
Morkinskinna: The Earliest Icelandic Chronicle of the Norwegian Kings (1030–1157)
Roger Hargreaves
Morkinskinna ("rotten parchment"), the first full-length chronicle of the kings of medieval Norway (1030-1157), forms the basis of the Icelandic chronicle tradition. Based ultimately on an original from ca. 1220, the single defective manuscript was written in Iceland ca. 1275. The present volume, the first translation of Morkinskinna in any language, makes this literary milestone available to a general readership, with introduction and commentary to clarify its position in the history of medieval Icelandic letters. The book is designed to be used by readers with no knowledge of Icelandic. The translation is keyed to, and may be used in conjunction with, the existing diplomatic editions. Notes on the manuscript problems, as well as introductory and appended matter, augment the text. Above all, Kari Ellen Gade's edition of the skaldic stanzas provides a substantial initial step toward a future edition of the Icelandic text: Morkinskinna is the first large-scale repository of skaldic verse. Morkinskinna also includes many semi-independent tales that recount the adventures of individual Icelanders at the Norwegian court. These tales, with their often humorous or ironic inflections, shift the focus of the chronicle from the deeds of the kings to the Icelandic perception of Norwegian royalty.
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About Roger Hargreaves
Reviews for Morkinskinna: The Earliest Icelandic Chronicle of the Norwegian Kings (1030–1157)
Margaret Cormack, College of Charleston
Speculum: A Journal of Medieval Studies
Among... recent publications, pride of place must be accorded to the work under consideration here.... Their work deserves highest praise, because it is both useful to specialists and can be appreciated by the general public interested in Scandinavian history.... The prose is smooth, matching well the style of the original, but the poetry deserves special mention.... The work is a magisterial addition to Cornell's preeminent series, Islandica.
Jenny Jochens
Scandinavian Studies
Anderson and Gade's work provides an accurate translation, a thorough and thought-provoking introduction, and the medieval Icelandic text of the embedded verses both in their original form and in prose paraphrases. The resulting volume makes Morkinskinna and the considerable erudition brought to bear on it available to the widest possible scholarly audience.
Russell Poole, University of Western Ontario
Scandanavica 42:1
Its translators have provided the reader with a lucid and comfortable text that can be read by almost anyone.... Its 555 pages will surely be quickly recognized by students of Icelandic literature as a godsend.... This book is worth looking at and will add a regal majesty to your quest for the Old Norse past as well as to your bookshelves.
Thomas Martin
Norway Times