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Salka Valka
A new translation of Nobel Prize-winning author Halldór Laxness's masterpieceLate one snowy midwinter night, in a remote Icelandic fishing village, a penniless woman arrives by boat. She comes with her daughter, the young but gutsy Salka Valka. The two must forge a life in this remote place, where everyone is at the mercy of a single wealthy merchant, and where everything revolves around fish. After her mother's tragic death, Salka grows into a fiercely independent-minded adult - cutting off her hair, educating herself and becoming an advocate for the town's working class. A coming-of-age story, a feminist tale, a lament for Iceland's poor - this is the funny, tender, epic story of Salka Valka. 'Laxness is a poet who writes to the edges of the pages, a visionary who allows us a plot' Daily TelegraphTRANSLATED BY PHILIP ROUGHTON
560 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1931
168 people are currently reading
3421 people want to read
About the author
Halldór Laxness
177 books791 followersBorn Halldór Guðjónsson, he adopted the surname Laxness in honour of Laxnes in Mosfellssveit where he grew up, his family having moved from Reyjavík in 1905. He published his first novel at the age of only 17, the beginning of a long literary career of more than 60 books, including novels, short stories, poetry, and plays. Confirmed a Catholic in 1923, he later moved away from religion and for a long time was sympathetic to Communist politics, which is evident in his novels World Light and Independent People. In 1955 he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 209 reviews
March 4, 2024
Nobel Prize in Literature 1955
That this is considered a lesser work by Laxness shows the capabilities of the great national poet of Iceland - but it's also striking to notice that while his other writing often focuses on men, this is more or less a feminist coming-of-age tale about the resilience of the title-giving Salka. As a child born out of wedlock, her mother wants to travel from the North to Reykjavik, but gets stuck in a small fishing village at the fjord due to money troubles. Salka grows up in dire poverty, humiliated by townsfolk who look down upon her mother, and experiences male assault. But she is strong, smart and determined, becomes the secretary of the newly founded fishermen's union and falls in love with a socialist activist...
The novel ponders many topics that are typical for Laxness: Most importantly, the strength and resilience of the Icelandic people surviving in a harsh environment, their wish to live independently and freely (the novel is set during Danish colonialism), the spell of religion and ideology, and socialism versus capitalism - yes, the small fishing town becomes an ideological battleground of the Russian vs. the US-American system, torn between collectivist and individualist ideas. And there's another aspect that's typical for Laxness, and it's his finest trait as a writer: His characters are terribly messy, they make mistakes, they strife for false gods, they betray each other, and still, he loves all of them. He does not write to lament the faulty species we're a part of, he reflects how hard it is to be a human person.
The best example is probably Salka's mother, Sigurlina, who makes bad decisions, but also becomes the victim of the patriarchy, misogyny, and human cruelty - Laxness, born in 1902, points that out. Salka herself is torn between her almost-stepfather, an alcoholic who came into money, and the love of her life, a Marxist activist - and both of them commit terrible crimes against women. It's startling to read how both men ultimately dream of strong-minded and brave Salka submitting to them, of giving herself up to them: They (and thus the patriarchy as well as capitalism and Marxism) want to control her, but she dreams of being free - and wonders whether this is even possible for a woman, and one of such little means in a remote part of the industrializing world for that matter.
So I will definitely follow along with my project to read the complete Laxness, and I can't wait to finally get back to Iceland very soon. It's also time that Sjón becomes the second Icelander to win the Nobel.
That this is considered a lesser work by Laxness shows the capabilities of the great national poet of Iceland - but it's also striking to notice that while his other writing often focuses on men, this is more or less a feminist coming-of-age tale about the resilience of the title-giving Salka. As a child born out of wedlock, her mother wants to travel from the North to Reykjavik, but gets stuck in a small fishing village at the fjord due to money troubles. Salka grows up in dire poverty, humiliated by townsfolk who look down upon her mother, and experiences male assault. But she is strong, smart and determined, becomes the secretary of the newly founded fishermen's union and falls in love with a socialist activist...
The novel ponders many topics that are typical for Laxness: Most importantly, the strength and resilience of the Icelandic people surviving in a harsh environment, their wish to live independently and freely (the novel is set during Danish colonialism), the spell of religion and ideology, and socialism versus capitalism - yes, the small fishing town becomes an ideological battleground of the Russian vs. the US-American system, torn between collectivist and individualist ideas. And there's another aspect that's typical for Laxness, and it's his finest trait as a writer: His characters are terribly messy, they make mistakes, they strife for false gods, they betray each other, and still, he loves all of them. He does not write to lament the faulty species we're a part of, he reflects how hard it is to be a human person.
The best example is probably Salka's mother, Sigurlina, who makes bad decisions, but also becomes the victim of the patriarchy, misogyny, and human cruelty - Laxness, born in 1902, points that out. Salka herself is torn between her almost-stepfather, an alcoholic who came into money, and the love of her life, a Marxist activist - and both of them commit terrible crimes against women. It's startling to read how both men ultimately dream of strong-minded and brave Salka submitting to them, of giving herself up to them: They (and thus the patriarchy as well as capitalism and Marxism) want to control her, but she dreams of being free - and wonders whether this is even possible for a woman, and one of such little means in a remote part of the industrializing world for that matter.
So I will definitely follow along with my project to read the complete Laxness, and I can't wait to finally get back to Iceland very soon. It's also time that Sjón becomes the second Icelander to win the Nobel.
August 23, 2023
A frustrating, often dull read, just like the weather in this fishing village somewhere in Iceland, that tried my patience, and yet it succeeded in coming together by the end.
It starts out as a coming of age story, sort of Anne of green gables but without whimsy and in a much bleaker world. And it ended as a story of Iceland encapsulated in the life and choices of our protagonist: a sturdy, hard-working, plain, uncivilized, yet very strong girl, who was tempted by capitalism and legends of the glorious Iceland of yore, that is represented by her greedy, manly, violent and abusive almost father-in-law, the man from legends about vikings who went on murder and raping sprees in foreign lands. And by the bolshevik intellectual idealistic young man who proved to be a phony and a dreamer, and after building communism in their little village for most of the book, left for California - surely the land of communism.
And then there's Salka herself, who obviously stayed behind, because she is Iceland and her fate is connected to it for better or worse.
What I didn't like (except for the pacing of most of the book) is that Laxness recklessly uses sexual assault of a child to move plot along and to make a point, there’s never any dealing with that trauma, or the trauma of losing her only parent. Laxness was not interested in that obviously. But these characters also didn't feel that human to me in the first place. And this book was a slog for me for the first 80%, and yet the ending redeemed it a little.
It starts out as a coming of age story, sort of Anne of green gables but without whimsy and in a much bleaker world. And it ended as a story of Iceland encapsulated in the life and choices of our protagonist: a sturdy, hard-working, plain, uncivilized, yet very strong girl, who was tempted by capitalism and legends of the glorious Iceland of yore, that is represented by her greedy, manly, violent and abusive almost father-in-law, the man from legends about vikings who went on murder and raping sprees in foreign lands. And by the bolshevik intellectual idealistic young man who proved to be a phony and a dreamer, and after building communism in their little village for most of the book, left for California - surely the land of communism.
And then there's Salka herself, who obviously stayed behind, because she is Iceland and her fate is connected to it for better or worse.
What I didn't like (except for the pacing of most of the book) is that Laxness recklessly uses sexual assault of a child to move plot along and to make a point, there’s never any dealing with that trauma, or the trauma of losing her only parent. Laxness was not interested in that obviously. But these characters also didn't feel that human to me in the first place. And this book was a slog for me for the first 80%, and yet the ending redeemed it a little.
February 14, 2022
What an amazing novel! This is my first Halldor Laxness and I will definitely read more. In this book he describes poverty and workers struggle with a main character who is a strong and individual young woman. Salka Valka is 11yo when she arrives with her mother in a poor fishing village. Her mother wanted to go as far south as Reykjavik but couldn’t afford it. The poverty, the hard work, the nice life Bogeson, the owner has (there was one brilliant line about how he needed the milk of five cows for his indigestion, while the poor don’t have milk for their children!) are all contrasted. There’s great descriptions of the landscape and weather, and some interesting characters. (I loved how so many of the male characters thought of themselves as poets!) It gets a bit bogged down in politics in the second half but still an excellent read.
March 20, 2025
The windswept fishing village of Óseyri, where the sea’s relentless grip amplifies the struggles of its inhabitants, is the setting for this stark, unrelenting examination of survival in a world where economic and social forces conspire to crush individuality.
Sigurlína and her young daughter, Salvör Valgerður—later called Salka—arrive in the remote Icelandic hamlet. Salka, a child hardened by neglect and abuse, grows into a woman of unyielding resolve, her character shaped by the harsh realities of a society that offers little mercy to the poor.
Laxness, drawing from his own experiences with poverty and his disillusionment with capitalism, paints a portrait of Iceland in transition, where traditional ways of life are eroded by the encroachment of modernity. “The fish are our gold, but the sea is a miser, and the merchants are its enforcers.” Thus is life in Óseyri, where even the bounty of the ocean cannot lift its people from destitution.
