The Ambassador

(Paperback)

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Description

Sturla Jn Jnsson, the fifty-something building superintendent and sometimes poet, has been invited to a poetry festival in Vilnius, Lithuania, appointed, as he sees it, as the official representative of the people of Iceland to the field of poetry. His latest poetry collection, published on the eve of his trip to Vilnius, is about to cause some controversy in his home country-Sturla is publicly accused of having stolen the poems from his long-dead cousin, Jnas.

Reviews

" ... [The] quiet intransigence makes The Ambassador far more than a corrosive joke aimed at literary pretension or a sen-up of middle-aged mediocrity. Rather, it;s an elusive, almost fabulistic study of the endlessly interesting question of character and of the representativeness of our deeds. Happy in the regional literature with such pervasive envoys."Sam Munson, The National Praise for The Pets by Bragi lafsson Dark, strange, elusive, compelling, and oddly charming. . . . lafssons English-language debut is part Beckettian or even Kafkaesque black comedy, part existentialist novel in the Paul Auster mode, and part locked-room mystery.Kirkus Reviews The best short novel Ive read this year. . . . Small, dark, and hard to put down, The Pets may be a classic in the literature of small enclosed spacesa distinguished genre that includes The Metamorphosis, No Exit, and a fair amount of Beckett.Paul LaFarge Dark, scary, and unbelievably funny. . . . How long do we have to wait for English versions of lafssons other booksLos Angeles Times Delightfully funny and unexpectedly complex, The Pets introduces American readers to a fresh voice and perspective.L Magazine An artful mystery about dead animals, mundane objects, and disobedient people.Believer

Author Bio

Bragi lafsson is most well known for playing in The Sugarcubes. He is the author of several books of poetry, a number of plays, and five novels. His works have been finalists for the Icelandic Literature Prize and Nordic Literature Prize, and he has received the Icelandic Bookseller's Award. Lytton Smith is a poet and translator, and a founding member of Blind Tiger Poetry. His book, The All-Purpose Magical Tent was published by Nightboat. His poems and reviews have appeared in such publications as The Atlantic, The Believer, and Boston Review.