Reykjavík Grapevine - 19.11.2018, Side 24

This autumn, Sjón’s anglophone read-
ership will be glad to discover a new
novel by the author in UK and US book-
shops. However, fans of this master
of the short novel might be surprised
—thrilled, even—by the sheer heft of
the book in question. More than twenty
years in the making, ‘CoDex 1962’ could
be said to span the entirety of Sjón’s ca-
reer to date. It is comprised of a trilogy
of novels, the first of which marks one
of the author’s earliest forays into nov-
el form. The translation is by Victoria
Cribb, who in 2017 received the Orðstýr
award; an honorary award presented
to her by the president of Iceland for
her work promoting Icelandic literature
through translation.
A big, stupendous book
“I always knew it would be a big
book,” Sjón admits. “Of course, I’ve
changed as an author since 1992, when
I started writing it, but even back then I
knew I wanted to write a book like this:
a big, experimental novel that pulls out
all the stops. Where I could try out all
the different approaches to writing that
fascinated me as a young reader, discov-
ering for the first time how far some
writers can push the novel form.
“In 2016, when it came time to close
the trilogy, it was invigorating to re-
acquaint myself with where I started
as an author. How I initially wanted
to write books that dared to do things
other books didn’t. Back then, I wanted
to write a book just like this; a take-it-
or-leave-it kind of book.” He laughs. “I
know some people are going to give up
halfway through, and that’s okay. I’ve
given up on books like this; it’s fine.
There are always a few readers that fin-
ish them.“
Underground literature
then and now
Speaking of the writer he was when
he began writing ‘Thine Eyes Did See
My Substance’—the first novel in the
trilogy—Sjón mentions the influence
of Mikhail Bulgakov and Icelandic mod-
ernists like Thor Vilhjálmsson and Guð-
bergur Bergsson.
“Also, what we called ‘underground
literature’ was very important to me
early on,” he reminisces. “Authors
like William Burroughs—who would
probably never find a publisher today.
The books he published back then—
‘Naked Lunch,’ ‘The Wild Boys,’ ‘Nova
Express’—it seems crazy that they were
published by big publication houses
and reviewed in major magazines. Au-
thors attempting similar literary ex-
periments today would probably have to
stick to publishing online or find some
micropublisher that lets them do what
they want.”
Gobbling up texts
Over the past decade, Sjón’s own nov-
els have gradually spread into other lan-
guages and found a readership in differ-
ent countries, perhaps precisely because
of the way his writing weaves together
references from sources around the
world—an act of pilfering that he freely
admits to.
“I have a talent for parroting,” he
mocks. “I found a home for this skill in
the novel form. That’s why my novels
are filled with different styles, different
approaches to writing. To me, the novel
form is like a whale: it swims around,
mouth wide open, gobbling up anything
that gets in its way.” He laughs. “Or may-
be it’s more of a shark! Sharks have been
cut open to reveal all sorts of things that
have no business being inside a shark.
Grandfather clocks and body parts and
whatnot.”
Words:
Björn Halldórsson
Photos:
Art Bicnick
The legendary Sjón in a reflective moment
Culture
In The Belly
Of The
Whale
Sjón’s ‘CoDex 1962’ trilogy published in a
single volume for US and UK readers
"I have a talent for parroting"
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