The Icelandic Canadian - 01.06.1995, Page 68

178
THE ICELANDIC CANADIAN
SPRING/SUMMER 1995
pages in the text. Thus it provides the
reader with a large amount of further read-
ing.
As I mentioned earlier, the reader has
not yet been provided with an account of
the overall development of the great wealth
of Old Icelandic literature. The last, and
the most important bricks in the building
will be presented in the second volume.
The greatest strength of the present volume
is the overview and subtle connection with
the rest of the world, which scarcely existed
earlier, other than as references to a harm-
ful influence in the older, somewhat nation-
alistic, literary histories. By doing so, the
groundwork is laid for an innovative treat-
ment in the second volume. The unique
characteristic will be illuminated in the
light of what there is in common with the
rest of the world. The reader is also pro-
vided with a wonderfully written account
of all the details of this literature, with a
fair amount of marginalia which add to the
general insights as well as the entertaining
value of the book. It combines excellent
scholarship with skilful exposition of the
subject, which makes it accessible to every-
one. It can thus be strongly recommended
that every Icelandic North American who
still reads Icelandic, read this book. And it
also deserves to be translated into English
for the early Icelandic literature is indeed
the literary heritage of North Americans
of Icelandic descent, as well as that of the
Icelanders.
ReisubokJons Olafssonar
Indiafara samin af honum
SJALFUM (1661).
By Jon Olafsson Indiafari.
Edited by Volundur Oskarsson. Reykjavik:
Mdl og Menning, 1992. Pp. XXXI, 416.
Reviewed by Vibar Hreinsson
After the pioneering Icelandic publishing
house, Svart a hvitu, went bankrupt fol-
lowed by a typical Icelandic scandal, an-
other Icelandic publisher, Mai og
menning, bought the publishing rights to
the most important publications of Svart
a hvitu such as popular editions of sagas
and the collected works of the national
poet, Jonas Hallgrimsson. Mai og
menning has since continued the work of
publishing important works from the pre-
vious centuries in very handsome editions.
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