Nijals saga the greatest of the sagas of the Icelanders, was written around 1280. It tells the story of a complex feud, that starts innocently enough in a tiff over seating arrangement at a local feast, and expands over the course of 20 years to engulf half the country, in which both sides are effectively exterminated, Njal and his family burned to death in their farmhouse, the other faction picked off over the entire course of the feud. Law and feud feature centrally in the saga, Njal, its hero, being the greatest lawyer of his generation. No reading of the saga can do it justice unless it takes its law, its feuding strategies, as well as the author's stunning manipulation and saga conventions. In 'Why is your axe bloody' W.I. Miller offers a lively, entertaining, and completely oriignal personal reading of this lengthy saga.

About the Author
William Ian Miller is the Thomas G. Long Professor of Law at the University of Michigan. He has written extensively on the bloodfeud, especially as it is manifested in saga Iceland. Previous works include Bloodtaking and Peacemaking (1990), Eye for an Eye (2006), Audun and the Polar Bear (2008). He has also written about emotions, mostly unpleasant ones involving self-assessment, and various vices and virtues. Thus his books: The Anatomy of Disgust (1997), The Mystery of Courage (2000), Humiliation (1993), Faking It (2003), and most recently Losing It (2011) about the loss of mental acuity that comes with age, which includes a non-negligible share of saga matter and some from biblical Israel too. He is also Honorary Professor of history at the University of St. Andrews, and has been a visiting professor over the years at Yale, Harvard, Chicago, Bergen, and Tel Aviv.

Reviews
[This] very readable and stimulating book opens our minds to the world of the sagas, the minds of their characters, and of Njals saga in particular, and leaves us admiring a thrilling reading in which the professor of law engages us with the saga more successfully than many a literary critic. * Judith Jesch, Times Literary Supplement *
Here Miller is an astute guide, explaining (as the saga-author doesn't) what the fixers and the wise men of Iceland must have been thinking. * Tom Shippey, London Review of Books *
Brilliant. Miller's impressive reading of this Icelandic masterpiece is thought provoking, informative, entertaining, challenging, and thoroughly delightful. Those new to the saga will be enthralled, and those already familiar with it will find something new here. Miller seamlessly weaves the reading of Njals Saga with his knowledge of medieval Icelandic law and society, demonstrating his mastery of the subject while highlighting his admiration of the saga and its anonymous author. Miller explores the subtle genius of the saga and explains it to modern readers with rare insight. Miller's knowledge and love of NjA!ls Sag and his wit in discussing it, make this a rare and thoroughly successful reading of the work. He is a truly gifted scholar. * A. E. Leykam, CHOICE *
I cannot imagine an academic text which I would have had as much pleasure quarrelling with as assenting to, nor an author more able than Miller to enlighten, surprise, and delight expert and lay readers alike. * Slavica Rankovic, Modern Language Review *



Book Information
ISBN 9780198768920
Author William Ian Miller
Format Paperback
Page Count 360
Imprint Oxford University Press
Publisher Oxford University Press
Weight(grams) 540g
Dimensions(mm) 234mm * 157mm * 19mm