Under the Glacier by Halldór Laxness

The undersigned was present at the doctor's examination of the body and translated the death certificate for the butler. As soon as that was over he composed four Xp-telegrams to New York, Sydney, London, and Buenos Aires. The telegrams were all addressed to the same addressee, "Mrs. Professor Dr. Godman Sýngmann," in the American style of giving titles to wives. Mr. Smith asked me to dispatch them by telegraph. The operator complained that the telegrams all seemed to be for the one person although the addresses specified different countries: the telegraph office doesn't send to the same addressee the same telegram from the same sender to many addresses. The text of the telegram was as follows: "Dr. Godman Sýngmann died last night stop heart attack stop kindly send instructions stop James Smith butler. " The telegraph staff said they were taking the liberty of talking plain sense, and maintained that since the addressee appeared to be not an international company but rather the widow of the man whom the telegram described as being dead, then surely this woman could only be found at one place.

Conversation between the undersigned and Mr. Smith (hereinafter called "the butler" or even "the butler of the household"): Embi: The telegraph staff refuse to send the same person the same telegram in four countries at once.