Author: - The Reykjavik Grapevine

Author: Marc Vincenz

A Very Brief History Of Icelandic Literature

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When he was at Leeds University in the 1920s, J.R.R. Tolkien formed a drinking club where he and his fellow…

Ultimate Happiness, True Democracy And That Fishy Omega-3

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The world continues to be impressed—nay, amazed—at Iceland’s return to some kind of semblance of normality. Employment is up, GDP…

The BBC Has A Heart-To-Heart With A Bruised Nation

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This month Peter Day of the BBC World Service attempts to get to the bottom of Iceland’s so-hailed miracle economic…

Steingrímur’s Icelandic-Style Model Reform?

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Here we go again. Yet another Icelandic parliamentarian peacocks his economic acumen. We, the very best, welcome self-styled, Left-Green, economic-Buddha-guru…

Everyone Loves An Underdog

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So, to coin an Olympian metaphor: Is Iceland really bouncing back? Short answer: Maybe yes, maybe no. They sure are…

Everything But The Goldfish Bowl

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On June 12, after months of relative international silence, Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir, Iceland’s Prime Minister, grants Reuters a rare interview. Patting…

Little-Big Boat In A Bloody Ginormous Ocean

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Last month The Wall Street Journal (WSJ)’s Charles Forelle praised Iceland’s unprecedented emergence from economic catastrophe. He was keen to…

Somewhere Between The Moon And The Arctic

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All eyes were trained on Iceland during Chinese Premier Wen Jiaobao’s recent two-day sojourn. Many were particularly curious of the…

Mad Money, Big Fish And Kiss-Me-Quick Tourism

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The short and narrow of it is that those who have never graced these shores have no clue what we’re…

Well Here’s Another Fine Mess You’ve Gotten Us Into

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Here’s what international journalists—the same ones who’ve previously slagged us off numerous times—are presently saying: • In Iceland, the voice…

Waiting To Thaw

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According to the figures on the table, things in Iceland are looking up. Yes, I know we’ve heard this numerous…

Still Fiercely Independent People Living On The Edge of the World

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In April of last year, the Economist ran an editorial comparing Bjartur, the protagonist of Halldór Laxness’ 1934 novel ‘Independent…

Can The 99% Really Defrost A Scrawny Icelandic Chicken?

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It looks good on the plate, but something simply doesn’t taste right. Much of the international media is hailing Iceland…

How Many Eggs Are In A Presidential Pancake?

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“This so-called social media has transformed our democratic institutions in such a way that what takes place in more traditional…

Are Icelandic Bankers Horses and Fishermen?

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Most of you will recall—possibly with distaste or distain—how Michael Lewis crushed little Iceland in his article, ‘Wall Street on…

It’s all in the algae

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WHAT IS ‘MEAT SOUP’? Mývatn: We’re sitting in what was once a cowshed overlooking clear blue skies and a rippling…

Red Flag Over Grímsstaðir?

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The big Iceland media stir this last month was Chinese tycoon Huang Nubo’s attempted purchase of 300 square kilometres of…

Brain Food For Thought Off The Beaten Track

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First off, a little waxing lyrical:  Last year my partner and I meandered across Iceland on a budget of 3.000…

Revoked: License to Kill

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007 is pissed off with Iceland—that’s right, James Bond, with his license to kill.   In his capacity as ‘goodwill…

In Consideration of the Icelandic Vegetable

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Reminiscing with Fungi I recall once, while living in Zurich—where every Friday morning behind the Hauptbahnhof, vegetable vendors and their…

Dem Pesky Foreign Spin-Doctors

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First off, a few tidbits of unexplored Iceland trivia for you. In the scheme of Europe, with 103.000 square kilometres,…

A Box Full of Offal, A Bag Full of Blood

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It’s a brisk September day and despite the winds Icelandic housewives, mothers, aunties, grandmothers have come out in droves and…

Will Malcolm Walker and Twitter Sort Everything Out?

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A bidding war is looming regarding the sale of Iceland, the supermarket chain, a UK frozen food specialist that is…

How Icelanders Eat

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The other day my girlfriend and I had a craving for sushi. Ok, so this isn’t Tokyo. You’re not going…

What New York Times Magazine Thinks Of Iceland

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On Friday, May 13 (of all days), New York Times Magazine ran with an article by shock-reporter and radio commentator,…