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HalldOr Kiljan Laxness[hAl´dOr kil´yAn lAkhs´nes] Pronunciation Key, 1902–98, Icelandic novelist, b. ReykjavIk as HalldOr Kiljan GudjOnsson. Although Laxness was converted to Roman Catholicism briefly, The Weaver of Cashmere (1927) expressed his disillusionment with Christianity. His sympathies turned toward socialism and communism and are reflected in later novels. Salka Valka (1931–32, tr. 1936), Independent People (1934–35, tr. 1945–46), and The Light of the World (1937–40, tr. 1969) deal with Icelandic peasant life and describe an endless search for independence. Written in the great narrative tradition of the Icelandic epics, his novels set a new style for modern Icelandic literature and often provoked bitter controversy. His later works, such as Christianity at Glacier (tr. 1972) exhibit an interest in Taoism. Laxness received the 1955 Nobel Prize in Literature.
See studies by P. Hallberg (1971, repr. 1982).
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