Flesh
5.490 kr.Fifteen-year-old István lives with his mother in a quiet apartment complex in Hungary. New to the town and shy, he is unfamiliar with the social rituals at school and soon becomes isolated, with his neighbour – a married woman close to his mother’s age – as his only companion.
As these encounters shift into a clandestine relationship, István’s life spirals out of control. Years later, rising through the ranks from the army to the elite circles of London’s super-rich, he navigates the twenty-first century’s tides of money and power. Torn between love, intimacy, status, and wealth, his newfound riches threaten to undo him completely.
Dagskammtar
3.490 kr.Dagskammtar samanstendur af stuttum textum í lausu máli. Margir textanna tengjast ákveðnum atvikum, en aðrir eru fremur hugleiðingar eða þankabrot sem finna sér leið inn í hversdaginn. Líta má á textana sem eins konar dagbókarfærslur þar sem „ég“ frásagnarinnar miðlar reynslu sinni af atvikum og fyrirbærum daganna.
„Í dag er búið að vera mistur og rigning, en nú virðist vera að rofa til. Það er alveg logn og ég er ein á gangi á Sólvallagötunni. Nokkrum sólargeislum tekst að brjótast gegnum mistrið um leið og það hellist yfir mig skyndilegt regn. Það er þá sem ég sé regnbogann. Hann spennir marglitan bogann yfir nesið með annan endann í Faxaflóanum og hinn í Skerjafirðinum. Hann er rétt hjá mér, kannski í nokkur hundruð metra fjarlægð. Ósjálfrátt herði ég gönguna. Áður en ég veit af er ég farin að hlaupa.“
Sjáðu, sjáðu mig. Það er eina leiðin til að elska mig.
5.190 kr.Hér missir kona rödd og fær hana aftur. Mögnuð ljóðabók sem hefur verið ófáanleg lengi.
Elísabet Jökulsdóttir er alvöru skáld. Hún horfir fast í augun á lesandanum og orðar sterkar tilfinningar; ást, heift, gleði og sorg, af oddhvassri blíðu og lífsþorsta, sýnir náttúru landsins á síkvikan hátt og lítur aldrei undan.
Sóley og Fífa fara í berjamó
4.990 kr.Frænkurnar Sóley og Fífa eru bestu vinkonur en búa í sitthvorum landshlutanum. Það er því alltaf mikil eftirvænting þegar þær hittast. Í bókinni segir frá vináttu þeirra, fallegum samskiptum, fuglum, blómum, náttúrunni og auðvitað berjunum! „Sóley og Fífa fara í berjamó“ er fyrsta sagan í nýjum bókaflokki um þessar lífsglöðu og forvitnu frænkur.
Höfundurinn, Þorbjörg Sandra Bakke, hefur starfað í umhverfismálum í nær tvo áratugi og stígur hér sín fyrstu skref sem mynd- og rithöfundur. Hún er með menntun í stjórnmálafræði, náttúrufræði og siðfræði og leggur áherslu á að tvinna saman jákvæðar hliðar þessara fagsviða í lífi og starfi.
Í bók sinni Sóley og Fífa fara í berjamó byggir hún á þessum grunni. Velur að draga fram falleg mannleg samskipti og umhyggju fyrir náttúru og umhverfi. Bókin er að sama skapi byggð á æskuminningum frá uppvaxtarárum höfundar þegar hún varði sumrum sínum í sveit í Svarfaðardal. Hún nýtir sér minningar af frænkum og vinkonum, ömmum, öfum og fleira uppáhalds samferðafólki til að skapa þessar yndislegu persónur sem sagan hverfist um.
The Dead Girls’ Class Trip: Selected Stories
3.690 kr.A new translation of the best and most provocative short stories by the author of Transit and The Seventh Cross.
Best known for the anti-fascist novel The Seventh Cross and the existential thriller Transit, Anna Seghers was also a gifted writer of short fiction. The stories she wrote throughout her life reflect her political activism as well as her deep engagement with myth; they are also some of her most formally experimental work. This selection of Seghers’s best stories, written between 1925 and 1965, displays the range of her creativity over the years. It includes her most famous short fiction, such as the autobiographical “The Dead Girls’ Class Trip,” and others, like “Jans Is Going to Die,” that have been translated into English here for the first time. There are psychologically penetrating stories about young men corrupted by desperation and women bound by circumstance, as well as enigmatic tales of bewilderment and enchantment based on myths and legends, like “The Best Tales of Woynok, the Thief,” “The Three Trees,” and “Tales of Artemis.” In her stories, Seghers used the German language in especially unconventional and challenging ways, and Margot Bettauer Dembo’s sensitive and skilled translation preserves this distinction.