The choice to include Marghrét, a prostitute, in the story is a deliberate, almost Marxist, critique of the commodification inherent in a society driven by profit. Her presence is not romanticized but presented as a grim inevitability in a community where women have few avenues for survival. Marghrét’s relationship with Salka reveals the latter’s growing awareness of the systemic injustices that bind them both. “There are no heroes here, only those who endure and those who break.” Laxness cuts to the heart of the novel’s exploration of agency, as Salka’s defiance against her circumstances becomes a quiet rebellion against the forces that seek to define her.
What elevates Salka Valka to the realm of literary greatness is its ability to confront uncomfortable truths without succumbing to nihilism. The novel’s portrayal of child abuse, economic exploitation, and the erosion of community is balanced by Salka’s indomitable spirit, which refuses to be extinguished.
Laxness, who spent time in monastic communities and embraced socialist ideals, seems to have written the book as a call to his fellow Icelanders to reckon with the consequences of their societal choices. The Nobel Prize committee recognized the work’s ability to illuminate the complexities of human existence without offering easy resolutions. “Life is not a story with a beginning and an end,” Laxness writes, “but a series of battles fought in the shadow of forces greater than ourselves.”
Several other reviewers here compared this work unfavorably to his other books. This, being my first Laxness, knocked my socks off. If this astonishing novel is his low, I can't wait to read the rest!
Sigurlína and her young daughter, Salvör Valgerður—later called Salka—arrive in the remote Icelandic hamlet. Salka, a child hardened by neglect and abuse, grows into a woman of unyielding resolve, her character shaped by the harsh realities of a society that offers little mercy to the poor.
Laxness, drawing from his own experiences with poverty and his disillusionment with capitalism, paints a portrait of Iceland in transition, where traditional ways of life are eroded by the encroachment of modernity. “The fish are our gold, but the sea is a miser, and the merchants are its enforcers.” Thus is life in Óseyri, where even the bounty of the ocean cannot lift its people from destitution.
The choice to include Marghrét, a prostitute, in the story is a deliberate, almost Marxist, critique of the commodification inherent in a society driven by profit. Her presence is not romanticized but presented as a grim inevitability in a community where women have few avenues for survival. Marghrét’s relationship with Salka reveals the latter’s growing awareness of the systemic injustices that bind them both. “There are no heroes here, only those who endure and those who break.” Laxness cuts to the heart of the novel’s exploration of agency, as Salka’s defiance against her circumstances becomes a quiet rebellion against the forces that seek to define her.
What elevates Salka Valka to the realm of literary greatness is its ability to confront uncomfortable truths without succumbing to nihilism. The novel’s portrayal of child abuse, economic exploitation, and the erosion of community is balanced by Salka’s indomitable spirit, which refuses to be extinguished.
Laxness, who spent time in monastic communities and embraced socialist ideals, seems to have written the book as a call to his fellow Icelanders to reckon with the consequences of their societal choices. The Nobel Prize committee recognized the work’s ability to illuminate the complexities of human existence without offering easy resolutions. “Life is not a story with a beginning and an end,” Laxness writes, “but a series of battles fought in the shadow of forces greater than ourselves.”
Several other reviewers here compared this work unfavorably to his other books. This, being my first Laxness, knocked my socks off. If this astonishing novel is his low, I can't wait to read the rest!
November 11, 2020
Oldukça basit bir aşk hikayesi de denebilir, İzlanda’da geçen bir külkedisi hikayesi taklidi de. Kitabın ilk bölümü hem oldukça düşük edebi seviyede hem de sıkıcı. İkinci yarısı biraz daha toparlasa da geneli değiştiremiyor. Kitabın hacimli olması da bir şansızlık kitap bırakmayan sadık okur için, bırakılmıyor ama kaybedilen zamana da yazık. Nobel Edebiyat ödülünün neden verildiğini anlayamadığım yazarlardan birisini daha tanıdım.
July 31, 2022
Originally subtitled A Woman in Pants and A Political Love Story, Salka Valka is a stunning book about an extremely strong-willed girl-cum-young-woman named, of course, Salka Valka. So far it's probably my 3rd favorite Laxness, after IP and WL.
I'm sorry. I've been thinking over this book for weeks, since I finished, and I still cannot think of how to execute this review. This novel simply will not be contained in a few paragraphs; it will not be caged by trite responses and simplified feelings. It is a living, breathing creature, wild at times and tamed at others. But...here are a few attempts at half-descriptions of this masterly, spellbinding tome.
Salka is tough like no other. She begins saying at a young age that she doesn't feel like a girl, and she soon begins wearing pants - a shocking thing in the early part of the 20th Century, and all the more shocking in a tiny fishing village in Iceland. Due to her mother's newborn baby, she soon starts working for her own wages, helping with the fishermen and eventually owning a share in a boat.
Despite having a near-inflexible will, Salka also has a big heart and a definite soft spot, although she shows it to few. I find it astounding how easily and fully Laxness manages to get into the heads of young people in general, and here it's even the more astounding how convincingly he creates and expresses this powerful woman. I've read reviews from a couple Icelandic women who half-jokingly wondered if Laxness might not be a woman in disguise... else, how could he know all the thoughts that go on in the heads of the fairer sex?
The scope and impact of this novel is so great that I really don't even know where to begin. It's an absolute epic. Laxness finished it in his late 20s, and I truly wonder how he could have lived so thoroughly and observantly to be able to write such varied and deep characters. He seems to know all about everyone, of all kinds of different people.
If there's one flaw of this book, it's that the 2nd half deals possibly a little too heavily (and detailedly) about socialist ideals -- and fairly temporally-specific aspects of it. However, as always, Laxness fully illustrates both sides of the argument(s) and doesn't clearly paint either party as heroes or villains. Indeed, he displays all the worts, pros and cons of the debate and shows what happens when foresight is forgotten.
Salka Valka is concrete proof that Laxness was 100% worthy of the Nobel and every other prize he won. In my opinion, he might be the greatest of the Nobel laureates. In any case, he speaks volumes to me and to a host of others, so let's just leave it at that. Find this book at all costs. A good library should have a copy.
NB.: While the English translation was translated from the Danish translation of the Icelandic original, this 1963 edition was revised by Laxness, so it's safe to say that it's probably fairly faithful. It certainly reads like the best of his other works, in terms of tone, poetry, lyricism, and everything else. So, fear not that the English version must be diluted or lost in translation!
Because this book is pretty rare in English, here's a hefty helping of some of my favorite passages:
"Life in Oseyri was lived in fish and consisted of fish, and human beings were a sort of abortion which Our Lord had made out of cooked fish and perhaps a handful of rotten potatoes and a drop of oatmeal gruel."
"It must be regarded as doubtful how far she understood how to kiss, for she only opened her mouth and shut her eyes. Death and love have so much in common."
"Nothing on earth is so blissful as the dream of a lover's presence when he is away."
"At last she realized that she was a young woman with a name and address in the midst of the universe and had had a letter from a young man. So wonderful a thing could hardly be imagined. 'Have you heard of anything like it?' she asked herself. [...] Her cheeks grew warm, and the heart in her breast sang like a bird on a bough. No, she could not bear it indoors, the roof of the attic was so low, and her happiness needed the open air under the stars."
“'What does hanging on a cross for twenty-four hours mean to a man who has no children,' I said, 'especially when he knows he's dying for a good cause -- indeed, that he's saving the whole world and then going straight into the best place in Heaven? What's that compared to the suffering I've had to put up with for months and years with the house full of children, when for many whole nights I've shrieked with pain unceasingly and without relief, and I'll soon be dead, and that without having anything to die for; and there'll be no heavenly Kingdom for me, for I know the children will go on crying when I'm dead, and swearing and quarrelling, and begging for milk they can't get.”
"In Viking times it was the fashion to set out on open marauding expeditions, but we have become more polite; in our time they undermine public opinion through newspapers, and seduce poor people into taking sides against their own starving children. Nowadays they create public opinion by having abusive articles written about the men who are working to get the children of the masses milk to drink, better housing and a proper bringing-up. In old days the same kind of people made a sport of pitching those same little children from man to man and catching them on spear-heads."
"She had a curious attitude towards human life in that she took every view seriously if only she could see it. When she changed her opinions, it was because she saw new expanses opening up before her mind's eye."
"God gives some people beautiful houses with electric light and central heating, and prettily furnished. God's only Son had no place He could call His own so long as He journeyed on earth. God does not regard furniture."
"She stood in a sunbeam wreathed in smoke from the coffee, with parted lips and disordered hair, bare neck and knees, and only that ragged piece of stuff to hide the riches of her body and soul."
"The sun...is the only luxury the poor obtain on reasonable terms when it shines just for once in a way."
"On one wall was a picture of the long-bearded General with his wife, on the other a picture of the short-bearded Jesus Christ, the King of Glory, unmarried."
"I have one feeling towards you which I have never had towards any other woman, not for any living being, and I am sure that even if the earth were inhabited by beautiful gods like those described in the Edda and in Homer, I should never come to have such a feeling for any of them.When I look at you, and even when I think of you, I feel that my most fervent wish is, and always must be, to die on your bosom - that you may sit by me when I draw my last breath."
