News

Icelandic Literary Prize awarded

Guðrún Eva Mínervudóttir and Páll Björnsson emerge triumphant from pool of 10 nominees. more
 

Recesses of the Mind

Recesses of the Mind: Aesthetics in the Work of Guðbergur Bergsson

a groundbreaking book on the Icelandic novelist and poet, to be published by McGill University Press in February.

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Dot Dot Comma Dash is WDR2's book of the year

Critic on German radio finds Pétur Gunnarsson's urban classic “too short,” is thrilled with everything else. more
 

Nominations for the Icelandic Women's Literature Prize

Nominations for Fjöruverðlaunin, the Icelandic Women's Literature Prize, were announced on December 14.

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Icelandic nominations for Nordic Council Literature Prize

Authors Bergsveinn Birgisson and Gerður Kristný are the Icelandic nominees this time around.

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New outing from Iceland's queen of crime

Her previous book stayed on German bestseller lists for weeks on end. Now, with a new mystery out featuring an abandoned yacht drifting into Reykjavík Harbour, Iceland's queen of crime is again set to make waves.

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Nominations for the Icelandic Literature Prize

10 books are nominated for the Icelandic Literature each year. This year's nominees were announced on December 1 at the National Gallery of Iceland.

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Ófeigur receives EU Prize for Literature

Ófeigur Sigurðsson's historical novel Jon is one of twelve European works favoured by the 2011 European Prize for Literature. more
 

Austrians adapt Hitman's Guide to Housecleaning to stage

In a truly international turn of events, Hallgrímur Helgason's dark farce about a Croatian hitman masquerading as American televangelist in Iceland is now an Austrian play. more
 

Jónas Hallgrímsson Prize awarded

"It is in the most dog-eared and perused books that the language flourishes," stated the jury for the Jónas Hallgrímsson Prize upon awarding it to   Kristín Marja Baldursdóttir for extraordinary service to the Icelandic language."

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Gyrðir receives Nordic Council Literature Prize

“When I was a teenager reading Vesaas and Heinesen, little did I suspect I would stand here, in the footsteps of these wonderful authors,” Gyrðir Elíasson said upon receiving the Nordic Council's Literature Prize on November 2.

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“The best in a long time”

Iceland's presentation as Guest of Honour at the Frankfurt Book Fair 2011 was greeted enthusiastically by the media. Read on for a short selection of quotes.

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The Pavilion on Sunday

The final day of the Frankfurt Book Fair 2011 is upon us! Contemporary authors such as Kristín Steinsdóttir and Gyrðir Elíasson, as well as older dignitaries like Borges and Thor, god of thunder, all play their parts in the Icelandic Pavilion's schedule today.

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Fabulous Iceland gives final press conference

Fabulous Iceland gave its final press conference on Saturday.

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The Icelandic Pavilion on Saturday

We are halfway through the book fair, and here is a look at what has been going on the Icelandic Pavilion, as well as the schedule for Saturday.

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Reconciliation in Frankfurt

In 1944, U-300 sank the Icelandic freighter and passenger ship MS Goðafoss. Sixty-seven years later, two former crewmembers shook hands in the Icelandic Pavilion.

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AmazonCrossing to publish 10 Icelandic titles

At a press conference given by Sagenhaftes Island and AmazonCrossing at the Frankfurt Book Fair on October 10, AmazonCrossing announced its intention to publish ten Icelandic titles in the near future.

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The Frankfurt Book Fair 2011 opens

The Frankfurt Book Fair 2011 was formally opened on October 11, with authors Arnaldur Indriðason and Guðrún Eva Mínervudóttir speaking on behalf of Icelandic writers, and Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson, president of Iceland, speaking on behalf of the Guest of Honour.

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Events in Frankfurt this week

The Frankfurt Book Fair 2011 started October 12, with Iceland as its Guest of Honour. Some 400 Iceland-related events take in Frankfurt during the fair. Read on to hear about a few of them.

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19th Century Iceland on the iPad

As part of the celebration at the world‘s largest book event, the British Library has developed a „Fabulous Iceland“ feature as part of their larger British Library 19th Century Historical Collection iPad App.

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“And thus the world sometimes discovers faraway isles”

Never before in Germany has Icelandic literature received more attention than now, in the run-up to the Frankfurt Book Fair 2011. Some 40 Icelandic authors will appear at the event.

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“Erró. Portrait and Landscape” in the Schirn

The Schirn hosts a monographic exhibition on Iceland's best-known contemporary artist.

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Icelandic architecture featured at DAM

On September 30, Deutsches Architekturmuseum opened an exhibition that offers an overview on Icelandic architecture – from the country's settlement to modern times. more
 

“Crepusculum” opens at the Schirn

On September 28, the exhibition “Crepusculum”, in which the artist Gabríela Friðriksdóttir creates a unique context for eight medieval manuscripts from Iceland, opened in Schirn Kunsthalle Frankfurt.