Storm
3.690 kr.A thrilling, innovative novel about the interplay between nature and humankind by the author of Names on the Land.
With Storm, first published in 1941, George R. Stewart invented a new genre of fiction: the eco-novel. California has been plunged into drought throughout the summer and fall when a ship reports an unusual barometric reading from the far western Pacific. In San Francisco, a junior meteorologist in the Weather Bureau takes note of the anomaly and plots “an incipient little whorl” on the weather map, a developing storm, he suspects, that he privately dubs Maria. Stewart’s novel tracks Maria’s progress to and beyond the shores of the United States through the eyes of meteorologists, linemen, snowplow operators, a general, a couple of decamping lovebirds, and an unlucky owl, and the storm, surging and ebbing, will bring long-needed rain, flooded roads, deep snows, accidents, and death. Storm is an epic account of humanity’s relationship to and dependence on the natural world.
Kapo
3.690 kr.A devastating novel about the attrocities of WWII, and the unspeakable things people did to survive, by one of Yugoslavia’s great literary voices.
The Book of Blam, The Use of Man, Kapo: In these three unsparing novels the Yugoslav author Aleksandar Tišma anatomized the plight of those who survived the Second World War and the death camps, only to live on in a death-haunted world. Blam simply lucked out—and can hardly face himself in the mirror. By contrast, the teenage friends in The Use of Man are condemned to live on and on while enduring every affliction. Kapo is about Lamian, who made it through Auschwitz by serving his German masters, knowing that at any moment and for any reason his “special status” might be revoked.
But the war is over now. Auschwitz is in the past. Lamian has settled down in the Bosnian town of Banja Luka, where he has a respectable job as a superintendent in the railyard. Everything is normal enough. Then one day in the paper he comes on the name of Helena Lifka, a woman—like him a Yugoslav and a Jew—he raped in the camp. Not long after he sees her, aged and ungainly, Lamian is flooded with guilt and terror.
Kapo, like Tišma’s other great novels, is not simply a document or an act of witness. Tišma’s terrible gift is to see with an artist’s dispassionate clarity how fear, violence, guilt, and desire—whether for life, love, or simple understanding—are inextricably knotted together in the human breast.
Bónus Poetry
2.490 kr.Bónus Poetry takes the reader on a mythological journey through the aisles of an undisclosed Bónus Supermarket branch, and is based on Dante’s Divina Commedia. Starting in “Paradiso” (the fruit and vegetable section), we travel through “Inferno” (meat and frozen goods) before finally ending up in the “Purgatorio” (cleaning products).
The book was initially published by Bónus Supermarkets in Iceland and sold at supermarket counters on eternal “special offer”. The author signed the same contract as every other producer: “If the consumer is harmed by the product, the producer is liable.” Bónus Poetry became the biggest selling poetry volume in the history of Iceland. No consumers have yet been harmed but please call the service desk in case of headaches, dizziness or general bursts of poem disorder.
Mr. Awkward Show Present: Mr. Poser
7.490 kr.Anton Lyngdal sem gengur undir listamannanafninu Mr. Awkward show gefur út ljósmyndabók um Mr. Poser.
Mr. Poser er tískukóngur og sérlegur áhugamaður um vegglistasenuna á Íslandi. Hann á sér uppáhalds vegglistamann sem er einn sá stærsti og afkastamesti í senunni hér á landi, þ.e. Opes_vs_Vato. Í bókinni ferðast Mr. Poser um Höfuðborgarsvæðið og stillir sér upp í sínum bestu klæðum við vegglistaverk eftir Opes_vs_Vato.
Mr. Poser er einn af karakterum Antons sem vaknar til lífsins fyrir framan myndavélina, enda líður Mr. Poser best í sviðsljósinu og er handviss um að hann ætti heima á tískusýningunum í París.
Áttaskil – Ljóð og lausavísur
4.890 kr.Hér birtast ljóð og lausavísur úr fórum skáldsins og kvæðakonunnar góðkunnu, en þar eru náttúruljóð í fyrirrúmi þótt ýmislegt annað komi við sögu. Í eftirmála segir Ragnar Ingi Aðalsteinsson frá Vaðbrekku m.a.: Þegar ljóð hennar eru lesin er eins og landið Ísland, með öllum sínum dyntum, veðurfarssveiflum og skapbrigðum hafi valið hana til að túlka sjónarmið sín.
Og þaðan gengur sveinninn skáld
7.490 kr.Thor Vilhjálmsson (1925–2011) var einn frumlegasti og áhrifamesti höfundur okkar á síðari hluta síðustu aldar og fram á þessa, auk þess sem hann var óþreytandi menningarfrömuður og áberandi í þjóðlífinu.
