Heaven and Hell Hardcover – March 11, 2014

This is a startling piece of literature, the first of a trilogy that has some of the finest poetry ever. It invites one to think, slowly, carefully about life and death, even the almost dead and those who almost live. This book is not a quick read, by any means, and by all means not a book to set aside. Yes, there is lots about fishing, lots about ice and snow, oceans and mountains, and the insignificant (or significant) space between where humans live or try to live. Follow this book with the next one, "Angels of Sorrow" and then with the final one, "Heart of Man." You will never regret it.

The words have grabbed hold of me from page one, and I wanted the prose to flow on forever. I read in circles, rereading the same passages, retracing my steps, and advancing over the previous endpoint, and so until the end. As in a Greek tragedy, there is a chorus, a chorus of long-departed voices that murmurs like a subterranean river of memory, "Our words are a kind of rescue team on a relentless mission to save past events and extinguished lives from the black hole of oblivion, and that is no easy task." The story is simple, because. in the end, life, too, is simple: life, love, death, there is little else: "People are alive, have their moments, their kisses, laughter, their embraces, words of endearment, their joys and sorrows, each life is a universe that then collapses and leaves nothing behind but a few objects that acquire attractive power through the deaths of their owners, become important, sometimes sacred...". Life unfolds in the grip of the elements, between the sea and the mountains, between the black earth and the distant sky, everything connected in a web of emotions, hopes, uncertainties. "... the body's blood vessels, the arteries, the veins, and capillaries that are nearly four hundred thousand kilometers long, reach the moon and just touch out into the black space beyond it ... Andrea stands between the boat and the hut ... her veins reach to the moon." Life unfolds between heaven and earth. Heaven is "having something to eat, to have escaped the storm, come through the breakers that roar just beyond the land, to hit them at precisely the right second required to sail through them...". "Hell is having arms and no one to embrace."Stefansson's slim volume is thick with immemorial wisdom, words that will touch you and remain with you for a long time; a wisdom that has nothing in common with the trivialities dispensed by self-help books or "inspirational" drivel that people reach for in moments of desperation, or because they don't know any better. It is as distant from these things as the verses sung by a skipper in the midst of a storm at sea, words that rip deeper and deeper into the soul, to keep the crew warm, are distant from pedestrian rhymes that pass for poetry.To be able to read, is not as great a skill as knowing how to read, say the voices. Interestingly, in Stefansson's narrative, poetry, here, Milton's, gives humans a force of resistance, against the cold, against the toil... But one must keep things in balance: sometimes a windbreaker is much more important than a line of poetry. ...Needless to say, I've immediately ordered Stefansson's two other books, recently translated into English,  The Sorrow of Angels  and  The Sorrow of Angels .

I will simply re-post here my review of the second book of the series and say that you should definitely Heaven and Hell first and then follow with The Sorrow of Angels and The Heart of Man:I purchased The Sorrow of Angels while visiting Iceland upon the recommendation of a very interesting tour guide. Unable to find the first book in the trilogy (Heaven and Hell), I just dove into the story midway in this second book. It is the tale of a young man's coming of age uniquely written in this Icelandic author's artistic style. Stefansson has the ability to weave a tale of life, death, love, hardship and hope in a way that totally immerses the reader in Icelandic life at the turn of the last century. It is at times dreamy and fantastical, at other times harsh and unforgiving. Upon finishing I simply had to read the third and then finally the first book. Now I am reading them all once again, in order this time, and relishing the experience more slowly.

This novel is unique in its style and character orientation. The brooding narrative seems to describe the unique character of Islanders, their stoicism, interest in the written word, physical prowess, perhaps, fixation with death living in a harsh environment as they do, social stratification, religious belief. The scene is a cluster of fishing shacks and a village on the west coast of Iceland when a pony or legs were the means of transportation on land and a six oar/sailing vessel the cod fishermen's passage on the sea. The chief character is a boy who has lost his father and best friend to the treacherous sea. The characters are wells drawn if a trifle unbelievable. Reading it gives you the sense that the author is presenting an homage to the historic and mythic Icelandic sagas. Worth the exploration. Sheldon Greene is a novelist.

He is an exceptional author. The book is captivating and sensitive. A book in prose by a well acknowledged poet. I and numerouse others eagerly await English translations of some of his other works. The first part is about winter ocean fishing from a small boat and the second part is along the lines of "Leaves of Grass" set in a small Icelandic village. I was recommended the book by a French artist as more of his works have been translated into French. Heaven and Hell could easily be called Earth, Sky, and Sea. Don't worry, it will not offend your view of god or try to convert you to anvthing other than an additiction to excellent literature.

Wonderful first in the series coming-of-age novel.

This is a fantastic book with a strong story including many hardships, but the prose is absolutely delectable and warms the heart. Highly recommended

Wonderful book. Unusual style and subject matter, quite philosophical on the nature of life and death. The other two in the trilogy are also fantastic.

I never write reviews but feel compelled to praise this novel. A friend who reads avidly said that it was the best book he had read in years. I tried it and couldn't agree more. The writer explores the relationship of men to men, fishermen in dangerous seas, and their relationship to the sea and to the force of the mountains in which they live. The prose is carefully chosen, sometimes quite lyrical and beautiful. The translator has also chosen well in the choices he has made to capture the original. A gentle, sad look at life and quite magnificently crafted.

'Heaven and Hell' is the first of an extraordinary trilogy of novels recreating the harsh conditions of life in late 19th century Iceland, with a cast of characters whose determination to live lives that transcend their narrow situations is truly inspiring. Wonderful prose, wonderfully translated.

I unwittingly started reading this trilogy at number two, then found this one. And pre-ordered part three. The most beautiful trilogy I've ever read. I found myself wallowing in the beauty of the language, the awesomeness of the landscape and the perseverance of the characters.

I really loved the other-wordly feel of this novel and devoured it in just a few sittings. It's been a long time since I last did that. I've never been to Iceland but am lucky enough to have visited Greenland; there is something deeply spiritual in these bleak landscapes that gets right into your soul and this book really captured that for me. Launching straight into the next one right now!