Lögberg-Heimskringla - 13.12.1996, Blaðsíða 17

Lögberg-Heimskringla • Föstudagur 13, desember 1996 • 17
Tip Top
Foods
IN GIMLI
lcelandic
Foods
for Christmas
Fresh Manitoba:
Lamb Rúllupylsa
Hangikjöt
Lifrapylsa
Mysuostur
lcelandic Brown Bread
Haröfiskur
'ltýáné, ð&é&rc
Brian & Ken Arnason
For delivery before Christmas
place your orders early
call:
(2M) 642-5418
The Propriety
ofGratitude
Continuedfrom page 1
For example, Daisy points to the
extreme poverty of Stephan G. Stephans-
son’s parents, book-loving people, who
could not underwrite the cost of a formal
education for their son. Limited by
finances from purchasing books,
Stephan relied on his memory exten-
sively and treád on the old roots of the
Icelandic poetic tradition.
Coming poor to North America, he
struggled three times with the rigour of
pioneering: in Wisconsin, then in
Dakota, and finally in Markerville.
While raising eight children, he left the
cultural pursuits of reading and writing
to the evenings. He left a large body of
work: 1800 pages of poetry and 1400
pages of letters and essays. Fittingly,
he published his poetry under the title
of Andvökur — Sleepless Nights. Al-
though an uneven body of work, the
circumstances under which he composed
adds, rather than detracts, from his re-
markable achievement. The Icelandic
scholar Sigurður Nordal called Stephans-
son “the greatest man among all Ice-
landic poets past and present” (mesti
maðurinn meðal Islenzkra skálda fyrr
og síðar).
SWEATER & WOOL
SHOP
SWEATERS $125-$150.
ACCESSORIES AS LOW
AS $15.
WHITE BUFFALO & ICELANDIC
LOPI SWEATERS
HATS,
MITTS
&
SCARVES
♦
SUPPERS
4-
WOOL
SOCKS &
GLOVE
LINERS
♦
ASK ABOUT OUR WOOL CLUB
PH0NE (204) 772-5503
1575 Logan Ave.,
Winnipeg, MB R3E 1S5
With his poetry, he raised a lasting
monument to honour all working men
and women, while criticizing parasitism,
destructiveness, and backwardness in the
human community. His heroes, isolated
figures, manage to make the very best
out of what they have — people who will
not láta baslið smækka sig, (let difficulty
or poverty bring them down, but will,
instead, defy their circumstances and
regard them as a challenge). The Norse
tragic heroic vision permeates his work,
and sometimes the weight of his message
burdened and obscured his lines, but he
held the traditional Icelandic belief in
the power of the poetic word. Many of
his Canadian poems convey a profound
communion and companionship be-
tween the poet and the natural scene
around him.
With troubles enough afoot, we may
lose focus on the propriety of gratitude
gathered from a study of recent history;
this book by Daisy Neijmann, affording
deep insights into the early experience
of Icelanders in Canada and their con-
tribution to literature, offers a worthy
window to many valuable insights.
As part of the Icelandic heritage at
Christmas we may most deeply ponder
the spiritual importance of the date; my
family certainly brought an intangible
spirituality with them as a precious
cargo from Iceland at the end of the
nineteenth century. I have relatives who
serve as Lutheran pastors both in Ice-
land and Canada, Don Olson and Ami
Palsson.
DECEMBER SPECIALS
lcelandic Hardfiskur$ 5.99 ea.
Smoked Goldeye $ 2.00 ea.
5 Ib. Pickerel Fillets $35.00
OPEN IN
WINNIPEG
MON.-SAT.
ALL YEAR
We pack
for travel
596 Dufferin Avenue
(at McGregor)
Winnipeg, Manitoba
R2W 2V9
Phone Today:
1-204-589-3474
A lighter side of the experience and
character appears in the capricious
Jolasveinar, some of which adorn the
new Gimli school during this festive
season. The reputation of these creatures
underwent some softening by the middle
of the nineteenth century, and they have
even come to take the place of Santa
Claus in Iceland, offering thirteen jolly
fellows instead of one.
Also important to those of us in
North America may be the food that we
associate with Christmas. Bill Holm
recently spoke of vinarterta as a type of
gestalt, because, when we consume it,
all of the happy thoughts of earlier
Christmases and family gatherings
parade through our minds. No matter
how good the vinarterta, or whether it
has seven or six layers, icing or not, it
stands a good chance to win us over,
because so many good memories are
associated with it.
In a conversation with pastor Stefan
Jonasson of a few months ago, he
characterized two opposed relationships
with life: one view embraces life as a
gift; the other view regards life as an
injustice or inequity. Perhaps our
perception of life is coloured by the
fortune, good or bad, of our parenting,
and the political circumstances into
which we are born. I am fortunate to
regard my life as a gift, and wiil find
some time for positive reflection in this
festive season. Part of my propriety of
gratitude stems from the sacrifices of the
pioneers, including my near relatives,
who helped develop the infrastmcture
of Manitoba. □
'THE CQAT SPBCIALISTS"
275 McDermot Ave. at Klng 942-7376
Outside Wpg. 1-888-227-3477
WITH MATCHING ACCESSORIES
Westem Canada's íargest selectión
Sizes range from extra petite to extra large
AVAJLABLEAT
f Gleöileg Jól og Farsælt Komandi Ár
éSNjátsbúÖ Baldwinson’s Handi-Mart
lcelandic Goods Available • Open 7 Days a Week
Video Rentals • Stamp Shop • Dry Cleaning
• Lottery Ticket Centre • Gas Bar
Nell & Merllyn Baldwinson
Box 307, No. 9 Hwy. & Airport Rd., Gimli, Man. ROC ÍBO
VBus. 642-5330
Res. 642-7953 J
^ Gleðileg Jói Og Farsælt Komandi Ár ^
Sveinson
and Sons Ltd.
DISTRIBUTOR OF MOST KINDS OF "FRESHWATER FISH" & “SMOKED FISH”
^BUS. 642-8889, RES. 642-8277_GIMU, MANITOBA ROC 1B0^