Jag heter Ísbjörg, jag är ett lejon

by Vigdís Grímsdóttir

En ung mordåtalad kvinna, Isbjörg, träffar sin advokat 12 gånger och berättar då om sitt liv för honom. Advokaten har ett förhållande med Isbjörgs mor och han tror att Isbjörg är ovetande om detta. Men Isbjörg vet, och av detta faktum uppstår det ett egendomligt spänningsfält mellan mannen och Isbjörg. En stark roman om förtryck och om kamp för oberoende.

Genres: Fiction

283 pages

First published January 1, 1989

About the author

Vigdís Grímsdóttir was born in Reykjavík on August 15th 1953. She graduated from the Iceland University of Education with a Teaching Diploma in 1973, received a BA-degree in Icelandic Studies and Library and Information Science from the University of Iceland in 1978, and a degree in Education from the Iceland University of Education in 1982. She was a candidate of Icelandic literature at the University of Iceland 1984-85. Grímsdóttir worked as an elementary- and college teacher in Reykjavík and Hafnarfjörður until 1990 but has since then focused almost exclusively on writing.

Her first book, the short story collection Tíu myndir úr lífi þínu (Ten Pictures from Your Life), appeared in 1983 and since then she has published collections of poetry, another collection of short stories, and novels, including one children's book. Vigdís has received various recognitions for her work and her books have been translated into other languages. Adaptations for theatre have been made of two of her novels and been performed both in Iceland and in Sweden. In 2004 a movie by Hilmar Oddsson, based on her novel Kaldaljós (Cold Light) premiered.

Vigdís Grímsdóttir has two grown up children. She lives in Reykjavík.

Reviews

[Elvira]

Så äcklig och obehaglig och tragisk historia. Men mycket spännande berättad! Mycket imponerad av att det funkar även om det finns typ tre berättar - inte perspektiv, men sätt och många fler tidslinjer.

[Unnur Lárusdóttir · Rating 3 out of 5]

Merkileg bók fyrir margra hluta sakir. Ein fyrsta #MeToo bókin á íslensku, þó ekki sé hún ævisaga höfundar heldur skáldsaga. Olli uppnámi á sínum tíma, enda tekur hún á vanvirku uppeldi, kynferðislegri misnotkun, ofbeldi og vændi. Sakborningsdrama. Bókin fer hægt af stað, en verður þéttari er á líður. Uppskrúfaður stíll höfundar hentar ekki öllum.

[Berglind Steinsdóttir]

Of löng, já, of margorð, en þegar maður er búinn með hana gengur samt upp að Ísbjörg hafi fengið að segja okkur söguna af sjálfri sér, söguna af mömmu, pabba, móðursystur, manninum hennar og syni, manninum í skúrnum, karlinum á skrifstofunni og lögfræðingnum Pétri. Sagan talar á merkilegan hátt inn í samtíma okkar þótt hún sé 33 ára gömul um þessar mundir.
Það er hiklaust 100 blaðsíðna atrenna inn í þessa 280 blaðsíðna sögu en seinni hlutinn er fljótlesinn þannig að ég tel mér óhætt að mæla með.

[Pinja · Rating 4 out of 5]

Inhottavan hyvä.

[Miia Irmeli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alkuun tuntui vaan maaniselta kertomiselta, mutta loppua kohti kävi paljonkin järkeen. Ehkä helpotti, kun kuvittelin tarinan tilanteen elokuvamuotoon.

[Birna Pétursdóttir · Rating 5 out of 5]

ætlaði að reyna að skrifa einhverja mega umsögn um þessa bók en vá hvað ég fór að hljóma tilgerðarlega. þessi er góð verð ég að segja. ljóðræn, sem passar vel finnst mér og kemur á óvart. 4.75/5

[Alyanome · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book hasn't been translated to English yet, but in Finnish, which I have read. I think this was way better than Z. It's a story about a girl who commits murder (don't worry, that's what the synopsis is telling too :P) and it was bit weird to know it from the beginning, but it works.

There's also Swedish translation at least.