T H E___PR O S E
I've written 3 novels so far. The fourth is in the making with a set publishing date in November. (If I don't deliver the manuscript my editor/publisher will not be held responsible for his actions.)
-----------------------------------------------------------------_________________________-------------
NIGHT OF STEEL (Stálnótt, 1987) is a futuristic story of the death of four teenagers in a Reykjavík of the never-never. (As there is no dialogue in the book I have come to conclusion that it is really a ballet. And a good one, mind you.)
ANGEL, TOP-HAT AND STRAWBERRIES (Engill, pípuhattur og jarðarber, 1989) tells a love story, where death gains the upper hand in the end. I collaborated with Michel Gondry on a screenplay based on this book. It was our first feature lenght screenplay and Hollywood said no. (Will they regret it???)
• Click "ici" for the whole book in FRENCH.
YOUR EYES SAW ME (Augu þín sáu mig, 1994)
A small town in lower Saxony at night - could there be a more peaceful place, a less likely one for things to happen? But what if these are the war years, and a mysterious man has just arrived at the local inn, where chambermaid Marie-Sophie is one of the staff? How can the pretty girl help him? This is the basis of Sjón’s love story, which is grounded in history, yet is also mysterious. The author’s originality and style are well used here, and he shows a new aspect of his talents - a storyteller who has full control of his subject matter and the reader, and does not let go until the story is over.
From the Icelandic and Swedish reviews:
"... Your Eyes Saw Me is a love story. And it is everything at once: funny, exciting, dramatic, inventive, mysterious and historical (...) All the characters are clearly depicted, and the narrator enjoys bringing out their oddities, making them all but farcical. (...) The narrator uses every possible trick to keep the reader’s attention, and enjoys making references to literature - in one place he makes over Kafka’s Metamorphosis, and in another discusses feminist character depiction - and also enjoys telling sub-stories and digressing. The listener, on the other hand, wants the storyline in its purest form, and this tension provides an excellent drive to the narrative... the author has a firm hold on the subject matter. He has worked with care without losing any of his imaginative power, and has not the slightest difficulty in sweeping the reader with him into a fantasy world."
(Morgunblaðið, Einar Falur Ingólfsson)"... Sjón plays games with style: the style of hagiography, the common man’s narrative style, and lyrical style, sometimes in verse, loaded with imagery and images... This is a priceless story of marvels, and perhaps it is time, as the story says on page 135, "for someone to give the world a bit of a facelift, as it is today, it is overcast and on the brink of tears." The cover design is beautiful, and the painting chosen with care."
(DV-newspaper, Silja Aðalsteinsdóttir)"Sjón succeeds in the difficult art form of mixing irony and romanticism, farce and history, supernatural poetry and expressionistic distortion... nothing like this has been written in Swedish and hardly in Icelandic either"
(Dagens Nyheter, Leif Nylen)"Your Eyes Saw me is a novel that has many remarkable qualities, not least in the form of artistic illusions and a neck breaking irony that makes the overwhelming eloquence endurable... Sjón’s work creates hope for the novel as an art form."
(Sydsvenska Dagbladet, Clemens Altgård)"First and foremost this is an entertaining novel which one reads with satisfaction and ease. The reader is drawn into the author’s both humorous and merciless treatment of everything, not excluding this very novel, "a literary allusion" which "puts the story of Marie-Sophie and the poor devil into perspective" and even "resounds the echoes of world literature". It is surely plesant to know that someone has the guts to "be entertaining in a crazy way"!
(Skånska Dagbladet, Jean Bolinder)-----------------------------------------------------------------_________________________-------------
Click "here" for an excerpt in English.
Click "ici" for an excerpt in French.