Poetry
Most read
Latest
-
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…
-
Waxing Poetic: Reykjavík Poetics provides space for art, experimentation
Internationally infamous for its saturation of writers and authors, Reykjavík was designated a “UNESCO City of Literature” or “Bókmenntaborg” some 13 years ago. This honorific gains tangibility in its sponsorship of myriad literarily-skewed projects — one of which is Reykjavík Poetics. Founded…
-
What’s The Deal With Icelandic Poetry?
We turned to a literature professor for answers Icelandic poetry is alive and well – as a quick glance at the current cultural scene will tell you – and frankly, it is rather impressive how it has remained so vibrant and culturally…
-
Prison and Paradise: Eminent UK Poets Share Letters With Iceland
Reykjavík’s literary world celebrated solstice with a duet of events featuring heavyweight UK poets Lavinia Greenlaw, Paul Muldoon and poet laureate Simon Armitage. As one of Ireland’s foremost poets, Muldoon has published over thirty collections, including works that have won him a…
-
Mother Tongue Baths: G! Festival’s Literary Programme Features Diaspora Writers
A spotlight falls on Siri Ranva Hjelm Jacobsen. She stands to read aloud a poem in the Fjósið cowshed. Moments later, Danish band Meejah kicks into their song “Lysgænger” which closes their soundbath as part of the Faroe Islands’ G! Festival literature…
-
The Next Generation: Una Press Brings Young Icelandic Poetry To The Masses
In the ever-changing world of Icelandic poetry, a new anthology by Una Útgáfuhús, or Una Press, is bringing the next generation of Icelandic poets to the fore. Named ‘Það er alltaf eitthvað’, or ‘There is always something,’ the anthology is a collaborative…
-
Palestinian-Icelandic Writer Nominated For Man Booker Prize
Mazen Maarouf, a Palestinian-Icelandic author who has been an Icelandic citizen since 2013, has been nominated for the Man Booker Prize, RÚV reports. The nomination for the prize was for his short story collection Jokes for the Gunmen, which was written in…
-
What’s The Matter, Don’t You Speak Greek?: Anne Carson Returns To Reykjavík
Literary fame is a finicky kind of fame. A writer can have raving reviews in the New York Times, The Guardian, The New Yorker, and more; she can win slews of major literary honors, and teach at big name universities, and yet…
-
The Reykjavik Poet Par-Excellence: Megas Talks About Music, Drugs, Björk, Toyota, Armageddon and the Afterlife
The first time I interviewed Megas was during my first summer as editor of the new paper Reykjavik Grapevine 15 years ago. I had never before been so nervous before an interview. After all, the man was a living legend and a…
-
Reykjavík’s First “Poetry Brothel” Opens Its Doors
The term “Poetry Brothel” is somewhat oxymoronic. Poetry is, of course, the age-old art of manipulating language to express one’s innermost emotions and desires. A brothel, on the other hand, is a place associated with debauchery, deviancy, and often times, cruelty. The…
-
Taking No Hostages: The Words Beneath The Waves
Whether you’re a musician or a festival-goer, Airwaves is a messy week for all involved. Thursday is the second night of the festival proper, but if you’re anything like the dedicated Reykvíkingar in attendance, it could be your fourth night on the…
-
RECAP: The Eddic Poetry Special
Although I’d like to think that every month in Iceland is National Poetry Month, the reality is that Iceland doesn’t have an official National Poetry Month. In lieu of this, we’re going to take a break from recapping the dusty, repetitive Sagas…
-
Kælan Mikla: The Beauty In Sadness
Sólveig Matthildur Kristjánsdóttir laughs uncontrollably and apologises for punching the wrong code into the drum machine and mucking up the intro for the third time. Margrét Rósa Dóru- Harrydóttir is lambasted for mindlessly strumming her bass in between songs, drowning out the…
-
It’s Museum Night Tonight! Here’s A Brief Guide…
Tonight is Museum Night in Reykjavík—an annual evening during which the city’s museums stay open late, with many hosting special events, and all offering free entry from 7pm till midnight. The full programme is here, but we went through it and picked…
-
Hip-Hop Lads: A Poem
Let me tell the story of the lads of mad fun, who will at Christmas time come visit 101. Some came from the Farms, the two Wolves, you know, some mess around downtown all put on a show. Finní owns Prikið –…
-
Running Up Those Slippery Steps: Bjarni Bernharður’s Journey Through The Darkness
Poet and painter Bjarni Bernharður Bjarnason is a unique presence in the Icelandic art world. He has endured a life of hardship, marked by poverty, negligent parents, acid, insanity, domestic violence, murder and incarceration. He is also a prolific artist. Since his…
-
The Man Who Didn’t Like Hangikjöt: W.H. Auden In Iceland
In 1936, a thirty-year-old poet from Britain travelled around Iceland. His name was Wystan Hugh Auden—you probably know him as W.H. Auden, one of the 20th century’s most influential poets. Many perhaps thought that this great poet would want to stay close…
-
Better Than Any Modern Travel Book: A 16th-Century German Travel Poem About Iceland
A mysterious man visited Iceland sometime between the years 1554 and 1586, when Hanseatic merchants ruled the ports and trade in Northern Europe, including those in faraway islands. This man, a poet called Göris Peerse, sailed from Hamburg to Iceland during the aforementioned…
-
God Crying Gold Tears From Heaven Alert: Aurora Borealis Photos 4 U
If you are Facebook friends with an Icelander, or someone who’s currently in Iceland, you will have been barraged by Northern Lights related posts, photos and exclamations since last night. Your like-finger is probably getting tired. It’s no wonder: last night, the…
-
Ground Zero
ZEN Ring the bells! Ring the repetitive alarms—the irresistibly itching reminders of circular memories! Pull the triggers! Ignite the fuzes of colourful calorie bombs—the highly explosive redeemers of repressive histories! Entrepreneurs of all progressive Lebensraums, reunite! Artfully insert your edgy index fingers…
