Potter's Field

by Ólafur Gunnarsson, Jill Burrows (Translator)

English (translation)
Original Icelandic

489 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1996

About the author

Ólafur Gunnarsson was born in Reykjavík on July 18, 1948. He completed a commercial diploma from The Commercial College of Iceland in 1968. Ólafur worked for the merchant Ásbjörn Ólafsson hf. from 1965-1971 and was a driver with the Reykjavík medical emergency services from 1972-1978. Ólafur has worked as a writer since 1974.

Poetry by Ólafur Gunnarsson had appeared in newspapers and magazines before his first novel, Milljón-prósent menn (Million-Percent Men), was published in 1978. He has published novels, short stories and children's books as well as a travel story about his road trip with author (and co-author of the book) Einar Kárason in the U.S.A. in 2006. His novel, Tröllakirkja (Troll's Cathedral, 1996) was nominated for the Icelandic Literature Award in 1992 and the English translation was furthermore nominated for the IMPAC Dublin Literature Award in 1997. An adaptation for the stage premiered at The National Theatre in 1996 and the film right has been sold. He received the Icelandic Literature Prize for his novel, Öxin og jörðin, in 2004.

Some of Ólafur's work has been translated into other languages, the children's book Fallegi flughvalurinn (The Beautiful Flying Whale, 1999) has been published in Britain, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark and The Faroe Islands, and was nominated to the Nordic Children's Literature Award in 1990. Some of his novels for adults have been translated to English, German and French. Ólafur has in addition to this, translated novels and plays into Icelandic.

Reviews

[Amys Bookshelf Reviews]

Ólafur Gunnarsson writes a deep and dramatic tale with Potters Field

In Potters Field, the reader is brought into the imagination of its author. The original title for this book is Blóðakur, which translates literally to Field of Blood. I am a big fan of Ólafur Gunnarsson and want to read whatever this author writes. This author has a grand imagination, and talent for showing the story. I read once that Ólafur Gunnarsson is among the Iceland's best storytellers, and I totally agree. This author writes his stories in Icelandic, and then has some of them translated into English. I don't think that anything gets lost in translation. The story is dark and explores the paranoid, psychological underside of Icelandic society. A storm is brewing, and in the middle, is a Roman Catholic priest battling intense crises of faith and vocation. He finds himself deeply ensnared in the volatile, escalating conflicts of the three families' wives and children, including a young Serbian foster child caught in the crosshairs. Enter Linda, a deeply religious and visionary stepdaughter, who represents redemption, and transcendence. When I saw the title, Potter's Field, it reminded me of where some are buried if they don't have a name, just a number, when they pass. When I glanced at the cover, I wasn't sure what it was, but when I examined it, it really fit the story, drama, engagement in the story, and unpredictable. A reader can get lost in the story. I really enjoyed reading this story, and of course other work by this author. More people should read his work, as we are lucky to have it translated so we can read it. This story is a wondrous trail of words. What a mesmerizing story. Yes, it's a long read, but it's worth every single word. Potter's Field is a definite recommendation by Amy's Bookshelf Reviews. I read this book to give my unbiased and honest review. Amy's Bookshelf Reviews recommends that readers of this book, be kind, and also write a review.

[Ken Fredette]

I was rather disappointed in this book all 482 pages. it was not a crime book other than people did die. It was like an epic read.

[Barbara Gavin]

Poor, really poor.