Editing Halldór Laxness (section)

===1930s===
By the 1930s Laxness "had become the apostle of the younger generation" of Icelandic writers.<ref>Einarsson, pp. 263–4</ref>
<blockquote>''Salka Valka'' (1931–32) began the great series of sociological novels, often coloured with socialist ideas, continuing almost without a break for nearly twenty years. This was probably the most brilliant period of his career, and it is the one which produced those of his works that have become most famous. But Laxness never attached himself permanently to a particular dogma.<ref name=r1>Sveinn Hoskuldsson, "Scandinavica", 1972 supplement, pp. 1–2</ref></blockquote> In addition to the two parts of ''Salka Valka'', Laxness published ''Fótatak manna'' (''Steps of Men'') in 1933, a collection of short stories, as well as other essays, notably ''Dagleið á fjöllum'' (''A Day's Journey in the Mountains'') in 1937.<ref>Hallberg, p. 211</ref>

Laxness's next novel was ''Sjálfstætt fólk ([[Independent People]]'' (1934 and 1935), which has been called "one of the best books of the twentieth century."<ref>Smiley, Jane, ''Independent People'', Vintage International, 1997, cover</ref>

When ''Salka Valka'' was published in English in 1936 a reviewer at the ''[[Evening Standard]]'' wrote: "No beauty is allowed to exist as ornamentation in its own right in these pages; but the work is replete from cover to cover with the beauty of its perfection."<ref>Guðmundsson, p. 229</ref>

In 1937 Laxness wrote the poem ''Maístjarnan'' (''The May Star''), which was set to music by Jón Ásgeirsson and became a socialist anthem.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://luijten.org/ijsland/2007/05/25/maistjarnan.html|title = Maístjarnan}}</ref>

This was followed by the four-part novel ''Heimsljós'' (''World Light'', 1937, 1938, 1939, and 1940), which is loosely based on the life of Magnús Hjaltason Magnusson, a minor Icelandic poet of the late 19th century.<ref>Hallberg, p.125</ref> It has been "consistently regarded by many critics as his most important work."<ref>Magnusson, Magnus, ''World Light'', University of Wisconsin Press, 1969, p. viii</ref>

Laxness also traveled to the [[Soviet Union]] in 1938 and wrote approvingly of the Soviet system and culture.<ref>Guðmundsson, p. 182</ref> He was present at the "[[Case of the Anti-Soviet "Bloc of Rightists and Trotskyites"|Trial of the Twenty-one]]" and wrote about it in detail in his book ''Gerska ævintýrið'' (''The Russian Adventure'').<ref>Guðmundsson, p. 265</ref> 

In the late 1930s Laxness developed a unique spelling system that was closer to pronunciation than standard Icelandic. This characteristic of his writing is lost in translation.<ref>Kress, p. 73</ref>