last words
Most read
Latest
-
Last Words: Our Favourite Icelandic Easter Egg Proverbs
“Enginn verður óbarinn biskup” We’re pretty sure this one is exclusive to Iceland, and may have something to do with our inclination of killing foreign bishops when they were sent here in the 15th century. “Nobody becomes a Bishop without a beating,” doesn’t seem to ring true in other cultures, nor…
-
Last Words: What Is The Perfect Reykjavík Valentine’s Day Date?
This issue, we reached out to some friends of the Grapevine to ask a simple question: what is the perfect Reykjavík Valentine’s Day date? Here are some of the responses. “My ideal Reykjavík Valentine’s Day is the perfect mix of reservations and…
-
Last Words: Remembering Those Who Passed
In the past year we lost some great people who, in one way or another, were in the orbit of this publication. We’d like to pay tribute to them here, as inadequate as that is. Futuregrapher (Árni Grétar Jóhannesson), 1983-2025 Electronic musician…
-
Last Words: Should Summer Breaks For Elementary Schools Be Shorter?
This issue, we reached out to some friends of the Grapevine to ask a question that’s been in the news lately: should summer breaks for elementary schools be shorter? Here are some of the responses. “No. The demand that children constantly be…
-
Last Words: The GOP Proves Zombies Would Win
In Max Brooks’ superb novel ‘World War Z: An Oral History Of The Zombie War’, a zombie virus is created—curiously, due to tainted water in a small town in China, but I digress—and is spread through the world, often by people who…
-
Last Words: Disney Minus
With the new ‘Mulan’ to hit Disney Plus in lieu of theatres on September 4th and a live-action ‘Hercules’ recently announced, now’s the perfect time to reflect on the veritable Pandora’s box of live-action Disney remakes that have hit the screen in…
-
Last Words: Iceland In The Spotlight
Icelanders are basking in the joy of Will Ferrell’s new comedy ‘Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga’, which beautifully captures the spirit of this campy contest and Iceland’s curious passion for it. The Netflix film, which has been trending in…
-
Last Words: Everything’s Not Awesome
“The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part” has been on heavy rotation in my home in recent months. (If you haven’t seen it, please go do so now. I’ll wait.) The kids and I practice our brooding while I read them the…
-
Last Words: In Defence Of Faramir
There are but two individuals who held the Ring of Power and willingly yeeted it off to another sucker: Bilbo Baggins and Samwise Gamgee. Other than that, there’s the somewhat flamboyant Tom Bombadil, who was seemingly unaffected by and uninterested in the…
-
Last Words: An Obituary For Listastofan
Listastofan will pass away not so quietly on September 19th, 2019. It was born on October 12th, 2015 to Martyna Daniel and Emma Sanderson, who clearly had no idea what they were getting themselves into. Since its youth, Listastofan cultivated strange taste…
-
Pence In Iceland: Cui Bono?
International headlines were made earlier in August when it was widely reported that Prime Minister Katrín Jakobsdóttir would not be in Iceland during the time of US Vice President Mike Pence’s visit. However, since it has now come to light that the…
-
Last Words: When History Repeats Itself
Recently, new laws for gender registration were passed in Iceland, and of course one of the largest newspapers ran some incredibly tactless comic depicting a trans person at the pool. The “why are you so sensitive, it’s just a joke” discourse started…
-
Last Words: We’re All Gonna Die
According to new scientific studies, we’ve got about 30 good years left before climate change kills us all in its fiery blaze. Bummer. I had big plans to watch all of ‘The West Wing’ in my retirement years. We’re all gonna die…
-
Last Words: Musical Pollution
When you think of pollutive industries, what springs to mind? Oil, agriculture, shipping and transport probably jump straight to the top of the list. But what about musical pollution? It may surprise you to know that the music industry has a sizeable…
-
Last Words: The Nazis At The Pool
Since moving to Iceland five years ago, I’ve been repeatedly shocked by the racism that exists in this country, and the complacency from Icelanders that enables it to thrive. My most recent experience with this worrying phenomenon was when I took my…
-
Last Words: Why Iceland’s Post Office Is The Actual Worst
Here in Iceland, pretty much everyone hates the postal service. It might seem kind of weird for the entire citizenry feel something between vague annoyance and quivering rage towards such an institution. I mean, sure, a parcel might go astray now and…
-
Open Your Window To The Drama
Living in downtown Reykjavík has its drawbacks. A lot of people who live in the area never get tired of complaining about the noise from drunkards on weekends and the constant shuffling of Airbnb patrons in the early hours, on all days…
-
Last Word: Bussing Blind in Reykjavík
Strætó, Reykjavík’s oft-maligned bus company, has improved its service over the past few years. Buses run later, more frequently, and are on-time more often. The late-night weekend service has made partying much easier (and cheaper) for us suburbanites. This has happened despite…
-
Last Words: Outraged By Outrage
To follow the cycle of public discussion in Iceland when any of our elected officials get up to something horrible, you could be forgiven for thinking that rich white men are Iceland’s most protected class. The angrier the general public gets about…
-
Anna Ásthildur Þorsteinsdóttir: Be Kind, Don’t Harass
Iceland Airwaves is one of the biggest live music events of the year, annually attracting international visitors by the thousands and serving as a platform that can catapult an act into international stardom. Every year the city is filled with music, artists…
-
Last Words: Novels And TV Shows
It would be an understatement to say that I like novels more than I do TV series. I‘m making this slightly obnoxious declaration for a reason: increasingly, I‘ve been hearing people compare the two (very different) story-telling forms. “Watching [insert name of…
-
Last Words: The Icelandic Power Lesbian
Disclaimer: I hate dating. I approach dating a little like a particular world leader approaches his presidency; despite some outward confidence, I am insecure, awkward, and ultimately horrible at my job. I am a terrible lesbian. Perpetually single at 30, I had…
-
Last Words: Northern Exposure
I recently returned from a trip to Árneshreppur, a small community on the northern coast of Iceland, which recently became the central point in a heated debate that has erupted over a proposed hydropower plant, Hvalárvirkjun. I spoke to people who supported…