I'm sorry. I've been thinking over this book for weeks, since I finished, and I still cannot think of how to execute this review. This novel simply will not be contained in a few paragraphs; it will not be caged by trite responses and simplified feelings. It is a living, breathing creature, wild at times and tamed at others. But...here are a few attempts at half-descriptions of this masterly, spellbinding tome.
Salka is tough like no other. She begins saying at a young age that she doesn't feel like a girl, and she soon begins wearing pants - a shocking thing in the early part of the 20th Century, and all the more shocking in a tiny fishing village in Iceland. Due to her mother's newborn baby, she soon starts working for her own wages, helping with the fishermen and eventually owning a share in a boat.
Despite having a near-inflexible will, Salka also has a big heart and a definite soft spot, although she shows it to few. I find it astounding how easily and fully Laxness manages to get into the heads of young people in general, and here it's even the more astounding how convincingly he creates and expresses this powerful woman. I've read reviews from a couple Icelandic women who half-jokingly wondered if Laxness might not be a woman in disguise... else, how could he know all the thoughts that go on in the heads of the fairer sex?
The scope and impact of this novel is so great that I really don't even know where to begin. It's an absolute epic. Laxness finished it in his late 20s, and I truly wonder how he could have lived so thoroughly and observantly to be able to write such varied and deep characters. He seems to know all about everyone, of all kinds of different people.
If there's one flaw of this book, it's that the 2nd half deals possibly a little too heavily (and detailedly) about socialist ideals -- and fairly temporally-specific aspects of it. However, as always, Laxness fully illustrates both sides of the argument(s) and doesn't clearly paint either party as heroes or villains. Indeed, he displays all the worts, pros and cons of the debate and shows what happens when foresight is forgotten.
Salka Valka is concrete proof that Laxness was 100% worthy of the Nobel and every other prize he won. In my opinion, he might be the greatest of the Nobel laureates. In any case, he speaks volumes to me and to a host of others, so let's just leave it at that. Find this book at all costs. A good library should have a copy.
NB.: While the English translation was translated from the Danish translation of the Icelandic original, this 1963 edition was revised by Laxness, so it's safe to say that it's probably fairly faithful. It certainly reads like the best of his other works, in terms of tone, poetry, lyricism, and everything else. So, fear not that the English version must be diluted or lost in translation!
Because this book is pretty rare in English, here's a hefty helping of some of my favorite passages:
"Life in Oseyri was lived in fish and consisted of fish, and human beings were a sort of abortion which Our Lord had made out of cooked fish and perhaps a handful of rotten potatoes and a drop of oatmeal gruel."
"It must be regarded as doubtful how far she understood how to kiss, for she only opened her mouth and shut her eyes. Death and love have so much in common."
"Nothing on earth is so blissful as the dream of a lover's presence when he is away."
"At last she realized that she was a young woman with a name and address in the midst of the universe and had had a letter from a young man. So wonderful a thing could hardly be imagined. 'Have you heard of anything like it?' she asked herself. [...] Her cheeks grew warm, and the heart in her breast sang like a bird on a bough. No, she could not bear it indoors, the roof of the attic was so low, and her happiness needed the open air under the stars."
“'What does hanging on a cross for twenty-four hours mean to a man who has no children,' I said, 'especially when he knows he's dying for a good cause -- indeed, that he's saving the whole world and then going straight into the best place in Heaven? What's that compared to the suffering I've had to put up with for months and years with the house full of children, when for many whole nights I've shrieked with pain unceasingly and without relief, and I'll soon be dead, and that without having anything to die for; and there'll be no heavenly Kingdom for me, for I know the children will go on crying when I'm dead, and swearing and quarrelling, and begging for milk they can't get.”
"In Viking times it was the fashion to set out on open marauding expeditions, but we have become more polite; in our time they undermine public opinion through newspapers, and seduce poor people into taking sides against their own starving children. Nowadays they create public opinion by having abusive articles written about the men who are working to get the children of the masses milk to drink, better housing and a proper bringing-up. In old days the same kind of people made a sport of pitching those same little children from man to man and catching them on spear-heads."
"She had a curious attitude towards human life in that she took every view seriously if only she could see it. When she changed her opinions, it was because she saw new expanses opening up before her mind's eye."
"God gives some people beautiful houses with electric light and central heating, and prettily furnished. God's only Son had no place He could call His own so long as He journeyed on earth. God does not regard furniture."
"She stood in a sunbeam wreathed in smoke from the coffee, with parted lips and disordered hair, bare neck and knees, and only that ragged piece of stuff to hide the riches of her body and soul."
"The sun...is the only luxury the poor obtain on reasonable terms when it shines just for once in a way."
"On one wall was a picture of the long-bearded General with his wife, on the other a picture of the short-bearded Jesus Christ, the King of Glory, unmarried."
"I have one feeling towards you which I have never had towards any other woman, not for any living being, and I am sure that even if the earth were inhabited by beautiful gods like those described in the Edda and in Homer, I should never come to have such a feeling for any of them.When I look at you, and even when I think of you, I feel that my most fervent wish is, and always must be, to die on your bosom - that you may sit by me when I draw my last breath."
Read
October 28, 2025küçük balıkçı kasabası óseyri’de başlayan hikâye aslında bir kadının kendi bağımsızlığını kazanma mücadelesini anlatıyor.
salka’nın annesi sigurlína, zayıf karakteri ve yanlış seçimleriyle salka’ya hayatta istemediği şeyleri erken yaşta öğretiyor. annesinin ölümüyse hem büyük bir acı hem de onun için bir dönüm noktası oluyor. arnaldur’la yaşadığı ilişkiyse başlarda gençlik aşkının verdiği umutla başlıyor ancak zamanla onun pasifliği ortaya çıkıyor. salka güçlü ve kararlı bir kadınken, arnaldur’un bu kararsızlığı ikisi arasındaki bağı/aşkı yavaş yavaş zayıflatıyor. bunu çok gerçekçi buldum çünkü ilişkiler yalnızca romantik duygulardan ibaret değil, bence birlikte taşınabilecek yükler de belirleyici bir rol oynuyor.
salka’nın her şeye rağmen kendi yolunu seçmesi ve o mücadelesi beni mutlu etti. kasabanın dedikodularına, erkeklerin ya da aşkın vaatlerine teslim olmadı; kendi ayaklarının üstünde durmayı, kendi kararlarını almayı seçti. yoksulluğun ve eşitsizliğin ortasında bile içindeki azim öyle güçlüydü ki, okurken bir kez daha bir kadının bağımsızlığının ne kadar değerli olduğunu anlıyoruz.
salka’nın annesi sigurlína, zayıf karakteri ve yanlış seçimleriyle salka’ya hayatta istemediği şeyleri erken yaşta öğretiyor. annesinin ölümüyse hem büyük bir acı hem de onun için bir dönüm noktası oluyor. arnaldur’la yaşadığı ilişkiyse başlarda gençlik aşkının verdiği umutla başlıyor ancak zamanla onun pasifliği ortaya çıkıyor. salka güçlü ve kararlı bir kadınken, arnaldur’un bu kararsızlığı ikisi arasındaki bağı/aşkı yavaş yavaş zayıflatıyor. bunu çok gerçekçi buldum çünkü ilişkiler yalnızca romantik duygulardan ibaret değil, bence birlikte taşınabilecek yükler de belirleyici bir rol oynuyor.
salka’nın her şeye rağmen kendi yolunu seçmesi ve o mücadelesi beni mutlu etti. kasabanın dedikodularına, erkeklerin ya da aşkın vaatlerine teslim olmadı; kendi ayaklarının üstünde durmayı, kendi kararlarını almayı seçti. yoksulluğun ve eşitsizliğin ortasında bile içindeki azim öyle güçlüydü ki, okurken bir kez daha bir kadının bağımsızlığının ne kadar değerli olduğunu anlıyoruz.
August 26, 2015
İzlanda da geçen, yoksulluğun vatansızlığı ile mücadele eden Salka Valka nın çok sade ama çok şiirsel büyüme, kadın olma hikayesi ... Güzel bir tadı var...
January 26, 2023
This novel was originally published in Icelandic in two volumes in 1931 and 1932, and I read it in its 2022 English-language translation. What a very long wait to be able to read this. The novel in English is still clearly divided into the two parts in which it was separately published: Part I contains the books "Love" and "Death;" Part II contains the books "Another World" and "Life's Election Day."
The protagonist throughout is Salka Valka, or more formally Salvor Valgerour Jonsdottir. The story is set in the small fishing village of Oseyri on the eastern coast of Iceland. I did not notice the timing of the story ever being expressly stated, but it would be somewhere after 1918 (when Iceland was independent but under the auspices of the King of Denmark) and before 1944 (when Iceland became its own republic). All of this I learned while reading this book -- I knew almost nothing of Iceland before.
