ABSTRACT
In 1911, after Magnus had confessed, he was finally granted leave to reside at Suoureyri in Sugandafjorour. The district council leader proved to be a friend to him, granting the permit without any hesitation, and for the first time in his life Magnus was given the opportunity to work as a free man in his home community. His accounts of his time in jail in Reykjavik are remarkable, showing the Icelandic society of the time in an unusual light. They express a special kind of empathy among those who were incarcerated, as well as the poetry and folk culture that imbued the life of prisoners and prison officers alike. After his release in May 1912 Magnus returned home to a warm reception, and started work in fish-processing and other jobs which proved very taxing for him. Magnus himself was a broken man, and in addition his possibilities were severely circumscribed by his ill-health.
