Wanting Moor

In early times, say the Icelandic chronicles, men from the Western Islands came to live in this country, and when they departed, left behind them crosses, bells, and other objects used in the practice of sorcery.
So begins Independent People, or in the original Icelandic, Sjálfstætt Fólk or Self-standing Folk. The author, Halldór Laxness, won the [...]

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Pump and Circumstance

Nothing beats a person of action. Thinkers are well and good; with them is where I’m most comfortable. But at the end of the day, I’ll put my money on the individual who does something, anything, to push an idea forward or to bring about good things. Especially when it comes to science. I’m a [...]

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Exit Ghost

When last October’s Atlantic hit the doorstep, I whisked past the cover displaying Bill Clinton’s unsightly mug and scoured the index for something to banish sight of him. What to my eyes should appear but the lead-in for a withering review by Christopher Hitchens of Philip Roth’s latest novel, Exit Ghost. I’ve read Hitchens for [...]

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Bodies of Water

Last month, I crossed the Atlantic twice. The outbound darkness hardly endures the trip; inevitably a curious passenger will open the shades shortly after midnight Central time to look at the water and wake everyone up by chasing the dawn to Europe. It can’t be helped. Returning, the ocean 40,000 feet below seems to sustain [...]

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Independent People

There couldn’t be a better time to read Halldór Laxness’ Independent People. I’m finding the world of an Icelandic sheep farmer cooling to this mid-westerner in the throes of a prematurely hot summer. Yesterday, mowing the lawn in 90 degrees, I tried to imagine reindeer riding in order to summon wintry images. I also thought [...]

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