Under the Glacier

So far, it is hilarious. A well meaning novice monk is sent to investigate a priest who has not collected his stipend, or held mass or buried people for the past 20 years. Much of the humour lies in the pendentical monk.

An amazing book - what Laxness has created is a singular artwork of expanded beauty, enlightened consciousness and spirituality. Told in a simple and refined style, it is an accessable and transformative experience, a novel of seeking and journey, equality and exotica. As Sontag's bulls-eye introduction points out, the novel borders all genres; it is history, visionary, quest,...more

An amazing book - what Laxness has created is a singular artwork of expanded beauty, enlightened consciousness and spirituality. Told in a simple and refined style, it is an accessable and transformative experience, a novel of seeking and journey, equality and exotica. As Sontag's bulls-eye introduction points out, the novel borders all genres; it is history, visionary, quest, sci-fi and love story. It is also a didactic novel that can be used as a direct manual, as instruction for writing a novel or for creating a work of art. In the end, like all great radical artworks it remains a mystery.   hide

Thank you Susan Sontag.

Weird - funny at points, delightful at others, but no doubt about it strange.

Deeply strange and humorous book.

weird

Truly odd and philosophical. I read it because of Susan Sontag's review in the NYT. I didn't quite have the lyrical experience with it that she did, unfortunately. But it made me laugh a few times.

A glimpse of real uncertainty.