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Jón Kalman receives Swedish prize

The author Jón Kalman Stefánsson was awarded the Per Olov Enquist Literary Prize at the Gothenburg Book Fair on September 22.

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Well-attended saga festival concludes in Corvey

The castle of Corvey in Westphalia provided a spectacular setting for a recent three-day presentation of Sagas of Icelanders.

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Icelandic design in Frankfurt

One of many exciting exhibitions to open in Frankfurt these days is “On the Cutting Edge | Design in Iceland,” hosted by the Museum für Angewandte Kunst.

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The sagas come alive in Corvey

Corvey Abbey in North Rhine-Westphalia will be the site of a 4-day international conference on the Sagas of Icelanders.

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The Reykjavík International Literary Festival begins

The Reykjavík International Literary Festival takes place between September 7 and September 11. Here is a quick look on what to expect.

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“Dark literary confections” palatable to Danish media

Danish critics applaud Gyrðir Elíasson's short story collection Between the Trees.

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Exhibitions at the Frankfurter Kunstverein

On the occasion of Iceland's appearance as Guest of Honour of the Frankfurt Book Fair, the contemporary art museum Frankfurter Kunstverein opened two large-scale exhibitions on August 18.

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Reykjavik designated as UNESCO City of Literature

- becomes part of UNESCO's Creative City network

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Iceland's Atom Poets

With the works of the rebellious “Atom Poets,” Icelandic poetry was dragged, kicking and screaming, into the modern era. Wolfgang Schiffer discusses a new book on the movers and shakers of Icelandic post-war poetry. more
 

The works of Þorsteinn frá Hamri published in Germany

The German publishing house Queich-Verlag has published Jarðarteikn – Erdzeichen,a bilingual anthology of the poetry of Þorsteinn frá Hamri.

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Katla Travel pitches in

Katla Travel and Sagenhaftes Island have signed a sponsorship agreement. Katla Travel is a travel agency specializing in trips to Iceland for German-speaking travelers.

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Njál's Saga from the saddle

The outfit Riding Iceland organizes trips between the settings of Njál's Saga. “We'll all read the story very differently from now on,” says the literary scholar Jón Karl Helgason.

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Yrsa wins crime fiction prize

Yrsa Sigurðardóttir receives the Blood Drop, awarded by the Icelandic Crime League, for the horror mystery I Remember You. The book will be Iceland's nomination for the Nordic crime fiction award The Glass Key.

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Sponsorship agreement with Actavis

At a press conference on June 23 Sagenhaftes Island and pharmaceutical company Actavis announced an extensive sponsorship deal.

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Icelandic children's literature in Cologne

On June 18, the International Weeks of Children's Literature kicked off in Cologne. This time around, the annual event takes Iceland as its theme.

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Press conference in Frankfurt

Sagenhaftes Island presented it's cultural programme at a press conference on June 6. Nearly 200 Icelandic works in translation—and works with a bearing on Iceland—are expected to be published on the German-speaking market this year.

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A Day of Icelandic Poetry

On June 8, ten Houses of Literature in Germany, Austria and Switzerland celebrated a Day of Icelandic Poetry.

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Icelandic literature in Peking

On May 13 , Ambassador Kristín A. Árnadóttir met with representatives of Peking University at a meeting where Icelandic literature was the main theme.

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New film website launches

The website Icelandic Cinema Online, which formally opened on May 23, allows web users to view Icelandic movies directly online.

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Icelandair Cargo supports Sagenhaftes Island

Icelandair Cargo will support Sagenhaftes Island's many exhibitions in Frankfurt, taking on the task of seeing the exhibited artwork safe and sound across the Atlantic and into German exhibition halls.

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Steinunn Sigurðardóttir in French

Steinunn Sigurðardóttir has her hands full in the year 2011, which will see the publication of no less than three of her books in France

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Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir receives Canadian Prize

The novel Afleggjarinn (The Greenhouse) by Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir recently received the Canadian Prix des libraires du Québec award, in the category of best of best foreign novel.

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Warm words for Sjón in the TLS

According to a recent review in The Times Literary Supplement, the author Sjón stands comparison with Nobel Laureate Halldór Laxness. more
 

Gabríela's Crepusculum

“It's like handling mummies from the British Museum. These are soul capsules, born of a certain period in Icelandic history,” says artist Gabríela Friðriksdóttir of working with the ancient manuscripts woven into her exhibition Crepusculum. It will open in Frankfurt in September.

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God of the silver screen

A millennium and a half into his career, Thor shows few signs of losing his thunder. In 2011, the Old Norse deity will be the subject of two new films, no less: Marvel Studios' Thor, and the Icelandic computer animated feature Legends of Valhalla – Thor.

