From the writings of an Icelandic humorist: and “Long esteemed as a leading stylist and humorist, Thordarsson is a peculiar mixture of paradoxical traits: a clear and keen intellect and singularly gullible nature. He was an avowed Communist, but in as much as he accepted the concept of life after death, he denied materialism. Above all, he was a firm believer in ghosts, which he ‘felt’ everywhere around him. For a time, he became a theosophist, practiced yoga, and even wrote a book on the subject. In addition, he remained one of the most ardent Esperantists in Iceland. Through all his diverse interests could be seen a man who was, basically, an honest seeker after truth, although, politically, he seemed to have found it once and for all. Thordarsson wrote essays, biographies, poetry and autobiographical works. His eccentricty, crowned with a brilliant style and ever present humor, which he frequently pointed at himself, resulted in some of the most original and unique works of modern Icelandic literature. and “-Hallberg Hallmundsson, excerpt from An Anthology of Scandinavian Literature, as published on the book’s back cover.

Of Icelandic Nobles and Idiot Savants: An Anthology of the Writings of the Novelist, Essayist, and Humorist Thorbergur Thordarson PDF

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