Eiríkur Örn Norðdahl

Eiríkur Örn Norðdahl’s novel boldly explores the nature of existence and its ultimate foundations.

The plot of Náttúrulögmálin (not translated into English) takes place in Ísafjörður in 1925. The cast of characters is large, and the story depicts sharp conflicts between the townspeople and the clergy, between folk beliefs and the Christian faith, between faith in general and science, and between civilisation and the laws of nature. Drunkenness and promiscuity are more the rule than the exception among both the local population and the visiting clergy.

At the beginning of the book, priests in long robes arrive in town from all directions. Ísafjörður is set to host Iceland’s largest church assembly. The men of God take their drinks and lift their robes as needed. The townspeople have no objections to this – except when the priests run off with their wives. The clerics are led by H.H. Jón Hallvarðsson, Iceland’s youngest and most handsome bishop. He is strikingly beautiful, quiet, an alcoholic, and sensitive. The bishop has been tasked with disproving the content of a folktale, thereby strengthening the Christian faith. But it all ends in horror. During this course of events, God reveals himself to the townspeople and priests – taking physical form on the mountainside above the settlement.

As soon as heaven’s representative begins to influence the story, the devil and his “demons” arrive on cue. As expected, this happens with great cunning.

Due to the growing number of miracles, a group of scientists is soon called in to combat public delusions. They measure one thing after another and engage in extensive discussions, to the great displeasure of both the clergy and the people of Ísafjörður. Folk beliefs cannot coexist with Christian faith – faith wishes to be free of science, and the scientists fail to connect with either the townspeople or the clergy. However, the representatives of heaven and hell occasionally form excellent connections with certain individuals!

The bishop meets the shop assistant Engilráð, and despite the vast difference in their social standing, they begin a love affair. It becomes a battle between fidelity and promiscuity, and class differences have no power when love’s intimacy – or lust – demands its due. New conflicts arise throughout.

Following God’s visit to the town, an old woman from society’s lowest ranks becomes the spiritual leader of a small congregation, who push her around in a wheelbarrow, seeking her counsel. Despite his small stature, Ísafjörður’s diminutive pastor, Jónas "Manspart", reigns over the priesthood. In the end, the laws of nature prevail.

Eiríkur Örn Norðdahl (b. 1978) is one of the most productive and versatile authors in modern Icelandic literature. He has published several poetry collections, avantgarde poetry, and has conducted boundary-pushing experiments with concrete poetry, digital poetry, and spoken-word happenings. He has also written novels, actively engaged in social debate, and authored essays, columns, and opinion pieces. Among his most well-known works is the novel Illska (2014, not translated into English), which was nominated for the Nordic Council Literature Prize in 2014.