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A window to the Faroe Isles

In collaboration with Faroese authors and publishers, and the support of the Faroese Ministry of Education and Culture, Sagenhaftes Island has opened a window to Faroese literature on its website.

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Gyrðir receives Nordic Council Literature Prize

Gyrðir Elíasson receives the Nordic Council Literature Prize 2011 for his short story collection Between the Trees.

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Winners on the way to Frankfurt

In January, we asked Icelanders to share  photographs of their home libraries with us. On April 7, three randomly picked contributors won a trip to the Frankfurt Book Fair in October.

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Icelandic Women's Literature Prize awarded

Fjöruverðlaunin, the Icelandic Women's Literature Prize, was awarded for the 5th time on March 20. Three works received the prize.

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All of Laxness' titles available in German

This year, Steidl Verlag will publish 16 titles by titles by Halldór Laxness, making the Nobel Laureate's entire ouvre available in German.

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Glowing reviews for Sjón

From the Mouth of the Whale by Sjón was recently published in Germany by S. Fischer Verlag. The first reviews are in.

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A good week for Icelandic literature

At the Leipzig Book Fair and beyond, the spring's first Icelandic titles in Germany are warmly received.

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Nordic focus at the Paris Book Fair

The Paris Book Fair is now underway for the 31st time. Eight Icelandic authors are appearing at the event.
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They come in all shapes and sizes

"We're surprised at the high level of participation," says Bryndís Loftsdóttir about the project "Join us in Frankfurt". When this is posted, the Icelandic public has sent in over 200 photos of their home libraries.

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Iceland at the Leipzig Book Fair

For German book lovers and industry insiders, the Leipzig Book Fair is the biggest event of the spring. Featured this year: six Icelandic authors and a profusion of new German translations of Icelandic works.

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Nominations for Women's Literature Prize announced

In all, nine titles have been nominated for Fjöruverðlaunin, the Icelandic Women's Literature Award.

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The EU's Culture programme supports Sagenhaftes Island

Sagenhaftes Island has received a grant from the European Union's Culture programme.

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Young authors in Basel

The Literaturhaus Basel recently hosted an evening of Icelandic literature, featuring the works of Guðrún Eva Mínervudóttir and Eiríkur Örn Norðdahl.


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Sagenhaftes Island and The Blue Lagoon make sponsorhip agreement

Sagenhaftes Island and The Blue Lagoon have made a sponsorship agreement for Iceland's appearance as Guest of Honour at the 2011 Frankfurt Book Fair.

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Thor Vilhjálmsson dies at 85

The author Thor Vilhjálmsson died on March 2, 2011, aged 85. more
 

Cintamani supports Sagenhaftes Island

Cintamani and Sagenhaftes Island sign a sponsorship agreement.

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Morning Verse in the Grass

“I‘m sure I could write a novel each year, if I‘d hire an assistant to type it up for me on the computer, that is,” says author Thor Vilhjálmsson. His historical novel, Morning Verse in the Grass, is currently being translated into German.

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Winners of Icelandic Literary Prize

Gerður Kristný and Helgi Hallgrímsson receive the awards for fiction/poetry and non-fiction, respectively.

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Packed reading at the Berlin embassy

The crowd was tightly packed into the Icelandic Embassy yesterday, as the German actor Joachim Król read from the Icelandic post-war classic Car 79by Indriði G. Þorsteinsson.

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Attention, book hoarders

Sagenhaftes Island is calling on Icelandic bibliophiles to send pictures of their private book collections, to be exhibited at the Frankfurt Book Fair in October.

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A greeting from Coetzee

Sagenhaftes Island is calling on Icelandic bibliophiles to send pictures of their private book collections, to be exhibited at the Frankfurt Book Fair in October.

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Finally, an Icelandic fantasy

Emil H. Petersen had published two books of poetry when he decided to try his hand at fantasy. “The tradition for this sort of literature hasn't taken root in Iceland yet, and I'd like to see that change,” says the young author.

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The sandwich generation

Jónína Leósdóttir recently published the novel Allt fínt... en þú? (Fine... And You?), to which a German publishing house bought the translation rights while the book was still unpublished in Iceland – a rare occurrence.

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800 years in the making

Legends of Valhalla, the first full-length computer animated feature to be produced in Iceland, will premier in the autumn of 2011. The production company CAOZ recently launched a website on the film's mythological world. more
 

It's not that complicated, really

Whoever writes out the weekly little best-seller lists in the newspapers is presumably having no end of trouble with the title of Bragi Ólafsson's newest work.

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Oddi and Landsbankinn support Sagenhaftes Island

The printing company Oddi and the bank Landsbankinn have pledged their support for Sagenhaftes Island.

