Salka Valka
1931
First Published
3.99
Average Rating
450
Number of Pages
A novel of Iceland—a queer, repellant sort of Iceland at that. The story of a prostitute and her child, victim of her passions, her selfishness, and her ill-fame—and of their attempt to find a place for themselves in a new community which is unfriendly, critical, and unforgiving. Chiefly the story of the daughter—her obsessions with and revulsions from sex, and her relations with two men, the one by morbid fascination and hate and love of a queer sort—the other by appeal to her better nature. Glimpses of effects of industrial unrest in a distant part of the world. A difficult style—not easy reading. (Kirkus review)
Avg Rating
3.99
Number of Ratings
1,875
5 STARS
32%
4 STARS
42%
3 STARS
21%
2 STARS
4%
1 STARS
1%
goodreads
Author
Halldor Laxness
Author · 18 books
Born 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.
