
Independent People
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Narrated by:
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Michael Page
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By:
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Halldór Laxness
About this listen
This magnificent novel - which secured for its author the 1955 Nobel Prize in Literature - is now available to contemporary American audiences. Although it is set in the early 20th century, it recalls both Iceland's medieval epics and such classics as Sigrid Undset's Kristin Lavransdatter. And if Bjartur of Summerhouses, the book's protagonist, is an ordinary sheep farmer, his flinty determination to achieve independence is genuinely heroic and, at the same time, terrifying and bleakly comic.
Having spent 18 years in humiliating servitude, Bjartur wants nothing more than to raise his flocks unbeholden to any man. But Bjartur's spirited daughter wants to live unbeholden to him. What ensues is a battle of wills that is by turns harsh and touching, elemental in its emotional intensity, and intimate in its homely detail. Vast in scope and deeply rewarding, Independent People is a masterpiece.
©1946 Halldór Laxness (P)2017 TantorListeners also enjoyed...
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Story
Set in the 1860s, The Leopard tells the spellbinding story of a decadent, dying Sicilian aristocracy threatened by the approaching forces of democracy and revolution. The dramatic sweep and richness of observation, the seamless intertwining of public and private worlds, and the grasp of human frailty imbue The Leopard with its particular melancholy beauty and power, and place it among the greatest historical novels of our time.
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Timeless
- By Robert Massarella on 12-05-23
By: Giuseppe di Lampedusa, and others
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Under the Glacier
- By: Halldor Laxness, Magnus Magnusson - translator
- Narrated by: Ken Maxon
- Length: 6 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
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Under the Glacier represents Nobel laureate Halldor Laxness at his entertaining and brilliantly inventive best. Philosophy, theological speculation and charming wit combine to make this novel a timeless fable of modern times. A youthful emissary of the Bishop of Iceland travels to the beautiful and mysterious district of Snæfellsnes, locally known as "Under Glacier" to investigate the affairs of the parish and its enigmatic pastor.
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Horrible narration and performance. Not worth listening to this way.
- By Arsenio Paez on 05-29-15
By: Halldor Laxness, and others
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The Creak on the Stairs
- By: Eva Björg Ægisdóttir
- Narrated by: Diana Croft
- Length: 11 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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When a body of a woman is discovered at a lighthouse in the Icelandic town of Akranes, it soon becomes clear that she’s no stranger to the area. Chief Investigating Officer Elma, who has returned to Akranes following a failed relationship, and her collegues Sævar and Hörður commence an uneasy investigation which uncovers a shocking secret in the dead woman’s past that continues to reverberate in the present day.
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too hard to follow
- By Kindle Customer on 07-10-21
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History of Iceland
- A Captivating Guide to the History of the Land of Fire and Ice, from the Viking Age to the Present
- By: Captivating History
- Narrated by: Jason Zenobia
- Length: 3 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
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Iceland, the land of fire and ice, has a storied history. After the Norse discovered Iceland, they began to settle it, allying the island nation with Norway. However, as power shifted in Scandinavia, Iceland would come to be governed by Denmark for several centuries.
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Excellent introduction to the topic. Traveling to Iceland in Nov this year. This made me want to learn more.
- By Dave Clark Jr on 03-29-25
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Zeno's Conscience
- By: Italo Svevo
- Narrated by: Sean Barrett
- Length: 17 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
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Having submitted himself to Freudian psychoanalysis, the narrator keeps a diary with the aim of conquering his addiction to smoking. He describes his marriage to the woman he didn't want to marry, how he drives his business partner to despair, and how his "last cigarette" turns out to be one of many. Zeno is the classic "schlemiel"; his erratic foibles, his questionable logic, and his curious inclination to self sabotage help shine a light on human behavior in general, and reveal the many subtle half-truths people may tell themselves in order to defend their own actions and egos.
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insightful writing, thought provoking.
- By Gianna on 05-26-23
By: Italo Svevo
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The Little Book of the Hidden People: Twenty Stories of Elves from Icelandic Folklore
- By: Alda Sigmundsdottir
- Narrated by: Alda Sigmundsdottir
- Length: 2 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
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In this book, author Alda Sigmundsdóttir presents 20 translated elf stories from Icelandic folklore, along with fascinating notes on the context from which they sprung. The international media has had a particular infatuation with the Icelanders’ elf belief, generally using it to propagate some kind of “kooky Icelanders” myth. Yet Iceland’s elf folklore, at its core, reflects the plight of a nation living in abject poverty on the edge of the inhabitable world, and its people’s heroic efforts to survive, physically, emotionally, and spiritually.
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Fantastic
- By Nicholas C Cook on 05-28-19
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A Three Dog Life: A Memoir
- By: Abigail Thomas
- Narrated by: Abigail Thomas
- Length: 4 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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When Abigail Thomas’s husband, Rich, was hit by a car, his brain shattered. Subject to rages, terrors, and hallucinations, he must live the rest of his life in an institution. He has no memory of what he did the hour, the day, the year before. This tragedy is the ground on which Abigail had to build a new life. How she built that life is a story of great courage and great change, of moving to a small country town, of a new family composed of three dogs, knitting, and friendship, of facing down guilt and discovering gratitude.
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Eloquent & Honest
- By Sara on 09-30-15
By: Abigail Thomas
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Poems by Walt Whitman
- By: Walt Whitman
- Narrated by: Mark Moseley
- Length: 8 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
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A collection of poems written by the revered American poet, essayist, and journalist. Included are selections from this most famous work, Leaves of Grass, as well as Drum Taps and Songs of Parting.
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Sound
- By Alcina Magalhaes on 10-29-16
By: Walt Whitman
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The Sorrow of War
- By: Bao Ninh
- Narrated by: James Langton
- Length: 7 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
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Bao Ninh, a former North Vietnamese soldier, provides a strikingly honest look at how the Vietnam War forever changed his life, his country, and the people who live there. Originally published against government wishes in Vietnam because of its nonheroic, nonideological tone, The Sorrow of War has won worldwide acclaim and become an international best seller.
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My dead former enemy was speaking to me!
- By Joe R. on 05-13-18
By: Bao Ninh
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Snowblind
- By: Ragnar Jónasson, Quentin Bates - translator
- Narrated by: Will Damron
- Length: 8 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
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When a young woman is found lying half-naked in the snow, bleeding and unconscious, and a highly esteemed, elderly writer falls to his death in the local theater, Ari is dragged straight into the heart of a community where he can trust no one and secrets and lies are a way of life. Past plays tag with the present and the claustrophobic tension mounts as Ari is thrust ever deeper into his own darkness - blinded by snow and with a killer on the loose.
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Unexpected and different
- By green ice cream garden on 10-12-17
By: Ragnar Jónasson, and others
long but beautiful
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Excellent Audio Book!
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So from the point of view that he is a memorable character, I assume that is the reason the book has been given rave reviews and awards. But for me it was arduous to get through.
How one man can make many so miserable...
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a wonderful saga of Iceland and it's early sheep farmers.
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Útligangur
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I learned a lot about Iceland around the time I was born, as well as its history, during our cold, wet winter nights.
There’s some good humor in it occasionally but you have to pay close attention so you don’t miss it.
I do wish male narrators could refrain from voicing all females with what I imagine dolls would sound like, or faeries.
Long, Slow, Mostly Depressing
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Astounding
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Pre-trip reading assignment
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Of witness of Human character In the Education of a soul through a voyage Of a life.
An empathic voyage in poetic verse and philosophic breadth
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Bjatur sounds like a cartoon character
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