Gunnar Karlsson

HISTORIA DE ISLANDIA EN INGLES

If nothing else, Gunnar Karlsson's title for his history of Iceland is accurate. It is definitely a brief history. Something like an amuse-bouche.

It's well-written, albeit dry, focusing more on mid-19th century to relative present day. There is brief reference to its indigenous and Viking roots, referring more to the advent of Christianity and more modern political structure.

Still, a quick overview for anyone just interested in appetizers.

This is a fairly dry and academic - but nevertheless interesting - history of Iceland from the settlement era through to 2000. Having read about the sagas of the Settlement Era, I wanted something that would bring me up to date, and this book did that - although I would have liked more coverage of the environmental and ecological factors affecting Iceland during that time, which are alluded to but rarely addressed directly.