The Thief of Time (1986)

The Thief of Time is one of the most influential and widely discussed Icelandic novels of recent years and has been published to great critical acclaim in various European countries.

Alda is an attractive modern woman who enjoys a rewarding job as a language teacher and lives on her own in Reykjavik in a house inherited from her parents. Alda likes to feel in control of every aspect of her life and conducts her love affairs accordingly. Her life follows a reassuring routine, until the day she initiates a torrid love affair with one of her fellow teachers and her whole existence is turned upside down. The relationship takes over her life and finally becomes an uncontrollable thief of time.

The Thief of Time is a powerful exploration of the dissolution of time in the face of self-destructive love. The book was made into a major motion picture directed by Yves Angelo, with a script by Nancy Huston and starring Émmanuelle Béart.