This realistic novel gives a psychological depiction
of the Faroese sloop fisherman. The man who lade himself bare in small sloops
to cross oceans in order to catch the fish which would then be exported as
dried salted fish to Southern Europe. This trade sustained the Faroese economy
for a long period and made it possible for many of the Faroese to establish
their own households.
Martin Joensen diligently portrays personal horizons,
faith and superstition, and the longings and hopes of the men on board, as well
as their costly experiences.
In addition to the psychological depictions the Faroese
society is lucidly portrayed. The novel is in many ways a true description of
the 20s and 30s in the Faroes.
In the sloop ‘The Eagle’ we find the heavy-handed
captain, the religiously converted first mate who struggles with temptations,
the confrontational Sigmundur, the bullied cook, the indifferent Ólavur, Hans
Pauli who is overcome with homesickness, the atheist Gunnar, the greedy Andrias
and the doubter Símun. We have all the characters on stage for a good and
interesting play with a lot of tension.