At the outset, 11-year-old Salka and her mother Sigurlina disembark from a coastal steamer in Oseyri, having traveled from "the north." They don't know a soul in the village, so the first order of business is to find a place to stay and work for Sigurlina. This is perhaps the most charming part of this novel, as we get to meet the many colorful characters at the heart of the tiny community: the sole merchant Johann Bogesen and his bratty son Angantyr and brazen daughter Agusta, the Bible-thumping Salvation Army, the Lutheran dean, the village doctor, the braggart scoundrel Steinpor Steinsson, the barber/saddler/parish-council chairman Sveinn Palsson, and the store clerk Jon of Kof and his grandson Arnaldur "Alli" Bjornsson. Salka is a filthy, clumsy, prepubescent ragamuffin of a girl, but over the course of Part I she begins to come into herself, succeeds in school, gets herself gainful work, and begins to settle into the community. Part I ends on the Easter when Salka is 13 years old.
When Part II begins, eight years have passed. Salka is independent & self-sufficient, having bought herself a share in a fishing boat and become the secretary of the fishermen's union, bought the home where she lived when its elderly owners passed away, established her own vegetable garden, and taken to confidently wearing trousers without regard to what others think. As would be expected though, men start showing up in her life (and her emotions do battle with her logic). Meanwhile, the world of politics also interferes with Salka and her community. I enjoyed this part of the novel less, as it was filled with the world politics of the time - monarchies vs republics vs democracies, communism vs capitalism, etc.
There was much to love in this book. I rooted for Salka all the way and will likely never forget her. The tongue-in-cheek humor of the prose was wonderful throughout. The hard-scrabble existence of a fishing community in the arctic circle balanced against the gossip & drinking & dancing & poetic competition & national history brought this part of the world alive for me. But I did get a little tired before it was over of the harangue between the proletariat and the bourgeoisie (although Laxness did an excellent job of illustrating the impossibility of the ideas at either extreme).
The protagonist throughout is Salka Valka, or more formally Salvor Valgerour Jonsdottir. The story is set in the small fishing village of Oseyri on the eastern coast of Iceland. I did not notice the timing of the story ever being expressly stated, but it would be somewhere after 1918 (when Iceland was independent but under the auspices of the King of Denmark) and before 1944 (when Iceland became its own republic). All of this I learned while reading this book -- I knew almost nothing of Iceland before.
At the outset, 11-year-old Salka and her mother Sigurlina disembark from a coastal steamer in Oseyri, having traveled from "the north." They don't know a soul in the village, so the first order of business is to find a place to stay and work for Sigurlina. This is perhaps the most charming part of this novel, as we get to meet the many colorful characters at the heart of the tiny community: the sole merchant Johann Bogesen and his bratty son Angantyr and brazen daughter Agusta, the Bible-thumping Salvation Army, the Lutheran dean, the village doctor, the braggart scoundrel Steinpor Steinsson, the barber/saddler/parish-council chairman Sveinn Palsson, and the store clerk Jon of Kof and his grandson Arnaldur "Alli" Bjornsson. Salka is a filthy, clumsy, prepubescent ragamuffin of a girl, but over the course of Part I she begins to come into herself, succeeds in school, gets herself gainful work, and begins to settle into the community. Part I ends on the Easter when Salka is 13 years old.
When Part II begins, eight years have passed. Salka is independent & self-sufficient, having bought herself a share in a fishing boat and become the secretary of the fishermen's union, bought the home where she lived when its elderly owners passed away, established her own vegetable garden, and taken to confidently wearing trousers without regard to what others think. As would be expected though, men start showing up in her life (and her emotions do battle with her logic). Meanwhile, the world of politics also interferes with Salka and her community. I enjoyed this part of the novel less, as it was filled with the world politics of the time - monarchies vs republics vs democracies, communism vs capitalism, etc.
There was much to love in this book. I rooted for Salka all the way and will likely never forget her. The tongue-in-cheek humor of the prose was wonderful throughout. The hard-scrabble existence of a fishing community in the arctic circle balanced against the gossip & drinking & dancing & poetic competition & national history brought this part of the world alive for me. But I did get a little tired before it was over of the harangue between the proletariat and the bourgeoisie (although Laxness did an excellent job of illustrating the impossibility of the ideas at either extreme).
April 21, 2022
Another excellent translation from the archipelago imprint. While it got bogged down at times and seemed a bit bloated in its politics, it proved fascinating. Not an easy read, but worthy.
June 18, 2022
Salka Valka is epic in scope. Written by the 1955 Nobel Prize winner for Literature Halldór Laxness, and translated from the Icelandic by Philip Roughton, it tells of the struggles of a small fishing village in Iceland. The central character is Salka Valka, the young, illegitimate daughter of a destitute mother.
Salka is eleven years old when we first meet her. Having run out of funds to get to Reykjavik, she and her mother arrive at the village of Óseyri in Axlarfjörður. The two seek shelter and end up at the Salvation Army building. Even at this young age, Salka is outspoken, headstrong, and independent. The two eventually find permanent lodging and young Salka begins working in the fishing industry to earn an income.
We follow the trials of these two individuals, their interaction with the villagers, her mother’s involvement with the Salvation Army, and their gradual estrangement from each other. Salka becomes increasingly independent and self-reliant. Deemed an anomaly among the village women, she is outspoken, strong, hard-working, and has the audacity to wear men’s trousers. Her hard work pays off, enabling her to own a share of a fishing boat. She becomes a union organizer for the fishermen and advocates for their rights. All the while she contends with sexual abuse and harassment. And on more than one occasion, she acknowledges her lack of femininity, perceiving herself as a boy.
Salka is courted by two men. She falls in love with her childhood sweetheart who exploits her love for him; she is simultaneously attracted and repelled by her mother’s former fiancé, a drunken, bedraggled boor who transforms himself into a successful, sober tycoon and claims her as his muse.
The second half of the novel is embroiled in politics as the villagers are courted by the “Bolshies” on one side and the “Independents” on the other. Laxness presents both sides of the debate at length. The villagers fluctuate from one side to the other at the slightest whim and without fully comprehending the ramifications of their choice. This section gets too bogged down in the pros and cons of political discourse, slowing the narrative down unnecessarily. Salka Valka gets tossed around in the political turmoil. She tries to maintain independence, focusing on the path she thinks will best help the fishing industry, but she eventually sides with her lover, a spokesperson for the Bolshie cause.
Laxness’ diction is sparse and realistic. Against the backdrop of a bleak landscape are the villagers struggles with Iceland’s weather, isolation, poverty, and meagre existence. The novel can be unwieldy at times, especially during the drawn-out political fracas. However, Laxness sustains reader interest through his keen eye for detailing the topography, the harshness of village life, the scruffy children, and the chorus-like villagers. They are a bedraggled, lice-ridden, smelly, rough, impoverished, and gossipy lot. They are also undeniably real and depicted with sensitivity and compassion. His greatest success lies in his depiction of Salka Valka. He captures the tortured spirit and complexity of this extraordinary young girl with tenderness and honesty—a remarkable achievement since he was only in his late twenties when he composed the novel.
An epic novel, wide in scope, and immersive in detail. Highly recommended.
My book reviews are also available at www.tamaraaghajaffar.com
Salka is eleven years old when we first meet her. Having run out of funds to get to Reykjavik, she and her mother arrive at the village of Óseyri in Axlarfjörður. The two seek shelter and end up at the Salvation Army building. Even at this young age, Salka is outspoken, headstrong, and independent. The two eventually find permanent lodging and young Salka begins working in the fishing industry to earn an income.
We follow the trials of these two individuals, their interaction with the villagers, her mother’s involvement with the Salvation Army, and their gradual estrangement from each other. Salka becomes increasingly independent and self-reliant. Deemed an anomaly among the village women, she is outspoken, strong, hard-working, and has the audacity to wear men’s trousers. Her hard work pays off, enabling her to own a share of a fishing boat. She becomes a union organizer for the fishermen and advocates for their rights. All the while she contends with sexual abuse and harassment. And on more than one occasion, she acknowledges her lack of femininity, perceiving herself as a boy.
Salka is courted by two men. She falls in love with her childhood sweetheart who exploits her love for him; she is simultaneously attracted and repelled by her mother’s former fiancé, a drunken, bedraggled boor who transforms himself into a successful, sober tycoon and claims her as his muse.
The second half of the novel is embroiled in politics as the villagers are courted by the “Bolshies” on one side and the “Independents” on the other. Laxness presents both sides of the debate at length. The villagers fluctuate from one side to the other at the slightest whim and without fully comprehending the ramifications of their choice. This section gets too bogged down in the pros and cons of political discourse, slowing the narrative down unnecessarily. Salka Valka gets tossed around in the political turmoil. She tries to maintain independence, focusing on the path she thinks will best help the fishing industry, but she eventually sides with her lover, a spokesperson for the Bolshie cause.
Laxness’ diction is sparse and realistic. Against the backdrop of a bleak landscape are the villagers struggles with Iceland’s weather, isolation, poverty, and meagre existence. The novel can be unwieldy at times, especially during the drawn-out political fracas. However, Laxness sustains reader interest through his keen eye for detailing the topography, the harshness of village life, the scruffy children, and the chorus-like villagers. They are a bedraggled, lice-ridden, smelly, rough, impoverished, and gossipy lot. They are also undeniably real and depicted with sensitivity and compassion. His greatest success lies in his depiction of Salka Valka. He captures the tortured spirit and complexity of this extraordinary young girl with tenderness and honesty—a remarkable achievement since he was only in his late twenties when he composed the novel.
