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2077132,013 (4.02)12
Broadcaster Richard Fidler and author Kari Gíslason are good friends. They share a deep attachment to the sagas of Iceland - the true stories of the first Viking families who settled on that remote island in the Middle Ages.These are tales of blood feuds, of dangerous women and people who are compelled to kill the ones they love the most. The sagas are among the greatest stories ever written, but the identity of their authors is largely unknown. Together, Richard and Kari travel across Iceland, to the places where the sagas unfolded a thousand years ago. They cross fields, streams and fjords to immerse themselves in the folklore of this fiercely beautiful island. And there is another mission: to resolve a longstanding family mystery - a gift from Kari's Icelandic father that might connect him to the greatest of the saga authors.… (more)
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I thoroughly enjoy Richard Fidler's ABC interview program and I knew Justice Asche (NT Supreme Court) who was an expert on the Icelandic Sagas. I enjoyed the book but eventually lost my with it. Will need to revisit.
  NJSResearch | Jan 1, 2021 |
Saga Land was just what I needed after the unedifying experience of reading Burnt Sugar. It's a travel book of sorts: a memoir of time spent in Iceland, where ABC radio presenter Richard Fidler went to make a program about Icelandic sagas, with his friend, university academic Kári Gíslason. There are retellings of some of the most famous sagas, and it's also about a search for identity because Gíslason had some personal issues to sort out.

The book was written collaboratively, chapters alternating between the two authors. The style is relaxed and intimate, much like Fidler's very popular program Conversations. And although it's published as a paperback not a coffee table book, there are colour plates which illustrate (for those of us who've never been to Iceland) the landscape through which they travelled.

To read the rest of my review, please visit https://anzlitlovers.com/2020/12/15/saga-land-by-richard-fidler-and-kari-gislaso... ( )
  anzlitlovers | Dec 14, 2020 |
Richard Fidler and Kari Gislason combine to produce a book about Icelandic sagas, but also about the authors, and the people, the landscape, and the history of Iceland, and a few other quirky bits thrown in for good measure. The result is light and highly readable, but with enough meat to be satisfying. ( )
  mbmackay | Jan 2, 2020 |
Iceland is probably one of the most unknown well-known country on earth... at least for me. Those around 30 years ago may remember it was the place that Presidents Reagan and Gorbachev first met in a summit that was the start of the end of the Cold War. And in the decade or so before that, the Cold War was being played out on a chess board, when the Soviet star Boris Spassky met the crazy Bobby Fisher. I still remember hearing the story unfold on the radio and in the papers.
In this book, these modern stories are wonderfully woven into a story of ancient Icelandic sagas, the first 'discovery' of North America by the Scandinavians, and the quest for a son to find his heritage that is closely linked to one of the most famous Islanders. ( )
  robeik | Feb 24, 2019 |
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Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
Richard Fidlerprimary authorall editionscalculated
Gislason, Karimain authorall editionsconfirmed
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Broadcaster Richard Fidler and author Kari Gíslason are good friends. They share a deep attachment to the sagas of Iceland - the true stories of the first Viking families who settled on that remote island in the Middle Ages.These are tales of blood feuds, of dangerous women and people who are compelled to kill the ones they love the most. The sagas are among the greatest stories ever written, but the identity of their authors is largely unknown. Together, Richard and Kari travel across Iceland, to the places where the sagas unfolded a thousand years ago. They cross fields, streams and fjords to immerse themselves in the folklore of this fiercely beautiful island. And there is another mission: to resolve a longstanding family mystery - a gift from Kari's Icelandic father that might connect him to the greatest of the saga authors.

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