Reykjavík Grapevine - 25.08.2017, Síða 46

Books 46The Reykjavík GrapevineIssue 15 — 2017
A Time Of Cranks
‘Tómas Jónsson: Bestseller’ finds
an audience in the United States
Words: Björn Halldórsson
This past July saw the publication
of an Icelandic post-modern clas-
sic by Open Letter Books, a small
New York based publisher that has
previously published the works of
Bragi Ólafsson, Kristín Ómars-
dóttir and Sölvi Björn Sigurðsson.
The novel, Guðbergur Bergsson's
‘Tómas Jónsson: Bestseller,’ was
originally published in Iceland in
1966, and has been translated into
English for the current release by
Lytton Smith, who hails from the
UK. For him, the subject matter
of the book makes its translation
and publication now feel strangely
apt. "I did a lot of the translating
in 2016," he explains. "As Ameri-
can politics and society revealed
their true nature over the course of
that year, I was translating a book
that explores problems of nation-
alism, romanticism and indepen-
dence. I think we—and by ‘we’ I
mean American and British read-
ers, more so than Icelandic read-
ers—need this book right now."
Setting Tómas free
In the novel, a senile and churlish
bank clerk, Tómas, sets out to write
his memoirs, expounding a list of
grievances while extolling his own
status as a "blue-eyed Viking." The
book is crammed with Guðber-
gur's intertextual word-play and
linguistic exuberance, stuff that
would make any battle-hardened
translator think twice. "Even af-
ter publication I've discovered
new things," Smith says, admir-
ingly. "I always felt like I needed to
know more, to read more—not just
about Icelandic culture, but world
culture in general. In a preface to
one of the Icelandic editions, Guð-
bergur sets Tómas free into the
world, accepting that he has a life
beyond the author himself. Per-
haps this Tómas is then partly my
Tómas now. Still, I hope that I have
done justice to Guðbergur. There
exist so many different tones and
registers. Guðbergur has an amaz-
ing sense for rhythm and for the
poetic possibilities of language.
I'm in awe of his skill as a writer."
The poet and the
translator
Smith is perhaps uniquely quali-
fied for the job of reproducing
these poetic possibilities, being
an award-winning poet himself.
The connection between poems
and translations is something to
which he has given much thought.
"Philip Sidney has this wonder-
ful phrase that the poet ‘peizes’
syllables," he says. "That's an old
Scottish or Northern English word
meaning ‘weighing.’ I like that—
that the poet is balancing words
and parts of words, trying to find
the right combination. I think a
translator's work involves that
kind of measuring and balancing.
You're being creative, but within
a rigid framework. The skills of
paying close attention to mean-
ing, sounds and word order that
I rely on as a poet all come into
play in my work as a translator."
Working in isolation
Unusually for Smith’s process, he
had no contact with the author
during the translation—a decision
that he agonized over. "I can't be
sure it was the right move," he says.
"Because Guðbergur has said that
he has set Tómas free, I felt it was
important for me to offer my own
interpretation rather than chasing
Guðbergur's interpretation. I can't
ever be Guðbergur—to try would
have been to fail—but there were
many times when I found myself
wondering what he'd have said
about the translation. I hope he
can understand my logic in work-
ing somewhat independently, if
that isn't ironic given the book's
theme," he laughs. "Maybe I felt
like I needed to be as isolated as
Tómas Jónsson to translate it!"
Get Your Read On
Summertime reads from the Icelandic
literature scene
Words: Björn Halldórsson
Each issue, we take a look at
two Icelandic titles old and new,
available in English translation
at most Reykjavík bookstores. If
you’d like more ideas, or to read
more on Icelandic literature, head
over to gpv.is/lit for in-depth au-
thor interviews, guides, and more
book reviews.
Hallgrímur Helgason
- 101 Reykjavík
Hlynur is a twenty-something
flunky who spends most weekends
at his local bar prowling for point-
less sexual trysts. He is content with
living with his mother in her small
apartment in downtown Reykjavík,
pissing his days away and never
leaving the 10 km radius of the 101
postal code area. However, his sim-
ple life is thrown into disarray when
his mother suddenly comes out to
him as a lesbian, with a new girl-
friend in tow. Originally published
in 1996, 101 Reykjavík captures the
zeitgeist of a time when the down-
town area was still filled with di-
lapidated houses crammed full of
artists, odd-balls and slackers, be-
fore the overdrive of the Icelandic
economy and the financial crash
and resulting tourism boom, all of
which have had an enormous im-
pact on the current face of Reykjavík.
J.M. Bedell - Hildur,
Queen of the Elves
Make no mistake, J.M. Bedell's retell-
ing of Icelandic folktales might not
be best suited for your child's bed-
time reading. These are fairy tales of
the old-fashioned guts-and-gore va-
riety, developed through centuries
of oral retellings until they were col-
lected by Jón Árnason and other 19th
century scholars. The collection also
provides a lengthy introduction by
Terry Gunnell—the translator of the
original texts that Bedell uses—that
sets the scene for the atmosphere
in which the stories were originally
told: during the dark of winter in
poorly lit Icelandic turf houses. In
her retellings, Bedell has kept all the
details and themes of the original
texts, but applied her own craft as a
storyteller to bringing us scenes full
of suspension, character and drama.
The collection is handily divided into
categories such as "Monsters," "Hid-
den Folk," "Magicians," "Trolls," and
"Ghosts," so that you can dive right
into what most strikes your fancy.
Happy hour 16-18 daily. Closed Mondays.
Marshallhúsið, Grandagarður 20, 101 Reykjavík.
Bus route 14 (Listabraut)
To reserve lunch and dinner call +354 519 7766, or
info@marshallrestaurant.is, marshallrestaurant.is
Icelandic fish and mediterranean inspired fare
with vegetarian dishes, pasta and meat.
Honest approach to food and cooking
and an atmosphere of warmth.
gpv.is/lit
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