An epic novel, wide in scope, and immersive in detail. Highly recommended.
My book reviews are also available at www.tamaraaghajaffar.com
May 29, 2025
There's a matter-of-factness to Laxness' writing I hadn't expected from a novel that is self-described as "an elegy to the plight of the working class". I don't know what I had expected, but I suppose my preconceived notion of this Icelandic legend was something more lyrical... or poetic. On reflection, the no-frills sparsity and directness of his prose actually strike me as the perfect mode to communicate the salt and sweat lifestyles of these backwater Óseyri townsfolk. Their acerbic and often unlikeable frontwoman Salvör "Salka Valka" is not only a full realised paragon of progressive thinking, but also an uncompromising mouthpiece for what I suspect was Laxness' worldview: social inequity is corrosive (to borrow the dustjacket's words) and will eat away at your soul and your resolve if given enough time to do so. A strange and small novel that wields a brutal punch. Archipelago and Laxness have found a new fan in me.
June 26, 2022
What a gorgeous translation of Halldor Laxness’s other masterpiece (Independent People being the other). Thanks to Archipelago books for rereleasing this gem back into the world. Just a beautiful book and Salka Valka is one of the better written female characters in recent memory. Equally sad and humorous (albeit dry humor), Salka’s growing up in the little fishing village of Oseyri, Iceland is riddled with unfortunate circumstances after another but Laxness is a true master of providing his characters with empathy and hope. Just imagining his Icelandic world brings happiness to me. An author I found in the recent years, I’ll continue to read anything and everything I can find. Translated of course. Major major props to Philip Roughton (who has translated others of his books). The writing is exquisite. Highly recommended.
August 22, 2022
"Bu ülkede, fakirler hep kitaplarla avunmuştur. Bilgi, insanın kaybetmeyeceği tek şeydir."
July 30, 2025
62nd book read in 2025
Ten years ago, I read Independent People by Halldor Laxness and discussed it with my Tiny Book Club. We were swept up in this tale of a fiercely independent Icelandic small landowner who raises sheep. Ann Patchett claims it is her favorite book. We loved the writing.
One of my reading vows this year is to read as many as I can of the books I have received from my Archipelago Books subscription, in the order in which they came to me. Salka Valka was next.
Halldor Laxness published Salka Valka three years prior to Independent People. It is set in a remote fishing village on the coast of northeastern Iceland. Salka is the daughter of a woman who brought her to this fishing village. She does not know who her father is, she is eleven years old and wise beyond her years. She does not miss much.
By the end of the tale, she has become involved in the politics and economics of the village, the take down of the village storekeeper and the takeover of his fish business, had a doomed love affair with a rebellious young socialist, maintained her independence as a woman and is no longer poor.
I found the reading easy and finished the 600+ pages in six days. It gave me another look at the uprising of workers in the early 20th century, which happened around the world, even in Iceland. Salka Valka is an admirable heroine. I mentioned above that already by eleven years old she was wise beyond her years. Through her fearlessness and strength, she became even more wise. She had lessons to learn, heartbreaks to live through but she was never defeated.
Ten years ago, I read Independent People by Halldor Laxness and discussed it with my Tiny Book Club. We were swept up in this tale of a fiercely independent Icelandic small landowner who raises sheep. Ann Patchett claims it is her favorite book. We loved the writing.
One of my reading vows this year is to read as many as I can of the books I have received from my Archipelago Books subscription, in the order in which they came to me. Salka Valka was next.
Halldor Laxness published Salka Valka three years prior to Independent People. It is set in a remote fishing village on the coast of northeastern Iceland. Salka is the daughter of a woman who brought her to this fishing village. She does not know who her father is, she is eleven years old and wise beyond her years. She does not miss much.
By the end of the tale, she has become involved in the politics and economics of the village, the take down of the village storekeeper and the takeover of his fish business, had a doomed love affair with a rebellious young socialist, maintained her independence as a woman and is no longer poor.
I found the reading easy and finished the 600+ pages in six days. It gave me another look at the uprising of workers in the early 20th century, which happened around the world, even in Iceland. Salka Valka is an admirable heroine. I mentioned above that already by eleven years old she was wise beyond her years. Through her fearlessness and strength, she became even more wise. She had lessons to learn, heartbreaks to live through but she was never defeated.
November 13, 2023
The truth is, if you read a difficult book you might learn something about the human condition.
Example here, Salka Valka by Iceland’s Nobel Laureate. When Philip Roughton's new translation came out in 2022, it got glowing reviews in all the major majors. It's the story of the fiercely independent girl, Salka, and her impoverished fishing village (1910-15 period). She’s a new concept altogether, I think. I see her in my mind's eye: Salka rings true.
... As do the other major characters – her mother, Sigurlina who is pitiful and dies for love - or despair? - of Salka’s reprehensible almost step-father. This man, Steinthor, who is entirely egotistical and villainously ambitious (or is he?), main abiding passion is for Salka. He haunts her and the village. Arnaldur, who teaches Salka to read, and is the love of her life, becomes a Bolshevick and nearly ruins their village – or maybe he does ruin it? On the opposing political spectrum, Johan Bogeson, yes, an awful Capitalist, but maybe also keeps the village from starvation - though he doesn't provide enough to keep the children from having rickets and dying from scrofula.
There is a lot of polemic (about socialism, lots of religious diatribes from the Salvation Army people who have an outpost in the village, Icelander preoccupation with poetry) and both unkind and kind men (frequently drunk, always looking for a bit of snuff) and women here. Small fortunes are made – and lost. Life is short, and hungry and cold. Yet people have souls.
Hard going, but great literature. We should all read more great literature.
To go along with this, in the NYTimes this week, an interview with the editor/publisher Andrew Wylie (handled Sontag, Roth, Knaussgard, Rushdie, Bellow, Nabokov ETC!) who makes no apology for being a cultural elitist. (It’s a great interview, Nov 10 2023, search “when ruthless cultural elitism is exactly the job”).
Example here, Salka Valka by Iceland’s Nobel Laureate. When Philip Roughton's new translation came out in 2022, it got glowing reviews in all the major majors. It's the story of the fiercely independent girl, Salka, and her impoverished fishing village (1910-15 period). She’s a new concept altogether, I think. I see her in my mind's eye: Salka rings true.
... As do the other major characters – her mother, Sigurlina who is pitiful and dies for love - or despair? - of Salka’s reprehensible almost step-father. This man, Steinthor, who is entirely egotistical and villainously ambitious (or is he?), main abiding passion is for Salka. He haunts her and the village. Arnaldur, who teaches Salka to read, and is the love of her life, becomes a Bolshevick and nearly ruins their village – or maybe he does ruin it? On the opposing political spectrum, Johan Bogeson, yes, an awful Capitalist, but maybe also keeps the village from starvation - though he doesn't provide enough to keep the children from having rickets and dying from scrofula.
There is a lot of polemic (about socialism, lots of religious diatribes from the Salvation Army people who have an outpost in the village, Icelander preoccupation with poetry) and both unkind and kind men (frequently drunk, always looking for a bit of snuff) and women here. Small fortunes are made – and lost. Life is short, and hungry and cold. Yet people have souls.
Hard going, but great literature. We should all read more great literature.
To go along with this, in the NYTimes this week, an interview with the editor/publisher Andrew Wylie (handled Sontag, Roth, Knaussgard, Rushdie, Bellow, Nabokov ETC!) who makes no apology for being a cultural elitist. (It’s a great interview, Nov 10 2023, search “when ruthless cultural elitism is exactly the job”).
August 8, 2023
Cross-dressing girl in Icelandic fishing town gets boyfriend by becoming a Communist (resonances today).
May 20, 2008
Salka Valka shows a vivid picture of an Icelandic fishing village. The main character is a feisty individual named Salka that lives through the economic changes in the village. In the beginning, everything feeds through the local store and the entire economic system is controlled by one man. This is later challenged due in part to Salka.
The story pulled me along and while I didn't always agree with Salka's thinking, I always admired her.
The story pulled me along and while I didn't always agree with Salka's thinking, I always admired her.
January 3, 2015
Beautiful book about Salka Valka, an independent woman and about the poor inhabitants of a small fishing village at the south coast of Iceland. All inhabtants are dependent of one man, who controls the economic and financial system. Salka refuses to become poor like the rest of the village and as a girl of 12 she wants to earn her own money.
It is beautiful to read about the poverty of the inhabitants, the Icelandic landscape and of course about this stong independent woman
It is beautiful to read about the poverty of the inhabitants, the Icelandic landscape and of course about this stong independent woman
Read
October 27, 2023An absolute fucking BANGER. Laxness is one of the most forceful, romantic, and human novelists of all time. I see the experiments of Zola here with a much lighter, more complex hand at work.
July 14, 2024
Hope the attitude to women has changed in this 100 years.
