    Praise

    “This weird and wonderful novel is Laxness at his best: a reminder of the mad hilarity of the Icelandic sensibility.” —Nicholas Shakespeare

    "Enchanting . . . .This novel is a true pleasure." —The Independent (London)

    "Laxness is a beacon in twentieth-century literature, a writer of splendid originality, wit, and feeling." —Alice Munro

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