Bjarni, a sheep farmer in Iceland, writes a long love letter to a woman he had an affair with during the era of World War II. That could sum up this book in one sentence, but this book is much, much more than that.

We learn of a man who loved the country and loved his animals and loved a woman. He loved a woman that was not his and a land that was very much his own. He made decisions that seemed to him to be practical and right yet he was always unsure if he were true to himself or not. Should a man be with his love in a soulless, empty landscape or should he remain free in the wilderness that is a part of him yet be unloved? As he narrates the tale of his life to his love we learn quite a bit about Bjarni and about the old ways of sheep-herding and how people lived in a harsh world where they only had each other and their animals and nothing outside themselves and their farms to sustain them - no cell phones, no computers, no fancy technology that would throw a wedge between them although there were plenty of conventions to divide people - forbidden lust being one of them.

This was a short, interesting read about a culture foreign to me (however people are people everywhere - there is still a kinship there). There were beautiful, thoughtful ideas expressed in this book, although I'll issue a word of warning for others - there is some graphic language with regard to the sex scenes - some of it is a bit jarring in a rather passive (yet passionate) tale. ( )

Today was a day I am happy I chose rural living. A harsh occurance in our family's life would have been hellish in my beloved urban centre. And the poetic rendering of the choice made by our protagonist, not to follow his beloved to Reckivik [sp?] is the core of this deeply emotional "letter". Life goes on & you live in both the joys & despairs of choices you've made and those you didn't.
Best bit: his rural Book Club's down to earth analyses of various philosophers & those that follow them. So real, so funny. Strip away the nonsense & live a deep, simple life within the natural world. ( )

This novella is essentially a love song -- not to Helga -- but to Iceland, the older, simpler Iceland (pre-WWII). The time before radios and television when neighbors relied on each other because there was no one else to help.

Birgisson is clearly a poet who paints with words and fills your mind with wonderful pictures of the animals, land, sea, and sky. The story here is very secondary to the evocative feeling he brings to you. ( )

Den moderne roman i et nøtteskall; Meg, meg, meg, meg og atter hovedpersonens meg og eventuelt megets sexliv. Ikke rart det blir vanskelige liv med så små - og dødelige horisonter......
Ufattelig trist at dette er nok til å bli nominert til nordisk råds litteraturpris.

A reflective and introspective book about the choices one makes in life and the reasons why these choices were made. Beautiful sentence constructs and wonderfully flowing prose as a man, at the age of 90, living in a nursing home tries to explain his reasons for not pursuing the love of his life. Reminds me quite a bit of the writing of Linda Olsson, which is a very good thing. ( )