August 6, 2025
Halldor Laxness, yirminci yüzyılının önemli İzlandalı yazarlarından. Dilimize çevrilen üç kitabının sanırım en bilineni olan Salka Valka da benim yazar ile tanışma kitabım.
Şu meşhur söze bir atıf gibi oldukça klişe başlıyor hikaye. “Ya bir insan bir yolculuğa çıkar ya da şehre bir yabancı gelir.” Küçük Salka Valka ve annesi Sigurlina’nın hikayesini okuyoruz kitapta. Onları kovalayan bir şeylerden, yoksulluktan, yalnızlıktan kaçar gibi İzlanda’nın güneyine yol alırlarken bir köyde mola vermek zorunda kalırlar ve dondurucu soğuğun, çaresizliğin ve biraz da basiretsizliğin etkisiyle orada da kalırlar.
Bir yönüyle Salka Valka’nın büyüme hikayesi. Fakat anne-çocuk rolleri karışmıştır. Salka Valka kendi kendini büyütürken annesini de büyütür esasında. Bir yandan da fonda bolca İzlanda balıkçı kasabası manzarası görürüz. Dinin yozlaştırdığı insan topluluklarının kitlelerin kaderini nasıl etkilediğini, kendi sefaletlerini nasıl gönüllü kabullendiklerini şaşırarak okuruz. Tabii bizim pek şaşırdığımız söylenemez çünkü malum this is Türkiye! Yozlaşmanın, ahlakın ve hukukun çöküşünün, yoksulluğun kitabını yazmışız!
Sözü fazla uzatmayıp maalesef kitabın beklentimin altında kaldığını yazarak bitiriyorum yorumumu. Filme de uyarlanan kitap, 1955’te yazara Nobel ödülünü getirmiş. “İzlanda’nın büyük anlatı sanatını yenileyen canlı destansı gücü için” açıklaması ile. Bilemiyorum. Bir modern klasik ayarında olsa da edebi anlamda bana pek lezzetli gelmedi neticede ama karanlık, soğuk, karlı kasaba atmosferinin bendeki kredisi elbette hiç bitmez.
“Dediğime kulak ver yavrum, kimse çalışarak zengin olmamıştır. Tanıdığım birkaç zengin adam var, hiçbiri de bir gün bile çalışmamıştır. Çalışıp didinenler, bütün o ağır işleri yapanlar hep fakirlerdir. Bu bir tek bizim köyde değil, dünyanın her yerinde aynıdır. Gelgelelim bilgi ve güzel bir kitabı okumaktan aldığın haz, bütün servetlerden daha kıymetlidir. Senin yerinde olsam, bütün gayretimi, okuma yazma öğrenmek için harcarım. Onların en çok sinirine dokunan da budur, senin bilgi sahibi olduğunu görmek.”
Şu meşhur söze bir atıf gibi oldukça klişe başlıyor hikaye. “Ya bir insan bir yolculuğa çıkar ya da şehre bir yabancı gelir.” Küçük Salka Valka ve annesi Sigurlina’nın hikayesini okuyoruz kitapta. Onları kovalayan bir şeylerden, yoksulluktan, yalnızlıktan kaçar gibi İzlanda’nın güneyine yol alırlarken bir köyde mola vermek zorunda kalırlar ve dondurucu soğuğun, çaresizliğin ve biraz da basiretsizliğin etkisiyle orada da kalırlar.
Bir yönüyle Salka Valka’nın büyüme hikayesi. Fakat anne-çocuk rolleri karışmıştır. Salka Valka kendi kendini büyütürken annesini de büyütür esasında. Bir yandan da fonda bolca İzlanda balıkçı kasabası manzarası görürüz. Dinin yozlaştırdığı insan topluluklarının kitlelerin kaderini nasıl etkilediğini, kendi sefaletlerini nasıl gönüllü kabullendiklerini şaşırarak okuruz. Tabii bizim pek şaşırdığımız söylenemez çünkü malum this is Türkiye! Yozlaşmanın, ahlakın ve hukukun çöküşünün, yoksulluğun kitabını yazmışız!
Sözü fazla uzatmayıp maalesef kitabın beklentimin altında kaldığını yazarak bitiriyorum yorumumu. Filme de uyarlanan kitap, 1955’te yazara Nobel ödülünü getirmiş. “İzlanda’nın büyük anlatı sanatını yenileyen canlı destansı gücü için” açıklaması ile. Bilemiyorum. Bir modern klasik ayarında olsa da edebi anlamda bana pek lezzetli gelmedi neticede ama karanlık, soğuk, karlı kasaba atmosferinin bendeki kredisi elbette hiç bitmez.
“Dediğime kulak ver yavrum, kimse çalışarak zengin olmamıştır. Tanıdığım birkaç zengin adam var, hiçbiri de bir gün bile çalışmamıştır. Çalışıp didinenler, bütün o ağır işleri yapanlar hep fakirlerdir. Bu bir tek bizim köyde değil, dünyanın her yerinde aynıdır. Gelgelelim bilgi ve güzel bir kitabı okumaktan aldığın haz, bütün servetlerden daha kıymetlidir. Senin yerinde olsam, bütün gayretimi, okuma yazma öğrenmek için harcarım. Onların en çok sinirine dokunan da budur, senin bilgi sahibi olduğunu görmek.”
June 19, 2022
Salka Valka, published in 1931-32 but set in 1910-1920, by acclaimed Icelandic author Halldor Laxness opens with Sigurlina Jonsdottir arriving one mid-winter night with her 11-year-old daughter Salka at a remote Icelandic fishing village. She had wanted to travel on to Reykjavik but had run out of money so the pair are forced to stay in the village. The first half of the book focuses on village life and how the two manage to make their way as best they can. Salka Valka is a strong-willed and determined child and grows into an equally strong-willed and determined young woman, who refuses to bow to societal pressure and insists on being independent. The second half of the novel opens 10 years later after her mother’s death and by now Salka has become a leader and organiser of the local fishermen’s union. I’m not going to go into details about the plot, so suffice it to say that the novel is a wonderful character study of a remarkable young woman who defies gender norms and forges her own path through life. Laxness’ own political views are much in evidence in this second half and it’s worth looking at those when reading the book, as they inform the narrative throughout. It’s a politically committed novel and sometimes gets bogged down in in the politics, occasionally feeling didactic. But the reader’s engagement with and sympathy for Salka largely overcome this. It’s a vivid portrait of Icelandic life at the beginning of the 20th century as modernity and progress gradually seep into a traditional and established society. Many themes are brought in – sexism, feminism, gender, abuse, inequality, prejudice, capitalism, Bolshevism, Communism – the list goes on, making this a fascinating and comprehensive picture of a small community and an unforgettable heroine.
August 30, 2022
"Lífið er saltfiskur” (Life is salted fish).
Halldór Laxness is, without a doubt, the most important and influential 20th century Icelandic author. He’s the only Icelander to win the Noble Prize in Literature, which he won in 1955. He is most known for his social realist and modernist books likes Independant People, World Light, and, of course, Salka Valka.
Salka Valka follows the life of a head-strong woman of the same name, whose body, as a child, “roiled with unruly vitality.” She’s fiercely independent as she breaks gender norms and takes on the ingrained politics and social structures of her village. Her character is brilliantly wrought.
Salka Valka is a masterclass of social realism as the small town of Óseyri in Axlarfjörður comes to life. Óseyri is effectively governed by the colonial Danish merchants who exploit the labor of the Icelandic workers. That is, while this novel is, clearly, very much about Salka Valka, it is also a kind of bildungsroman of the nation of Iceland as they fight against their colonial oppressors.
This is a brilliant social(ist) realist novel and, as always, Philip Roughton’s translation is wonderful. He is one of the very best working from the Icelandic today and we should be thankful for him and for Archipelago Books to have this new translation.
Full video review here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0NzZo...
Halldór Laxness is, without a doubt, the most important and influential 20th century Icelandic author. He’s the only Icelander to win the Noble Prize in Literature, which he won in 1955. He is most known for his social realist and modernist books likes Independant People, World Light, and, of course, Salka Valka.
Salka Valka follows the life of a head-strong woman of the same name, whose body, as a child, “roiled with unruly vitality.” She’s fiercely independent as she breaks gender norms and takes on the ingrained politics and social structures of her village. Her character is brilliantly wrought.
Salka Valka is a masterclass of social realism as the small town of Óseyri in Axlarfjörður comes to life. Óseyri is effectively governed by the colonial Danish merchants who exploit the labor of the Icelandic workers. That is, while this novel is, clearly, very much about Salka Valka, it is also a kind of bildungsroman of the nation of Iceland as they fight against their colonial oppressors.
This is a brilliant social(ist) realist novel and, as always, Philip Roughton’s translation is wonderful. He is one of the very best working from the Icelandic today and we should be thankful for him and for Archipelago Books to have this new translation.
Full video review here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0NzZo...
March 21, 2019
World literature at its best.
Laxness paints a captivating picture of Iceland in this "political love story"! I would not have wanted to read anything else while driving along the Westfjords. It is also quite astonishing that Halldor Laxness was only in his twenties when writing this. Who knew a twenty-something man could write so beautifully about the inner life of a girl... Kudos my man.
