Reykjavik Literary Agency

Since her first publication in 1965, Svava Jakobsdottir became one of Iceland's leading contemporary writers. In her stories plays and novels she has, with wit , humor and discerning eye, analysed and commented on the emerge of a modern, materialist Icelandic society which has grown so rapidly in the later half of the twentieth century. She is especially renowned for employing an imaginative prose style, blending detailed descriptions of peoples deepest thoughts, emotions and actions with an occasionally startling and exhilarating magical realism. With her inventive and stimulating discourse she critically and incisively explores the obsessions of this newly-independent, constantly expanding consumerism, status symbols, political and social conformity, the role of women in an age of economic and individual freedom, and, not least, the meaning of language and identity, whether of an Icelander in Iceland, or of an immigrant in a new country. Svava Jakobsdottir's prose fiction is one of modern Icelands greatest literary achievements.

“One’s position is so insecure when one is a lodger.” Since her first publication in 1965, Svava Jakobsdottir became one of Iceland's leading contemporary writers. In her stories plays and novels she has, with wit , humor and discerning eye, analysed and commented on the emerge of a modern, materialist Icelandic society which has grown so rapidly in the later half of the twentieth century. She is especially renowned for employing an imaginative prose style, blending detailed descriptions of peoples deepest thoughts, emotions and actions with an occasionally startling and exhilarating magical realism. With her inventive and stimulating discourse she critically and incisively explores the obsessions of this newly-independent, constantly expanding consumerism, status symbols, political and social conformity, the role of women in an age of economic and individual freedom, and, not least, the meaning of language and identity, whether of an Icelander in Iceland, or of an immigrant in a new country. Svava Jakobsdottir's prose fiction is one of modern Icelands greatest literary achievements.

“Set in Reykjavik of the 1960s, The Lodger is steeped in the politics of its time, namely the opposition to Iceland’s inclusion in NATO and the presence of armed forces at the U.S. Navy station in Keflavik. As such, it is interesting to note how the book’s social criticism has warped through time without losing any of its sharpness. “One’s position is so insecure when one is a lodger” exclaims the anonymous protagonist at the outset of this modern fable. She and her husband, young people, starting out in life, live together in a rented apartment while their future home is under construction. One day, their household is invaded by a strange man who simply walks in, puts his suitcase down and begins rearranging their furniture and making himself comfortable. Not knowing how to deal with this obtuse invader, the protagonist places her faith in her husband, trusting that he will have the unwanted houseguest out on his ear, but is aghast when her husband actually welcomes the man into their home with brotherly camaraderie. As the protagonist tries to adjust to this new presence in their home, her husband becomes ever more distant and the two men seem to bond together against her with effortless, unspoken ease. They even begin changing physically, resembling one another more and more and growing larger or smaller depending on the level of confidence shown by the protagonist.

Reviews

“One’s position is so insecure when one is a lodger.”

“A classic masterpiece!”

SILJA ADALSTEINSDOTTIR, MORGUNBLADID DAILY

“There is a glorious cruelty to Svava Jakobsdottir’s stories, one which finds its peak in this novel.”

B.H., GRAPEVINE.IS

“Svava Jakobsdóttir´s original and compelling stories are simple on the surface but uniquely subtle and powerful in their critical irony, taking the accepted and normal and turning it on its head in unexpected ways. Necessary to understand not only Iceland but the entire 20th century and beyond, not least from a woman´s point of view.”

KATRIN JAKOBSDOTTIR

At the time of its publication The Lodger may have been interpreted as an obvious critique of the Icelandic government’s kowtowing to US foreign policy but what will remain apparent to modern readers is the novel’s depiction of the anxieties and frustrations of a woman’s precarious position in the household. Even so, The Lodger contains a hopeful message about the importance of speaking up and claiming your space in the world.”

BJORN HALLDORSSON, BOKMENNTIR.IS

“This novel is clearly a strong reference to the role of the US in Iceland and strong criticism of it, both of the US and the Icelanders who tolerated it or even encouraged it. Her general theme in her works had been a feminist one, that of a woman being treated as a second-class citizen and, in this book, Peter, the husband clearly defers to the lodger, even when his wife asks him to act, just as the Iceland government did with the US bases. It is a very clever attack on this issue and though perhaps too short to be called a novel, it is very readable.”

THEMODERNNOVEL.ORG

“Her use of the fantastical reaches its high point in the novel The Lodger, which begins with this sentence: “One’s position is so insecure when one is a lodger”. The novel’s centre of consciousness lies with the woman who is married to Peter. They live in a rented flat, but are in the process of building a detached house, like half of the Icelandic nation. A complete stranger turns up in their flat one fine day, and moves in with them. He makes himself comfortable in their hallway. They gradually become psychologically dependent on him, and call him the “lodger”. He finances the new house and moves into it with the couple. In the new house, Peter and the lodger begin to merge into one, and when a stranger knocks on the door, on Christmas Eve, the woman tries to open the door but cannot, because her arm has turned to stone. In the woman’s eyes, isolation and freedom are the same thing, and her dream about her own house, where she can lock herself in and become free, in fact consists of incompatible opposites. Through this basic idea, Svava Jakobsdottir unites the three levels of the book: the woman’s psychology and her position within the family, the family’s position in society, and Iceland’s position in relation to other countries. The Lodger is a sharply political satire, and it makes liberal use of carnivalesque and grotesque effects. Power relations are repeatedly overturned, the border between subject and object is blurred, and the deprivations people suffer are made absolutely clear through the disabled bodies and caricatured grimaces. ... Her novella The Lodger which is an ambivalent piece of writing, has been interpreted as an allegory of the impact of the NATO base on the mentality of Icelanders, although this interpretation disregards the novel’s feminist views.”

NORDICWOMENSLITERATURE.NET

“Svava’s modernist tale, largely set in a single apartment, captures the claustrophobia of Cold War Iceland which seemed a lot more isolated than it is today. The titular lodger takes it upon himself to protect a middle-aged couple from the outside world. While this was at the time seen as a parable for the American military base, it no less addresses present-day concerns. Its style, combining the grotesquely fantastical with realism, caused a sensation upon publication.”

VALUR GUNNARSSON, NATIONALCENTREFORWRITING.ORG.UK

The Lodger (1969)

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