Book Review - Angels of the Universe

 Angels of the Universe
 Einar Már Gudmundsson
 translated from the Icelandic by Bernard Scudder
 Mál og menning 1995
 188 pages
 
 A book review by Danny Yee
 http://dannyreviews.com/h/Angels_Universe.html

In the first part of _Angels of the Universe_ Paul tells his life story,
going back to his grandparents and his birth in 1949, on the day that
Iceland joined NATO.  What might otherwise be the tale of an innocent,
untroubled childhood in Reykjavik is overshadowed from the beginning by
flash-forwards to his later mental illness and by the physical presence
of the asylum Klepp where he will be institutionalized.  And part two
describes Paul's time in and out of Klepp, and some of the friends
he makes: Oli Beatle believes he wrote the music of the Beatles; the
otherwise dapper Viktor has become obsessed by the figure of Adolf Hitler;
and Peter is a Sino-phile waiting for a doctorate from Beijing.  

It's a sad and poignant story, but one told with warmth and humour; in
the balance _Angels of the Universe_ is uplifting rather than depressing.
The terrors of schizophrenia and institutionalization are conveyed,
but remain more distant than the joys Paul and his friends find in life.
And, though intensely personal, _Angels of the Universe_ also offers an
unusual view of Icelandic society, both of its treatment of the mentally
ill and more generally.

--

%T      Angels of the Universe
%A      Einar Már Gudmundsson
%M      Icelandic
%F      Scudder, Bernard
%I      Mál og menning
%C      Reykjavik
%D      1995
%O      paperback
%G      ISBN 9979-3-2312-4
%P      188pp
%K      Iceland, world literature
%Z      the story of an Icelandic schizophrenic

11 November 2003

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        Copyright (c) 2003 Danny Yee       http://danny.oz.au/
        Danny Yee's Book Reviews      http://dannyreviews.com/
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