Solitude and its consolations-fleeting moments of divine and earthly illumination-are the central themes of World Light, a massive novel by the Icelandic writer and Nobel laureate Halld¢r Laxness. Released in trade paperback on the 100th anniversary of Laxness's birth, the novel tells the story of Olafur, an orphan boy who yearns to write poetry. His love for books-"he had a great longing to read... all the books in the world"-consoles him for his harsh treatment at the hands of his adoptive parents and accompanies him into adulthood as he contends with socialism and communism and an unhappy marriage.
