This new history of Iceland (subtitled History of a Marginal
Society) fills a very real gap for anyone interested in the
extraordinary story of one of Britain's nearest (but least known)
neighbours, and should be widely welcomed. Gunnar Karlsson,
Professor of History at the University of Iceland, is a
distinguished historian. Ever since Knud Gjerset's History of
Iceland in 1925 (which has long been out of print) many writers
have published reviews in English on Iceland's history, but there
has been nothing comparable to this volume. Gunner Karlsson has
distilled all research into a reliable and scholarly account of a
country on the margins of Europe, and put it centre stage. Iceland
was discovered and settled by Norsemen in the late ninth century.
They set up a semi-democratic commonwealth and a parliament at a
time when monarchy was prevalent in the rest of Europe. Iceland
lost their independence (to Norway, and subsequently Denmark) in
the 13th century. That is what happened: but how has this been
perceived? Basically, people's perceptions of Iceland have been
coloured by the heroic ideals of its great medieval saga
literature, and by the romantic ideals of the leaders of the
independence movement in the 19th century which led to the
regaining of independence in 1944. Gunnar Karlsson takes a hard,
unsentimental look at Iceland's past - including the roles and
experiences of women - and puts it into perspective of the ordinary
people of Iceland who suffered appalling hardships in the 11 harsh
centuries between settlement and independence. The 20th century, in
which Iceland had to battle for its independence again in the
notorious Cod Wars, is described with the same cool objectivity.
Even for an Icelander like myself, this book is an absolute must.
Review by MAGNUS MAGNUSSON (Kirkus UK)
This volume recounts the history of a society on the margin of
Europe as well as on the margin of reaching the size and wealth of
a proper state - Iceland.
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