Í tilefni þess að öld er liðin frá fæðingu Thors minnast samferðamenn, fræðimenn, þýðendur og aðrir rithöfundar hans, hver frá sínum sjónarhóli, og varpa ólíku ljósi á þennan flókna höfund og margbrotna persónuleika. Hér eru stuttar svipmyndir, fræðilegar úttektir, ljóð og teikningar. Synir Thors, Örnólfur og Guðmundur Andri, söfnuðu greinunum og völdu einnig stutta texta úr verkum hans sem birtir eru á milli greinanna. Innleggin eru á fjórða tug og að auki er í bókinni fjöldi mynda.
Kína frá fyrri öld – China Before
8.490 kr.Unnur Guðjónsdóttir rak um árabil ferðaskrifstofu sem sérhæfði sig í ferðum til Kína. Hún tók snemma ástfóstri við þetta stóra og mikla land, með „teljandi“ íbúum, og árunum 1983 og 1992 tók hún þar mikið magn mynda, sem finna má í þessari einstöku bók, sem sýnir okkur Kína frá síðustu öld, en margt hefur nú breyst þar og því nauðsynlegt að varðveita gamla tímann eins og kostur er.
North
4.390 kr.This edition of Seamus Heaney’s seminal fourth collection North, reproduced in its elegant first setting and in its original jacket, marks fifty years since first publication in 1975. By conjuring aspects of a shared Northern European experience – its peculiar landscapes and weathers, its sea-faring incursions, the vernaculars of its buried and living peoples – Heaney found a way of articulating a vision of Ireland in which the disruptions and violences of the Troubles could be reflected too.
We Are Not Numbers: The Voices of Gaza’s Youth
4.390 kr.A teenage girl stares at her roof, hoping it won’t collapse over her head. A young student searches the Internet for photos of libraries around the world, hoping he’ll be able to visit them one day. Another walks around the city, taking notes of all the buildings she dreams of repairing.
These are the stories of young people from Gaza, born under Israeli occupation and blockade. They are people who have endured unspeakable struggles and losses, who keep fighting to be recognised not as numbers, but as human beings with hopes, dreams and lives worth living.
We Are Not Numbers was founded in 2014 to give voice to the youth of Gaza. In this collection, vital, urgent and full of heart, spanning over ten years to the present moment, we gain an unparalleled insight into the past, as well as the current and next generation of Palestinian leaders, artists, scientists and scholars and imagine where we might go from here.
Great Big Beautiful Life
4.690 kr.When Margaret Ives, the famously reclusive heiress, invites eternal optimist Alice Scott to the balmy Little Crescent Island, Alice knows this is it: her big break. And even more rare: a chance to impress her family with a Serious Publication.
The catch? Pulitzer-prize winning human thundercloud, Hayden Anderson, is sure of the same thing.
The proposal? A one-month trial period to unearth the truth behind one of the most scandalous families of the 20th Century, after which she’ll choose who’ll tell her story.
The problem? Margaret is only giving each of them tantalising pieces. Pieces they can’t put together because of an ironclad NDA and an inconvenient yearning pulsing between them every time they’re in the same room.
And it’s becoming abundantly clear that their story – just like the tale Margaret’s spinning – could be a mystery, tragedy, or love ballad … depending on who’s telling it.
Death of a Diplomat
4.690 kr.A remote Icelandic island. A diplomatic dinner party. And a murderer in the midst.
When the deputy Canadian ambassador dies suddenly at a dinner party, attended by the great and the good from business, culture and politics, suspicion falls on everybody present, but particularly on the victim’s boss, the Canadian ambassador. Jane, the ambassador’s wife, knows that she has to solve the murder if she is to save her husband, and her marriage. But Jane knows better than anyone that, when it comes to protecting scandalous secrets, there are no lengths to which people won’t go. So soon the question becomes: can she track down the killer before they strike again?
Life: A User’s Manual
3.690 kr.In this ingenious book Perec creates an entire microcosm in a Paris apartment block. Serge Valene wants to make an elaborate painting of the building he has made his home for the last sixty years. As he plans his picture, he contemplates the lives of all the people he has ever known there. Chapter by chapter, the narrative moves around the building revealing a marvellously diverse cast of characters in a series of every more unlikely tales, which range from an avenging murderer to an eccentric English millionaire who has devised the ultimate pastime…
The Story of a Heart
3.690 kr.This is the unforgettable story of how one family’s grief transformed into a lifesaving gift. With tremendous compassion and clarity, Dr Rachel Clarke relates the urgent journey of a young girl’s heart and explores a history of remarkable medical innovations , stretching back over a century and involving the knowledge and dedication not just of surgeons but of countless physicians, immunologists, nurses and scientists.
