When Tomas Jonsson: A Bestseller was published in 1966, it attracted immediately much discussion, outrage and admiration and sold out, fulfilling the title. Never previously had such a book been published in the country. A senile old man talks incessantly about everything under the sun and different texts of all kinds make their appearance without warning. Stories start and stop, characters come and go, merge and diverge in the torrent of words. Fun is made of old narrative techniques and nothing seems sacred to the author.

The humor and inventiveness of Bergsson has no limits. The book, plethoric with the explosive power of innovation, firmly grasps the reader. This seminal work has gained a place in the Icelandic literature over the years: Tomas Jonsson, a masterpiece.

• BTBA Shortlist 2018 (Best Translated Book Awards, US)