Laxness paints a captivating picture of Iceland in this "political love story"! I would not have wanted to read anything else while driving along the Westfjords. It is also quite astonishing that Halldor Laxness was only in his twenties when writing this. Who knew a twenty-something man could write so beautifully about the inner life of a girl... Kudos my man.
August 9, 2012
fatalist; what can easily be seen as defeatist is a complex understanding of human nature, its animal sexuality, its tendencies to take the path of least resistance, its intuition. beautiful, truthful.
January 5, 2018
fyrri hluti 3.5/5, seinni hluti 0.5
*edit* ég var heimsk þegar ég las hana fyrst
*edit* ég var heimsk þegar ég las hana fyrst
April 9, 2019
Брусника начинающая краснеть.
Чем отличается классика от всего остального? Тем что сюжет можно переложить на любое время, в любое место и ничего не изменится. Можно возразить с этой книгой, мол тут определенный период в истории, тут вот революция в России, красные с идеями, что люди не рабы распространяются как красная чума... Да, возразить можно, а тепер�� просто представьте, что это распространяется идея, что женщина человек, что она не должна молчать когда ее бьют, что она имеет право на свой голос и даже носить штаны (мы ведь помним случай из истории Великобритании 60-х, когда женщину за штаны избили мужчины, вполне себе солидные, я вот только не помню в библиотеке они это сделали или в суде, но и там и там выглядит ужасно. Или же Иран 80-х, когда на лица женщин выливали кислоту, потому что... да потому что люди дебилы. Или из совсем недавнего это когда начали женщинам запрещать учиться и за это их поливали кислотой, избивали, убивали). И все это доходит до маленького городка с его нерушимыми устоями. Кто-то будет за, кто-то против, многие женщины, однозначно скажут, что имеют право и организуют группу феминисток (надеюсь только не тех идиотских, что сейчас хотят называться членкинями). Обязательно найдутся люди, которые их поддержат, или же люди, которые будут как г...о в проруби. Возможно появится женщина активистка, и уж найдется тот, кто будет ее подавлять, вместе со всем движением. И если во все это вмешиваются любовные отношения, то удивительно как ярко видно одинаковость всех людей на свете, не смотря на менталитет, которым порой потрясают. Так что возражай - не возражай, а ситуация до сих пор классическая и люди не поменялись с начала прошлого века.
Если уточнять, что же именно в этой книге можно увидеть, то естественно - человека. Смотрите, мы имеем маленький городок, в котором живут, не меняя своего устоя самые простые люди рабочие и крестьяне и есть человек, который водит их за нос, говоря, что терпит убытки и поэтому денег наличных им не выдает, цену на их работу занижает, но бьет при этом себя в грудь кулаком, что он заботится о городке и людях. Особенно это заметно по доктору сумасшедшему, который настолько хорош, что если уж он не может вылечить людей, то на юге, насколько я поняла это означает в Дании, уж точно никто их не вылечит. Еще один способ удержать людей на месте и не расставаться с денежками.
И вот в это место приезжает женщина с ребенком. Первое впечатление, что ее так укачало, что она просто не в состоянии пережить дальнейшую дорогу. Что она трудолюбива, но потеряв мужа решилась уехать на юг, там, где тепло. А вот ребенок у нее маленькое невоспитанное чудовище. Но страница за страницей и герои раскрываются все больше. И перед нами чудовище становится ребенком, жаждущим знаний, умеющим помогать, сочувствовать и трепетно чувствовать. Ребенком настолько самостоятельным, что она берется за работу в тот момент, когда ее мать получив крышу над головой и любовника уже про это не думает. Когда мы узнаем, что и мужа у нее не было. И, казалось бы, можно понять обеих "каждый хочет любить, и солдат, и моряк". Но какие разные оказываются эти женщины. Одна вымаливает, другая оценивает, смотрит, сравнивает, не разменивается. Одна не справляется с предательством, другая хватает жизнь и пытается подняться выше. Она вырывает знания, те что возможны в этом городке и действительно, если бы ей дать больше возможностей, то она доросла бы до большего. Но она заключена в кольцо ошибок матери, маленького поселка, скудности информации, своей необразованности, хоть и считается многими образованной, потому что умеет писать, умеет считать, может отстоять свое мнение и умеет говорить понятно. Она устроила свою жизнь, создала благополучие. Но жить, не умея понимать свои чувства было бы странно. Можешь ли ты назваться человеком, если не сможешь ответить, что такое любовь? И через эти дебри приходится ей пройти. На себе испытать страсть и глупость. Суметь отстоять свои идеалы и понять, что любовь детская - это мираж, ты выдумываешь человека, а требуется смотреть на него, а не в свое воображение.
Я думала в книге будет больше именно о борьбе за свои права, о рождении исландской Розы Люксембург, а получила книгу о том, как мало образовано было население. Как много нужно было ему объяснять, буквально вести за руку поясняя каждый шаг, как для этого требуются не просто горящие идеей, а те, кто умеет тянуть людей за собой. Кто умеет учить и вести. За кого люди встанут горой. Он не просто должен уметь красиво говорить, а так, чтобы понятно было людям, что он говорит, чтобы каждый увидел за что он борется, умел отличать цели от того, что прикрывается этими целями. Не просто против, а именно за что! Кто умеет объединять. Потому что это ужасно, когда начинают делиться бедняки, а не объединяться. Но этого не было, даже прекрасная Салка Валка не поняла за что надо бороться, а просто помогала тому, в кого влюбилась и на этой волне парила. Грустно было читать именно про то, как может рушить нечто хорошее тот, кто сам не понимает, зачем он тут. Кто тянется к индивидуальному богатству и поэтому просто не в состоянии отстаивать богатство общее. Кто читает книги, а сложить слова в предложения не может. А ведь образованный элемент...
В книге есть простые жизненные ситуации, которые так прекрасно подчеркивают характеры людей. Благодаря им поселок оживает, приобретает характер, нет ощущения, что люди живут только в тот момент, когда автор о них пишет, ты представляешь, как они покидают дом, как работают, выходят в море, занимаются скотом, ходят в лавку. Маленькие, незаметные штрихи, а ты даже если не видел таких людей в жизни, можешь представить их заботы.
Как мы понимаем, что мать Салки Валки вымогает любовь, да хотя бы по такой фразе:
"Если у меня рождается ребенок, то он появляется помимо моей воли и моего желания."
Трудно представить, что женщина уже имеющая ребенка не знает, что способствует его появлению на свет. Уж что, а желание у нее было, правда, действительно, не ребенка иметь))) Но когда человек так говорит, что вы можете подумать? Что она оправдывается, пытается сделать виноватым другого, что она требует к себе внимания. Раз, и вот перед вами весь человек с тем как он решает проблемы, как он живет, как он думает.
"Кто-то постучал в дверь. Три скромных удара — во имя отца, сына и святого духа, которые живут в сердце обитателей этого местечка и владеют их умами испокон веку."
И вот опять маленький штрих, который легко переложить на весь поселок, понять чем он живет, на что опирается, какие суеверия сопровождают его.
Удивительный роман, жаль, что конец у него настолько открытый. Я бы хотела видеть поднятую гордо голову Салки Валки, когда она наконец смогла избавиться и от преследователя, который вечно хотел ее изнасиловать и от глупости своей детской, фантазии, дорого заплатив за это. Хотелось бы увидеть в какую сторону поворачивается голова Салки Валки. Хоть какое-то принятое решение. Хотелось бы, чтобы она не осталась в поселке постепенно выцветая, а собравшись, действительно поставила ногу на ступеньку к освобождению себя. Не просто "умею жить самостоятельно и зарабатывать", а именно понять свою самостоятельность, возвыситься над теми, кто прибегают к ней, как гиены, жаждущие поживиться с тем чтобы смутить, забить и подавить. Но автор нас оставил с девушкой на распутье, пока еще потерянной. Жаль. Очень жаль, что финал именно такой.
Ну, и если вам все еще нужен мой вывод, то конечно же нужно читать классику. Она помогает увидеть жизнь, помогает вам поправить собственный курс, на что-то в конце концов решиться)
Чем отличается классика от всего остального? Тем что сюжет можно переложить на любое время, в любое место и ничего не изменится. Можно возразить с этой книгой, мол тут определенный период в истории, тут вот революция в России, красные с идеями, что люди не рабы распространяются как красная чума... Да, возразить можно, а тепер�� просто представьте, что это распространяется идея, что женщина человек, что она не должна молчать когда ее бьют, что она имеет право на свой голос и даже носить штаны (мы ведь помним случай из истории Великобритании 60-х, когда женщину за штаны избили мужчины, вполне себе солидные, я вот только не помню в библиотеке они это сделали или в суде, но и там и там выглядит ужасно. Или же Иран 80-х, когда на лица женщин выливали кислоту, потому что... да потому что люди дебилы. Или из совсем недавнего это когда начали женщинам запрещать учиться и за это их поливали кислотой, избивали, убивали). И все это доходит до маленького городка с его нерушимыми устоями. Кто-то будет за, кто-то против, многие женщины, однозначно скажут, что имеют право и организуют группу феминисток (надеюсь только не тех идиотских, что сейчас хотят называться членкинями). Обязательно найдутся люди, которые их поддержат, или же люди, которые будут как г...о в проруби. Возможно появится женщина активистка, и уж найдется тот, кто будет ее подавлять, вместе со всем движением. И если во все это вмешиваются любовные отношения, то удивительно как ярко видно одинаковость всех людей на свете, не смотря на менталитет, которым порой потрясают. Так что возражай - не возражай, а ситуация до сих пор классическая и люди не поменялись с начала прошлого века.
