Sixty Kilos of Sundays (2024)

2024

616 pages

Fiction

Fiction Highlights

THE SIXTY KILO SAGA, VOLUME #3 When Gestur Eilifsson, our protagonist, receives an unexpected letter from his father, who he thought was long lost at sea, he embarks on a long journey out west, to meet him before he dies. In America, he discovers a strange, new world — and uncharted parts of himself. Meanwhile, back in his home fjord, everything is in flux. New characters and ideas come ashore, sparking a decade of fierce class struggle. The narrative picks up immediately after the end of Volume 2, spanning the years between 1919 and 1932, and a host of characters, both familiar and fresh, come alive in its pages.

ABOUT THE TRILOGY The Sixty Kilo Saga is an immersive historical trilogy that charts Iceland’s journey from being one of the poorest nations in Europe at the turn of the 20th century to a society on the brink of modernity. At the heart of this sweeping narrative is the boy Gestur, who is saved from an avalanche on page one, at the age of two, and is orphaned shortly after that. We follow his constant struggle for survival in the remote fjord village of Seglo, where life changes overnight after Norwegian fishermen discover a herring fishery—a discovery that transforms the once-backward parish into a boomtown in a matter of years.

As the herring industry flourishes, Gestur eyes an opportunity to escape his poverty, and Seglo becomes a symbol of Iceland’s rapid growth, but it’s also a place of stark contrasts. The trilogy masterfully explores the intertwined lives of a diverse cast of characters—fishermen, officials, priests, entrepreneurs, and families—whose personal struggles reflect the larger societal shifts.

Through richly detailed prose, the saga captures the majesty of Iceland’s rugged landscape and the gritty reality of a community swept up by change. With themes of survival, ambition, and identity, The Sixty Kilo Saga is a powerful exploration – both timeless and timely – of how the tides of fortune shape not only an individual and a village but an entire nation.

Sixty Kilos of Sundays (2024)

Five stars out of five ★★★★★

Reviews

Sixty Kilos of Sundays is a monumental work, both mentally and physically. [Helgason] possesses a rich stylistic talent: he creates credible dialogues among people of different backgrounds, crafting situations that are vivid in conversations between two people, smaller groups, large gatherings, and meetings. He stages interactions with great finesse, arranging events in aerial perspectives, both near and far. [Helgason] employs both minor and major characteristics in sound, light, and shade, weaving them into larger wholes where irony, wit, ambiguity, intimacy, and praise balance in a writing style that is simultaneously disciplined and polished yet often extravagant and playful in its vivid imagery. [Helgason] is a master of language and needs no comparative grammar to assert that few can match him in our time, as he has become so playful and articulate. There is much brilliance in [Helgason’s] writing in this volume: the use of color, descriptions of twilight and light, intricate glimmering fabric in flying poetry, and lightning-fast shifts in the narrative that leave the reader astonished by his skill and tricks in the language. And then there’s the construction of this great work. [Helgason] has given us a masterpiece that will outlast our time and shape the understanding and knowledge, as well as the feelings of future generations about the perilous adventure that the beginning of herring fishing at Siglufjordur represented. Stars? The starry sky sparkles in the final flourish of the series.

PBB, HEIMILDIN WEEKLY

This is an immense work ... the most significant event in Icelandic literature, at least in this century, and even if both this century and the last were counted ... [60 Kilos of Sundays] is like a simmering ball of herring making its way into the fjord - everything bubbles and swells with narrative joy and thrilling events.

OLINA KJERULF THORVARDARDOTTIR, KILJAN NATIONAL TV

[Sixty Kilos of Sundays]...is undeniably a remarkable achievement in the realm of Icelandic literature

EGILL HELGASON, KILJAN NATIONAL TV

I am in awe of Hallgrímur Helgason's ability to fulfil the grand ambitions of his novels. Few authors can so brilliantly traverse time and generations to explore epic narratives of society and nationhood while also attending to the individual to deep emotional effect. Hallgrímur Helgason does not so much draw the reader in, as hurtle them deep within the worlds and hearts of his characters. This is a gutsy writer, unafraid of wedding humour and profundity, nor the vast scope of history to the private, interior life.

HANNAH KENT, WRITER

Helgason's best book to-date ... Sixty Kilos of Sundays is a magnificent conclusion in an extraordinary opera.

SS, LIFDU NUNA

As the proud publisher of The Sixty Kilo Saga, we at Kagge are thrilled to bring this monumental work by Helgason to readers in Norway. This is not merely a series; it’s an extraordinary achievement in storytelling and a triumph of language. Helgason has crafted a vivid tapestry, brimming with memorable characters, lush descriptions, and a narrative that sweeps readers into the heart of Siglufjordur’s herring fishing era. Already celebrated as one of the most significant works in Icelandic literature, The Sixty Kilo Saga captures the universal joys and perils of life and the power of place to shape a people and a culture. As you turn each page, you’ll encounter the genius of a writer at his peak, whose command of language is unmatched, whose wit is sharp, and whose talent brings the rugged landscape of Iceland to life. We are honored to publish this masterpiece and share Helgason’s unique voice—a voice that will undoubtedly resonate with readers for generations to come.

VIDAR STRØM FALLRØ, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, KAGGE, NORWAY

[Helgason] delivers a moving historical fresco with Sixty Kilos of Sunshine, a powerful and generous poetic work. Epic ... [Helgason]is a formidable storyteller who cultivates a bitingly sarcastic irony ... Sixty Kilos of Sunshine is a testament of love, an act of resilience, and great generosity ... a poetic work.

MOHAMED BERKANI, FRANCE INFO

Sixty Kilos of Sunshine has the virtues of a great literary saga, teeming with characters ... [a] novel [...] like an Icelandic evening when the sun does not want to set ... Highly recommended.

ÉRIC ATTIC, BENZINE MAGAZINE

Big literature from a small country!

DENIS SCHECK, DRUCKFRISH, GERMAN LITERARY TV PROGRAMME

Rights Sold

Translation rights sold

DenmarkLindhardt & Ringhof

GermanyTropen

NorwayKagge

RussiaGorodets

USNorton's