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Title: Egil's Saga by Hermann Palsson, Paul Edwards ISBN: 0-14-044321-5 Publisher: Viking Press Pub. Date: February, 1977 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $14.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.39 (18 reviews)
Rating: 4
Summary: Egil's Saga
Comment: This book translated by Hermann Pálsson and Paul Edwards is well worth the money. It's writing style is fairly smooth and the translation seems to follow the original text nicely. However, the poetry that Egil recites is thick and slow, but this is to be expected in Old Norse translation. The plot in Egil's Saga takes a while to get started since it begins with his grandfather but this helps prepare you for Egil's journeys. After all, Icelanders spend much time with genealogy. Also, The text is accompanied by an excellent introduction. However, like most introductions, you want to read it after finishing the book since it gives a lot away. Overall, I would definitely recommend this book.
Rating: 5
Summary: Everyone Should Read Egil's Saga
Comment: Egil's Saga is an account of the life and adventures of the villainous Icelandic hero, Egil Skallagrimsson, and other members of his lineage. In reading Egil's Saga, I could not help drawing comparisons to the character Hannibal Lector in the Silence of the Lambs. Hannibal is a cannibal whose personality one cannot help liking. Egil Skallagrimsson is an ugly, opinionated, brutal murderer, a drunkard, a miser, and an unfaithful son; however, at the same time, he is a gifted poet, a farmer, a devoted friend, and the bravest, strongest of warriors. Although the reader may begin the story despising him, one ends up sympathizing with him and even cheering for him.
Egil's unique characterization alone is enough to keep a reader interested in his plight, yet there are additional appealing aspects of Egil's Saga as well. Primarily, the story has something for every reader'action, suspense, comedy, fantasy, history, violence, romance, and even some scientific appeal; although, the blunt descriptions of Egil's actions may be a deterrent to squeamish readers. The saga also presents a window into Viking culture, with the authors' introduction aiding in the development of the full image of Viking life. This introduction lacks historical information, however, when compared with that which appears in Anthony Faulke's edition of Three Icelandic Outlaw Sagas. In comparing another Icelandic saga, the Saga of Gisli, to Egil's Saga, nonetheless, I found the story of Egil's adventures and his characterization far more engaging that that of Gisli's. I would definitely recommend this larger-than-life story to anyone looking for a book that will both entertain and educate the reader.
Rating: 4
Summary: Egil's Saga
Comment: Hermann Pálsson's translation of Egil's Saga, does a great job of making this Icelandic saga accessible to an English-speaking reader. The saga tells a biography of Egil Skallagrimsson, and his relatives for two generations both before and after him. Like most Icelandic sagas, there is a great deal of violence in the text, and much of it is treated casually. In and of itself this is not necessarily a bad thing, but it does make the saga inappropriate for young children. Egil's adventures tend to showcase both his skill at killing and his skill as a poet. The saga provides an interesting look at politics in Norway, Iceland, and England in approximately the period 850-1000 AD. As with the other Icelandic sagas, there is a strong basis for the story in historical facts, although the amount of fiction present is difficult to be sure of.
While I disliked several aspects of the contents of the book, my only gripe about the presentation of the saga itself is the existence of summarizing chapter titles, such as 'The King kills Thorolf,' which tend to give away what will happen in a particular chapter. Sadly, the introduction is not particularly useful, as it focuses on summarizing the plot, rather than attempting to explain to the reader what the actual society of Medieval Iceland and Norway was like. This would have been more useful for an understanding of the saga. The only really useful part of the introduction is the existence of a pair of family tree diagrams, which give the reader some small hope of keeping track of how various people are related to each other. The maps at the back of the book are helpful in providing a sense of the geographic locations where events occur, although there is no map covering the events that occurred in England.
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Title: Laxdaela Saga by Magnussen, Magnus Magnusson ISBN: 0140442189 Publisher: Viking Press Pub. Date: November, 1969 List Price(USD): $12.95 |
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Title: Njal's Saga by Robert Cook ISBN: 0140447695 Publisher: Penguin USA (Paper) Pub. Date: 28 May, 2002 List Price(USD): $14.00 |
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Title: Vinland Sagas: Norse Discovery of America by Magnus Magnusson ISBN: 0140441549 Publisher: Viking Press Pub. Date: June, 1965 List Price(USD): $12.00 |
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Title: King Harald's Saga by Magnus Magnusson, Paulsson Herman, Snorri Sturlusson, Hermann Palsson ISBN: 0140441832 Publisher: Viking Press Pub. Date: October, 1976 List Price(USD): $12.00 |
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Title: The Saga of the Volsungs: The Norse Epic of Sigurd the Dragon Slayer (Penguin Classics) by Jesse L. Byock ISBN: 0140447385 Publisher: Penguin USA (Paper) Pub. Date: January, 2000 List Price(USD): $13.00 |
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