The Iliad
5.490 kr.A stunning Penguin clothbound edition of Homer’s great epic, in E. V. Rieu’s classic translation.
The Iliad is the first and the greatest literary achievement of Greek civilization – an epic poem without rival in the literature of the world, and the cornerstone of Western culture. The story centres on the critical events in the last year of the Trojan War, which lead to Achilleus’ killing of Hektor and determine the fate of Troy. But Homer’s theme is not simply war or heroism. With compassion and humanity, he presents a universal and tragic view of the world, of human life lived under the shadow of suffering and death, set against a vast and largely unpitying divine background..
Seven Greek cities claim the honour of being the birthplace of Homer (c. 8th-7th century BC), the poet to whom the composition of The Iliad and The Odyssey was attributed. The Iliad is the oldest surviving work of Western literature, but the identity – or even the existence – of Homer himself is a complete mystery, with no reliable biographical information having survived.
E. V. Rieu initiated Penguin Classics with Allen Lane and his famous translation of The Odyssey was the first book published in the series in 1947. The Iliad followed in 1950.
Froid comme l’enfer
3.490 kr.Deux sœurs. Un thriller original et captivant où tout se joue dans l’atmosphère et les détails.
Aurora vit en Angleterre et sa sœur Isafold en Islande, elles sont très différentes et ont des relations compliquées. Isafold disparaît et leur mère, ne faisant pas la différence entre enquêtrice financière et enquêtrice policière, supplie Aurora d’aller chercher sa sœur.
Aurora ne peut pas s’empêcher de pratiquer ce qu’elle fait de mieux, démasquer les fraudeurs et les faire payer. Elle va donc profiter de ce voyage pour examiner de près certains investissements financiers douteux, et analyser la corruption islandaise tout en testant ses capacités de séduction sur deux hommes.
Elle découvrira surtout la violence domestique à laquelle était soumise Isafold et qu’elle niait farouchement subir ; au cours des témoignages qu’elle reçoit, elle voit évoluer les nuances de ses sentiments pour sa sœur. En même temps, des personnages inquiétants émergent peu à peu.
Nous suivons son enquête au fil des détails qu’elle nous donne sur les façons de vivre et de se parler, et par ce travail de dentellière elle nous fait entrer dans un monde plus complexe que ce dont il a l’air.
Rouge comme la mer
3.490 kr.Lorsque l’entrepreneur Flosi arrive chez lui pour dîner, il découvre que sa maison a été mise à sac et que sa femme Gudrún a disparu. Une lettre posée sur la table de la cuisine confirme qu’elle a été enlevée. Si Flosi n’accepte pas de payer une énorme rançon, Gudrún sera tuée. Effrayé, il prend contact avec Aurora, qui gagne sa vie en faisant des enquêtes financières et qui est spécia-liste de la discrétion. Alors que le brouillard s’installe, dans un automne islandais froid et pluvieux, les suspects se multiplient, les cheminements de l’argent créent des surprises, comme toujours, les mafias se rapprochent et tout prend un tour de plus en plus trouble. Dans le même temps, Aurora poursuit la recherche déroutante et dévastatrice de sa sœur, Ísafold, qui a disparu sans laisser de traces.
Un roman d’atmosphère prenant, des personnages attachants, un vrai suspense et un humour délectable, bref, un bon livre à la fois exotique et familier.
Iceland: A Literary Guide for Travellers
4.990 kr.A guide to Iceland’s rich literary heritage – from Norse witches to contemporary crime fiction. Iceland is an island of multiple identities in constant flux, just like its unruly, volcanic ground. Shaped as much by storytelling as it is by tectonic activity, Iceland’s literary heritage is one of Europe’s richest – and most ancient.
Iceland: A Literary Guide for Travellers takes the literary-minded traveller (either in person or in an armchair) on a vivid and illuminating journey. It follows Iceland’s many stories that have been passed down through the generations: told and retold by sheep farmers, psalm-writers, travelling reverends, independence fighters, scholars and hedonists. From the captivating Norse myths, which continue to inspire contemporary authors such as A. S. Byatt, to gripping Scandinavian crime fiction and Game of Thrones, via Jules Verne and J. R. R. Tolkien, W. H. Auden and Seamus Heaney, Iceland’s influence has spread far beyond its frozen shores. Peopled by Norse maidens and witches, elves and outlaws, and taking the reader and traveller from Reykjavik and the Bay of Smokes to the remote Westfjords and desolate highlands, this is an enthralling portrait of the Land of Ice and Fire.