{"product_id":"oraefi-the-wasteland-9781941920671","title":"Oraefi: The Wasteland","description":"An ambitious epic novel showcases the brutal elements of human nature and mother nature alike in Iceland's most desolate region\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eÓfeigur Sigurðsson was born in Reykjavík on November 2, 1975. He has published six books of poetry and two novels. Ófeigur has tried his hand at a number of things: working as a uniformed night-watchman at a hotel, pre-packing ham and bacon at a factory farm, exercising his brawn as a dock worker, and exercising his brains as a student at the Philosophy Department of the University of Iceland, from where he received his BA degree in 2007, with a thesis on the taboo and transgression in the works of Georges Bataille. Ófeigur is at the forefront of a poetic movement of dynamic young creative people, who have recently had a hand in reshaping the form of Icelandic poetry. He has translated literature and written for radio on writers including Louis-Ferdinand Céline and Michel Houellebecq. A prolific poet, Ófeigur has published several collections including \u003ci\u003eToast to the Midwinter\u003c\/i\u003e (2001) and \u003ci\u003eRedness\u003c\/i\u003e (2006). In 2005 his first novel, \u003ci\u003eÁferð\u003c\/i\u003e, was published and received very positive reviews. His second novel, \u003ci\u003eJón\u003c\/i\u003e (2010), the story of a man writing letters to his pregnant wife from a cave, became the first Icelandic novel to receive the European Union Prize for Literature. Ófeigur's latest book, \u003ci\u003eÖræfi\u003c\/i\u003e, came out in 2014 and was the runaway literary sensation of the year, becoming a massive bestseller and receiving the Icelandic Literary Prize, and it was also chosen as the year's best book among the country's booksellers. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eLytton Smith (born 1982) is an Anglo-American poet and translator. His poetry collections include \u003ci\u003eThe All-Purpose Magical Tent\u003c\/i\u003e (Nightboat Books, 2009), which was selected by Terrance Hayes for the Nightboat Books Poetry Prize in 2009, and a previous chapbook, \u003ci\u003eMonster Theory\u003c\/i\u003e, selected by Kevin Young for the Poetry Society of America Chapbook Fellowship in 2008. He has taught at Columbia University, Fordham University, and Plymouth University, and is currently a professor at SUNY-Geneseo. In addition to his work translation Jón Gnarr, he has translated two other novels from Icelandic: \u003ci\u003eThe Ambassador\u003c\/i\u003e, by Bragi Ólafsson (Open Letter 2010) and \u003ci\u003eA Child in Reindoor Woods\u003c\/i\u003e by Kristín Ómarsdóttir (Open Letter, 2012), and his translation of \u003ci\u003eTómas Jónsson, Bestseller\u003c\/i\u003e by Gudbergur Bergsson is forthcoming from Open Letter Books.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Deep Vellum Publishing","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50446953218322,"sku":"9781941920671","price":12.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_7225a913-9051-4923-aab5-32f659657209.jpg?v=1729711587","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/oraefi-the-wasteland-9781941920671","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}