The Ambassador - Softcover

" ... [The] quiet intransigence makes The Ambassador far more than a corrosive joke aimed at literary pretension or a sen-up of middle-aged mediocrity. Rather, it;s an elusive, almost fabulistic study of the endlessly interesting question of character and of the representativeness of our deeds. Happy in the regional literature with such pervasive envoys."Sam Munson, The National

Praise for The Pets by Bragi Ólafsson

"Dark, strange, elusive, compelling, and oddly charming. . . . Ólafsson's English-language debut is part Beckettian or even Kafkaesque black comedy, part existentialist novel in the Paul Auster mode, and part locked-room mystery."--Kirkus Reviews

"The best short novel I've read this year. . . . Small, dark, and hard to put down, The Pets may be a classic in the literature of small enclosed spaces, a distinguished genre that includes "The Metamorphosis," No Exit, and a fair amount of Beckett." --Paul LaFarge

"Dark, scary, and unbelievably funny. . . . How long do we have to wait for English versions of Ólafsson's other books?"--Los Angeles Times

"Delightfully funny and unexpectedly complex, The Pets introduces American readers to a fresh voice and perspective."--L Magazine

"An artful mystery about dead animals, mundane objects, and disobedient people."--Believer

Then there's Sturla's new overcoat, the first expensive item of clothing he has ever purchased, which causes him no end of trouble. And the article he wrote for a literary journal, which points out the stupidity of literary festivals and declares the end of his career as a poet. Sturla has a lot to deal with, and that's not counting his estranged wife and their five children, nor the increasingly bizarre experiences and characters he's forced to confront at the festival in Vilnius . . .

Bragi Ólafsson's The Ambassador is a quirky novel that's filled with insightful and wry observations about aging, family, love, and the mysteries of the hazelnut.

Bragi Ólafsson is most well known for playing in The Sugarcubes. He is the author of several books of poetry, a number of plays, and five novels. His works have been finalists for the Icelandic Literature Prize and Nordic Literature Prize, and he has received the Icelandic Bookseller's Award.

Lytton Smith is a poet and translator, and a founding member of Blind Tiger Poetry. His book, The All-Purpose Magical Tent was published by Nightboat. His poems and reviews have appeared in such publications as The Atlantic, The Believer, and Boston Review.