Literature
The Reykjavík Grapevine’s interviews or features on literary figures along with book reviews.
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Black Orchids And White Spaces: Vónbjørt Vang On Winning The Nordic Council Prize For Literature
“Nobody’s going to read it,” Faroese writer Vónbjørt Vang told herself as she began to write the poems that would become Svørt Orkidé, meaning black orchid. “Just me and my tutor and some examination people,” she assumed, “and maybe my closest friends…
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Diving In The Deep End: Rán Flygenring’s Book Explains What Makes Icelandic Pools Special
In the summer of 2015, Rán Flygenring embarked on a trip around Iceland. However, she set a specific goal for her trip: to visit as many pools as possible. Whether it was a public, natural (the latter sometimes ending up to be…
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Dark Days And Darker Imaginations: Iceland Noir Brings The Big Screen To A Small Island
In 2012, crime novelists Yrsa Sigurðardóttir, Ragnar Jónasson, and Quentin Bates teamed up to create the event that would become Iceland Noir in 2013. Initially organised as a day-long festival promoting crime fiction, the festival has expanded since then, both in length…
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Get Your Read On: Helga Dögg Ólafsdóttir Recommends
In a world where watching TV without looking at your phone equals reading a book, actually reading a book is quite precious. Reykjavík has lots of cosy coffee shops you can snuggle up in, but how to choose what’s a good read?…
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Swear Like An Icelander: “Eat Frozen Sh*t!” Teaches You Everything You Actually Need To Know
They say you’re not truly fluent in a foreign language until you crack a joke. Rubbish. You’re fluent when you can curse — when you’re standing at the bus stop, one minute early, but see the sight of your Strætó driving away…
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Get Your Read On: Móheiður Hlíf Geirlaugsdóttir Recommends
In a world where watching TV without looking at your phone equals reading a book, actually reading a book is quite precious. Reykjavík has lots of cosy coffee shops you can snuggle up in, but how to choose what’s a good read?…
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An Assortment Of Good Reads
One US-based writer’s take Want to deepen your relationship with Icelandic literature in English translation but don’t know where to start? We’ve asked US-based professor of literature, Jenna Grace Sciuto, what she’d suggest. No journey into Iceland’s lush literary landscape would be…
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Nordic Noir Interlude: One US-Based Writer’s Take
Want to deepen your relationship with Icelandic literature in English translation but don’t know where to start? We’ve asked US-based professor of literature, Jenna Grace Sciuto, what she’d suggest, continuing here with what one should read beyond Halldór Laxness. Spending her summers…
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Reading Beyond Halldór Laxness: One U.S.-Based Writer’s take
Want to deepen your relationship with Icelandic literature in English translation but don’t know where to start? We’ve asked US-based professor of literature, Jenna Grace Sciuto, what she’d suggest, continuing here with what one should read beyond Halldór Laxness. Spending her summers…
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A Beginner’s Guide To Laxness: One US-Based Writer’s Take
Want to deepen your relationship with Icelandic literature in English translation but don’t know where to start? We’ve asked US-based professor of literature, Jenna Grace Sciuto, what she’d suggest, starting with the classics of the one-and-only Nobel Laureate, Halldór Laxness. Spending her…
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Get Your Read On: Einar Björn Magnússon Recommends
In a world where watching TV without looking at your phone equals reading a book, actually reading a book is quite precious. Reykjavík has lots of cosy coffee shops you can snuggle up in, but how to choose what’s a good read?…
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Reykjavík Gets Lit
The Reykjavík International Literary Festival turns 40 Although Iceland may be best known internationally for its dramatic and alien landscapes, locals and well-informed visitors know that the country punches above its weight when it comes to culture. This is evident in the…
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Decentralising The Literary Scene
The first of its kind, Flateyri Literary Festival brought the scene to the Westfjords “I am very risk-taking,” writer Helen Hafgnýr Cova tells me over the phone. “If I have an idea, I just go for it. I have never organised a…
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Sharing Her Voice
Women of foreign origin share their stories through a new book Released in mid-February, Her Voice: Stories of Women of Foreign Origin in Iceland (i. Hennar Rödd: Sögur kvenna af erlendum uppruna á Íslandi) features stories of 33 different women of foreign…
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The Tipsy Tittle-Tattle Of Hallgrímur Pétursson
Delving into the assorted works of one of Iceland’s most important poets What is the most recognisable spot in Iceland? Geysir? Sure. Nature, more broadly? Okay. Hallgrímskirkja? Bingo. The basalt-inspired church perched atop Skólavörðuholt is the place where Reykjavíkingur gather to ring…
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A Conversation About Iceland
Einar Örn Benediktsson and Erin Boggs bring first impressions to life They say it doesn’t hurt to ask. In the case of American poet Erin Boggs, reaching out to Einar Örn Benediktsson to inquire about opportunities to see his art while on…
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Art Off The Page: The Reykjavík Art Book Fair Has Something For Everyone
Mention “art book,” and one might think of a glossy coffee table book, a pamphlet titled something along the lines of “radical intervention,” or a monograph of a respected artist — objects that seem slightly obscure. Indeed, for those who didn’t attend…
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Celebrating The Magic Of Multilingualism
A new children’s book highlights the power of languages It may come as a surprise to some, but Iceland is an increasingly multicultural country. Roughly 18% of the nation is now made up of immigrants, their diversity adding welcome life and colour…
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The Cozy Crime Conference Caper
Iceland Noir brought big names and dark conversations to town If you’ve ever wondered how to commit the perfect murder, yearned to bask at the feet of Sara Blædel, or to dance to Irvine Welsh’s acid house, then Iceland Noir 2023 was…
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The Writer, The Prophet: Sigríður Hagalín Has Gone From News To Nightmarish Dystopias
If you live in Iceland, the odds are that you know exactly who Sigríður Hagalín Björnsdóttir is. As a well-known news reporter at RÚV, our national broadcaster, she often sits down with politicians or prominent figures in society as part of the…
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Navigating Life Through Meaning: Auður Jónsdóttir Writes Her Own Self
Auður Jónsdóttir established herself as one of Iceland’s best writers of a new generation when her novel, ‘The people in the basement’ (‘Fólkið í kjallaranum’) was published in 2004. Auður uses the idea of family often in her novels and she is…
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Get Your Summer Read On
The books to read while travelling around Iceland Moonstone: The Boy Who Never Was Author: SJÓN Sjón is hands down the king of Scandinavian magic realism. He has also written scripts for films like the Northman directed by Robert Eggers, and the…
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The Literary Mystery Of The Icelandic Dracula
Bram Stoker’s Dracula is a book that needs no introduction. The vampire’s cultural impact on the world is immense and the story has inspired writers and filmmakers for a century. And then there is, of course, Twilight. But the odds are that…