The Fish Can Sing is one of Halldór Laxness's
most beloved novels, a poignant coming-of-age
tale marked with his peculiar blend of light
irony and dark humor. -The orphan Alfgrimur has
spent an idyllic childhood sheltered in the
simple turf cottage of a generous and eccentric
elderly couple. Alfgrimur dreams only of
becoming a fisherman like his adoptive
grandfather, until he meets Iceland's biggest
celebrity. The opera singer Gardar Holm's
international fame is a source of tremendous
pride to tiny, insecure Iceland, though no one
there has ever heard him sing. A mysterious man
who mostly avoids his homeland, Gardar takes a
particular interest in Alfgrimur's budding
musical talent and urges him to seek out the
world beyond the one he knows and loves. But as
Alfgrimur discovers that Gardar is not what he
seems, he begins to confront the challenge of
finding his own path without turning his back on
where he came from.