An Iceland Fisherman is a novel by French author Pierre Loti that depicts the romantic but inevitably sad life of Breton fishermen who sail each summer season to the stormy Iceland cod grounds... A story of tragic love, set in the Breton village of Paimpol. In the 19th century, most of the young men joined the cod-fishing fleets, which spent several months each year in Icelandic waters. There was a high risk of mortality. First published in 1886, An Iceland Fisherman is considered to be a classic of French literature today.