Description:
In Ósmann, Ferryman of the North, Joachim B. Schmidt delivers his most accomplished novel to date: a luminous work of historical fiction inspired by the true life of Jón Magnússon Ósmann (1862-1914), a legendary ferryman from northern Iceland. In lyrical, myth-infused prose, Schmidt portrays love, loss and resilience on a remote fjord in the north of the country.
For more than forty years, Ósmann has rowed people, animals, and goods across the icy waters of Skagafjörður, becoming a figure of near-mythic stature. A fisherman and a winter seal hunter, a poet, drinker and devout believer, he shelters the needy and lives in close communion with a landscape where elves, ghosts and faith coexist. His generous spirit extends to friendships and to three great loves, yet his life is marked by profound loss: children die in infancy, friends drown or emigrate, and modernity slowly encroaches on the valley he has always known.
Told with fluid, lyrical prose and a deep sense of place, Ósmann blends history, myth and human vulnerability to evoke a vanished way of life at the edge of the Arctic. Beautiful, moving and quietly powerful, it confirms Schmidt -- already well known to English-language readers for Kalmann and Kalmann and the Sleeping Mountain -- as one of the most distinctive voices in contemporary European fiction.
Brief description: Jamie Lee Searle is a well-known translator from German and Portuguese into English. She has translated novels by Urs Faes, Anna Kim, Marc-Uwe Kling, Christoph Ribbat and the first Kalmann books of course. She lives in Winchester in the UK.
Review Quotes:
REVIEWS OF OSMANN
»Here the past is recreated in a captivating narrative of the ferryman and his fellow travellers. Bjarni Jónsson translates the story exceptionally beautifully. The text is at once old and new and opens up a lost world to readers.« Jury statement for the 2026 >Icelandic Translation Award
"In Ósmann Joachim B. Schmidt's draws on a rich tradition of storytelling and local lore. The novel is set in a remote corner of Iceland at the end of the 19th century and recreates the life of an extraordinary character with great insight and flair. Jón Ósmann is widely remembered in the region as one of those people that are larger than life, but Schmidt shows you under the surface where you find great depth, complexity, and tragedy. Skillfully constructed and beautifully written, it is a pure delight to read." Úa Matthíasdóttir, publisher at Forlagið
»This book is an absolute gem. [...] Ósmann is a powerful story, exceptionally well written, and it has a tone that penetrates the soul.« Steingerður Steinarsdóttir
»A remarkable book about an incredible man [...] an absolute miracle.« Hallgrímur Helgason (101 Reykjavík, Sixty Kilos of Sunshine)
»It is an art to have life and death under your belt and writing with emotion and sensitivity, without being vulgar, writing about the past without being old-fashioned, with knowledge without being eccentric, with warmth without being pedantic. Joachim succeeds in all of this in this work, he is a great addition to Icelandic literature.« Halldór Guðmundsson (Halldór Laxness biographer)
REVIEWS OF KALMANN
Book of the Month: "This affectionately comical yet beautiful and unique Icelandic mystery ensures the reader sits on the edge of a precipice before understanding strikes." ---LoveReading, Liz Robinson
"Told with pathos and much humour and a genuine sympathy for the damaged hero, not mention slipping in some satirical barbs about Icelandic attitudes to foreigners. The only thing it does not explain is why fermented, sometimes rotting, shark meat should be such an Icelandic delicacy."---Shots Magazine
"The narrative charms of Schmidt's unlikely detective will keep readers turning the pages. Nordic crime fans won't want to miss this unusual take on a familiar story."---Publishers Weekly
"Schmidt's novels show a sensitivity to how the accumulation of seemingly small events makes up the drama of human life."---Sjón, Icelandic novelist (Red Milk and The Blue Fox), poet and Björk collaborator, poet and Björk collaborator is a surrealist for our time.
"An absolute must buy-and-read. I took it down in one sitting because I was so enraptured by the world, the story, the characters. Very strong stuff indeed. Thank you, Bitter Lemon Press -- more please! "---Bookgasm