Hallgrímur Helgason
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Fighting Fascism Left and Right: Hallgrímur Helgason On The Current Political Climate
Iceland is number one in so many categories. A Nordic social democratic state with a rather happy population, almost a good welfare system and almost no unemployment, a popular overpriced tourist magnet, said to be the best country in the world for…
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Grapevine Events: RIFF, Joy Orbison, dj. flugvél og geimskip
Extra! Extra! Read all about it! A new issue of The Grapevine is currently being distributed around the country, with music legends Páll Óskar and Benni Hemm Hemm gracing our cover. Their album, Alveg, is out on streaming services today — but we…
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Grapevine Events: Hjaltalín, Heima Skagi & More
Hjaltalín is back! Heima í Hafnarfirði is doing a spinoff in Akranes! Halloween costumes are probably close to selling out, and Hallgrímur Helgason has managed to publish a new book and open an art exhibition (teach us your ways, Hallgrímur). All in…
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Hallgrímur Helgason: Torn Between Keith Haring and the Sagas
Hallgrímur Helgason is in some ways a rebel when it comes to Icelandic fiction, and his weapons are pleasantly disarming; humour and entertainment. It took publishing four books for him to feel accepted into what we often refer to as the “culture-elite”…
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Reykjavík Events: Can’t Think Just Feel, lowercase nights & More
The weather has defied the forecasts and turned out to be warm, mild and sunny. Now that the weekend is upon us, you might be itching to get out of the house and get into something good. Here are our picks of…
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The Fact of Fiction: “Woman at 1,000 Degrees” Published In English
Though the Icelandic Christmas book season is over, the next few months mark the release of many Icelandic translations into other languages by publishers across the world. One such is Hallgrímur Helgason’s 2011 novel ‘Woman at 1,000 Degrees,’ published by Algonquin Books…
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Get Your Read On: Where To Start In The Icelandic Book Store
For the unacquainted, it can be hard to know where to start with Icelandic literature. Should you begin with a weighty medieval saga—and if so, which one? Should it be a Laxness tome? Maybe a slim volume of concise, lyrical fiction by…
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Wow, Hallgrímur Helgason Painted So Many Jón Gnarrs!
Artist-slash-novelist Hallgrímur Helgason recently unveiled the above painting at the Kjarvalsstaðir art museum. Entitled “The Gnarr Family,” the work of art depicts a selection of the various roles comedian Jón Gnarr has assumed over the years, drawing inspiration from some of his…
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Picks By Local Authors: Read These Books!
Some of our favourite local writers recommend some of their favourite local books (that are available in English) for your benefit! Hallgrímur Helgason Award winning author, painter, poet and social critic. Best known for the generation-defining ‘101 Reykjavík’. ‘Butterflies In November’ by…
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The Magnificent 7%
When I was 20 years old I decided to enter the Icelandic School of Arts and Crafts in Reykjavík. My grandfather voiced some doubts, but my parents were OK with it. But one day I met a distant cousin of mine on…
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Airwords: Poets Bring Voice to the Party
The Airwords event offered an interesting new angle to Airwaves ’13 by bringing, some of Iceland’s most notable writers to the party. The event was a mix of readings and music sets. Harpa Kaldalón was a comfortable and classy room for the…
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101 Reykjavík Was Written About A More Innocent Place
Writer/artist Hallgrímur Helgason should be familiar to most of our readers, not the least for his 1996 novel ‘101 Reykjavík’, which along with its movie adaptation managed to define downtown Reykjavík as a party-hearty nightspot full of lovable slackers, a reputation that…
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The Cult of 101
Now translated into over 14 languages, Hallgrímur Helgason’s novel ‘101 Reykjavík’ literally transformed the traditionally held view of Iceland as an untouched Eden into one of party excess. After the underground success of Baltasar Kormákur’s 2002 movie starring Pedro Almodóvar’s cult diva…
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A Christmas Flood of Books and Noah’s Freezer Trawler
So, what’s the deal with Iceland’s heavily condensed book market, where almost all of the year’s titles are published in the space of three months? Kristján B. Jónasson: Well, it’s a gift market, one that clocks up sales for about 5-700 million…