Tag Archives: Sjon

Leaning into the Tale: “CoDex 1962: A Trilogy” by Sjón

Posted on October 5, 2018 by Zack Ravas

In CoDex 1962: A Trilogy (515 pages; MCD/FSG), premier Icelandic novelist Sjón manages to transcend conventional genre expectations while still engraining himself within the rich tradition of fables and fairy tales. The trilogy of books, first released to great acclaim in Iceland in 2016, was written over the course of 25 years, with the story itself spanning from the early 20th century to modern day. For the American release, the author has combined all three novels into one book, designating a genre to each section: Thine Eyes Did See My Substance (A Love Story), Iceland’s Thousand Years (A Crime Story), …Continue reading →

Posted in Book Reviews | Tagged book review, codex 1962, fairy tale, fiction, Iceland, novel, Sjon | Leave a comment

Mythical and Spiritual, Direct and Concrete: The Storytelling Prowess of Sjón

Posted on July 1, 2013 by editor

Three novels from acclaimed Icelandic author Sjón are now available in the United States. Translated by Victoria Cribb, each book offers a vastly different story, beginning with simple and intense prose, which unfolds into a dense examination of a character’s thoughts. In The Blue Fox (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 128 pages), first published in 2004, Sjón offers two separate narratives. The first describes the initial hunt for a blue fox through the heavy snow of an Icelandic winter in 1883. Halting right before the hunter attempts to kill the fox, the story shifts to the days just preceding the hunt. …Continue reading →