Если уточнять, что же именно в этой книге можно увидеть, то естественно - человека. Смотрите, мы имеем маленький городок, в котором живут, не меняя своего устоя самые простые люди рабочие и крестьяне и есть человек, который водит их за нос, говоря, что терпит убытки и поэтому денег наличных им не выдает, цену на их работу занижает, но бьет при этом себя в грудь кулаком, что он заботится о городке и людях. Особенно это заметно по доктору сумасшедшему, который настолько хорош, что если уж он не может вылечить людей, то на юге, насколько я поняла это означает в Дании, уж точно никто их не вылечит. Еще один способ удержать людей на месте и не расставаться с денежками.
И вот в это место приезжает женщина с ребенком. Первое впечатление, что ее так укачало, что она просто не в состоянии пережить дальнейшую дорогу. Что она трудолюбива, но потеряв мужа решилась уехать на юг, там, где тепло. А вот ребенок у нее маленькое невоспитанное чудовище. Но страница за страницей и герои раскрываются все больше. И перед нами чудовище становится ребенком, жаждущим знаний, умеющим помогать, сочувствовать и трепетно чувствовать. Ребенком настолько самостоятельным, что она берется за работу в тот момент, когда ее мать получив крышу над головой и любовника уже про это не думает. Когда мы узнаем, что и мужа у нее не было. И, казалось бы, можно понять обеих "каждый хочет любить, и солдат, и моряк". Но какие разные оказываются эти женщины. Одна вымаливает, другая оценивает, смотрит, сравнивает, не разменивается. Одна не справляется с предательством, другая хватает жизнь и пытается подняться выше. Она вырывает знания, те что возможны в этом городке и действительно, если бы ей дать больше возможностей, то она доросла бы до большего. Но она заключена в кольцо ошибок матери, маленького поселка, скудности информации, своей необразованности, хоть и считается многими образованной, потому что умеет писать, умеет считать, может отстоять свое мнение и умеет говорить понятно. Она устроила свою жизнь, создала благополучие. Но жить, не умея понимать свои чувства было бы странно. Можешь ли ты назваться человеком, если не сможешь ответить, что такое любовь? И через эти дебри приходится ей пройти. На себе испытать страсть и глупость. Суметь отстоять свои идеалы и понять, что любовь детская - это мираж, ты выдумываешь человека, а требуется смотреть на него, а не в свое воображение.
Я думала в книге будет больше именно о борьбе за свои права, о рождении исландской Розы Люксембург, а получила книгу о том, как мало образовано было население. Как много нужно было ему объяснять, буквально вести за руку поясняя каждый шаг, как для этого требуются не просто горящие идеей, а те, кто умеет тянуть людей за собой. Кто умеет учить и вести. За кого люди встанут горой. Он не просто должен уметь красиво говорить, а так, чтобы понятно было людям, что он говорит, чтобы каждый увидел за что он борется, умел отличать цели от того, что прикрывается этими целями. Не просто против, а именно за что! Кто умеет объединять. Потому что это ужасно, когда начинают делиться бедняки, а не объединяться. Но этого не было, даже прекрасная Салка Валка не поняла за что надо бороться, а просто помогала тому, в кого влюбилась и на этой волне парила. Грустно было читать именно про то, как может рушить нечто хорошее тот, кто сам не понимает, зачем он тут. Кто тянется к индивидуальному богатству и поэтому просто не в состоянии отстаивать богатство общее. Кто читает книги, а сложить слова в предложения не может. А ведь образованный элемент...
В книге есть простые жизненные ситуации, которые так прекрасно подчеркивают характеры людей. Благодаря им поселок оживает, приобретает характер, нет ощущения, что люди живут только в тот момент, когда автор о них пишет, ты представляешь, как они покидают дом, как работают, выходят в море, занимаются скотом, ходят в лавку. Маленькие, незаметные штрихи, а ты даже если не видел таких людей в жизни, можешь представить их заботы.
Как мы понимаем, что мать Салки Валки вымогает любовь, да хотя бы по такой фразе:
"Если у меня рождается ребенок, то он появляется помимо моей воли и моего желания."
Трудно представить, что женщина уже имеющая ребенка не знает, что способствует его появлению на свет. Уж что, а желание у нее было, правда, действительно, не ребенка иметь))) Но когда человек так говорит, что вы можете подумать? Что она оправдывается, пытается сделать виноватым другого, что она требует к себе внимания. Раз, и вот перед вами весь человек с тем как он решает проблемы, как он живет, как он думает.
"Кто-то постучал в дверь. Три скромных удара — во имя отца, сына и святого духа, которые живут в сердце обитателей этого местечка и владеют их умами испокон веку."
И вот опять маленький штрих, который легко переложить на весь поселок, понять чем он живет, на что опирается, какие суеверия сопровождают его.
Удивительный роман, жаль, что конец у него настолько открытый. Я бы хотела видеть поднятую гордо голову Салки Валки, когда она наконец смогла избавиться и от преследователя, который вечно хотел ее изнасиловать и от глупости своей детской, фантазии, дорого заплатив за это. Хотелось бы увидеть в какую сторону поворачивается голова Салки Валки. Хоть какое-то принятое решение. Хотелось бы, чтобы она не осталась в поселке постепенно выцветая, а собравшись, действительно поставила ногу на ступеньку к освобождению себя. Не просто "умею жить самостоятельно и зарабатывать", а именно понять свою самостоятельность, возвыситься над теми, кто прибегают к ней, как гиены, жаждущие поживиться с тем чтобы смутить, забить и подавить. Но автор нас оставил с девушкой на распутье, пока еще потерянной. Жаль. Очень жаль, что финал именно такой.
Ну, и если вам все еще нужен мой вывод, то конечно же нужно читать классику. Она помогает увидеть жизнь, помогает вам поправить собственный курс, на что-то в конце концов решиться)
Want to read
May 16, 2023***************
*Under the Glacier 1 star
*Independent People TBR
*The Fish Can Sing TBR
*Salka Valka TBR (The author's own favorite.)
Autobiographical trilogy
1.På tunet därhemma 3 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
2.Ung var jag fordom 3 stars
3.Greklandsåret TBR
*Under the Glacier 1 star
*Independent People TBR
*The Fish Can Sing TBR
*Salka Valka TBR (The author's own favorite.)
Autobiographical trilogy
1.På tunet därhemma 3 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
2.Ung var jag fordom 3 stars
3.Greklandsåret TBR
February 8, 2025
Salka Valka gaat over een meisje die niet geboren had moeten worden, bij een moeder die geen goeie moeder kon zijn. Haar vader heeft ze überhaupt nooit gekend, want ze was een buitenechtelijk kind. En samen hebben ze praktisch niks.
Met haar moeder is ze onderweg naar Reykjavik voor een beter leven, maar ze stranden in een klein dorp in IJsland. Het verhaal beschrijft hoe een meisje als Salka in het gewone leven moet opboksen tegen de intellectuelen en de rijken.
Het boek is prachtig in zijn eenvoud, en in 1931 zal dit vast een waanzinnig verhaal zijn geweest. Met de bril van nu was het eigenlijk een beetje saai, maar de boodschap sprak me wel ontzettend aan:
De rijken hebben geen oog voor de rest, en doen alsof ze dat wel hebben.
De intellectuelen praten alsof ze zich voor de minderheden inzetten, maar in de praktijk is het allemaal gebakken lucht. Zodra het concreet wordt zijn ze misschien nog wel erger dan de kapitalisten waar ze zich zo tegen verzetten.
Aanrader? Ja. Het verhaal wordt misschien niet sappig gebracht, maar verdiend het wel om gelezen te worden.
Met haar moeder is ze onderweg naar Reykjavik voor een beter leven, maar ze stranden in een klein dorp in IJsland. Het verhaal beschrijft hoe een meisje als Salka in het gewone leven moet opboksen tegen de intellectuelen en de rijken.
Het boek is prachtig in zijn eenvoud, en in 1931 zal dit vast een waanzinnig verhaal zijn geweest. Met de bril van nu was het eigenlijk een beetje saai, maar de boodschap sprak me wel ontzettend aan:
De rijken hebben geen oog voor de rest, en doen alsof ze dat wel hebben.
De intellectuelen praten alsof ze zich voor de minderheden inzetten, maar in de praktijk is het allemaal gebakken lucht. Zodra het concreet wordt zijn ze misschien nog wel erger dan de kapitalisten waar ze zich zo tegen verzetten.
Aanrader? Ja. Het verhaal wordt misschien niet sappig gebracht, maar verdiend het wel om gelezen te worden.
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