The Ice Palace

Overview

A beautiful gift edition of Vesaas's prose-novel 

In rural Norway, one evening after school, 11-year-old Siss and Unn strike up a deep and unusual bond. When the next day Unn sets off into the wintry woods in search of a mysterious frozen waterfall, known locally as the "ice palace," and does not return, a devastated Siss takes it upon herself to find her missing friend. The Ice Palace is one of the most memorable achievements in modern literature thanks in large part to Vesaas's unique command of a sparse, figurative and fragmentary style. As part of the Peter Owen Cased Classics series, this edition is bound with printed endpapers, head and tail bands and a ribbon marker. The elegant dust jacket features a die cutting in the shape of an ice shard, while printed on the cover board is the work of acclaimed contemporary artist Kaye Donachie.

Reviews

"If I had to choose a book I'm surprised isn't the most famous book in the world it might be The Ice Palace." —Max Porter, author, Grief Is the Thing with Feathers

"How simple this novel is. How subtle. How strong. How unlike any other. It is unique. It is unforgettable. It is extraordinary." —Independent

"The narrative is urgent, the descriptions relentlessly beautiful, the meaning as powerful as the ice piling up on the lake." —Times

"Austere poetical clarity, stoical wisdom and a vivid response to nature." —Times Literary Supplement

Author Biography

Tarjei Vesaas (1897–1970) was a Norwegian poet and novelist whose sparse, poetic and figurative style won him international acclaim and three separate nominations for the Nobel Prize in Literature. Elizabeth Rokkan was awarded the St. Olav Medal for her efforts to make Norwegian literature available to English speakers.