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Reykjavík International Literary Festival
The Reykjavik International Literary Festival,taking place 6-12 September, is held for the ninth time this year. The festival was founded in 1985 and has in recent years been held biennially. Traditionally the festival this year will offer a platform for international and domestic authors to introduce their work, life and career in lectures, interviews and panel discussions. Board members of the festival include the authors Sjón, Einar Kárason and Thor Vilhjálmsson, director of the board is Sigurður Valgeirsson.
The main emphasis of the festival is to introduce foreign authors to Icelandic readers, while also strengthening connections between authors and translators.
The festival's events are open to the public free of charge. This year Icelandic authors such as Steinar Bragi and Yrsa Sigurðardóttir present their work. Among International authors attending are Kader Abdolah, from Iran, and the award winning Puerto Rican author Luis López Nieves, who will both read from their work at the festival. The most widely known author who'll attend is undoubtedly Michael Ondaatje, the author of The English Patient, who'll be arriving with a a group of Canadian poets.
The festival concludes with a symposium on book publishing in the 21. century and a poetry programme lasting the whole afternoon.
For more information on the festival: www.bokmenntahatid.is