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The Icelandic Literary Prize

The nominations for 2010 have been announced.

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Wish you were here

 “We really do think with our hearts,” says Bergsveinn Birgisson, whose third novel, the epistolary Svar við bréfi Helgu (Reply to Helga's Letter) has proved a surprise hit this season.

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A big slice of the pie

A new report reveals that Iceland's creative sector had a bigger turnover in 2009 than the country's fishing and agriculture combined. more
 

Yrsa's work to be filmed

The German film company teamWorx secures film rights to all of Yrsa Sigurðardóttir's books. Meanwhile, she publishes her newest thriller.

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In plain talk, please

Ævar Örn Jósepsson has a new crime novel out. His favored prose-style? Less of the pretty, more of the nitty-gritty.

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The pressure is on

“There´s a definite air of excitement about,” says Jón Ómar Erlingsson of the printing firm Oddi, now in the midst of the frenzied “Christmas book flood.”

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Day of the Icelandic Language

Vigdís Finnbogadóttir receives the Jónas Hallgrímsson Prize on the Day of the Icelandic Language. “I'm deeply touched that my life's work has attracted attention,” she told Sagenhaftes Island.

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Caught in the crossfire

A turn-of-the-century woman called Ljósa has been on Kristín Steinsdóttir's mind for fifteen years. Now the novel is out.

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Einar Kárason is amused

“Each day, you experience something new, think of something that has never occurred to you before,” says the indefatigable Einar Kárason of his newest work, titled I Am Amused.

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“The power of empathy”

Warm words for Kristín Marja Baldursdóttir's The Big Dipper in the Danish newspaper Information.

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The Icelandic Children's Book Award  2010

Þorgrímur Þráinsson's Are You God, Grandpa? is a winner.

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Strange Shores

A new novel by the crime titan Arnaldur Indriðason appeared in Icelandic stores on November 1. The book marks the return of Indriðason's most famous creation, Inspector Erlendur Sveinsson.

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“Literary discovery of the year”

Praise and prizes rain down on Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir's Rosa candida in France.

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Because the sagas aren't set in Schwarzwald

In an interview with Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Klaus Böldl discusses an all-new German translation of the sagas, and explains why we needed it.

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Yrsa among the best

“It stands comparison with the finest contemporary crime writing anywhere in the world,” says the TLS of Yrsa Sigurðardóttir's Ashes to Dust.

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A shot in the arm for poetry

The 6th Nýhil Poetry Festival calls together talent from across the seas.

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Eiríkur goes to Berlin

Eiríkur Örn Norðdahl simultaneously finds favor with a German film festival jury and releases a novel in Germany.

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A sword becomes a dishwashing brush

German version of a novel by Hallgrímur Helgason wins “Strangest Book Title of 2010”  competition at the Frankfurt Book Fair.

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“And thus the world sometimes discovers faraway isles...”

On October 10, the last day of the Frankfurt Book Fair, Iceland formally accepted the title “Guest of Honour” from Argentina.

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Icelandic short-films at the ZEBRA Poetry Film Festival in Berlin.

Short films by Eiríkur Örn Norðdahl and Lára Garðarsdóttir are playing from October 14-17 at the Babylon Mitte in Berlin.

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Press conference at the Frankfurt Book Fair

Katrín Jakobsdóttir, Minister of Education, Science and Culture, was among those who spoke at a Sagenhaftes Island press conference at the Frankfurt Book Fair.

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The Kunststiftung NRW contributes to saga translation project

A German arts foundation contributes generously to a new and complete translation of the Icelandic sagas.

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Iceland in Frankfurt 2010

The Frankfurt Book Fair has begun, and will last from October 6-10. This year's Book Fair will see many events related to Icelandic literature and publishing.

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“I don't read much crime fiction”

Arnaldur Indriðason on the Icelandic crime fiction tradition, C.S.I. and Inspector Erlendur Sveinsson. He is about to release a new novel, which contains a pleasant surprise for fans.

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What's in a name?

Hallgrímur Helgason's newest German release has been nominated for a "Strangest Book Title of 2010" prize.

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“Scintillating images in the midst of winter darkness,”

...says a Danish review of Jón Kalman Stefánsson's recently translated Heaven and Hell.

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My Soul to Take nominated for Shamus Prize

The thriller My Soul to Take, by Icelandic crime queen Yrsa Sigurðardóttir, has been nominated for the 2010 Shamus Awards, in the category of “Best Hardcover.” more
 

Highway 1 revisited

German author Finn-Ole Heinrich has completed two video works containing scenes from his recent visit to Iceland – including an unexpected ride through the ash cloud of erupting volcano Eyjafjallajökull.

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A mouse-click away from the Middle Ages

From the production of parchment to modern interpretations of centuries-old texts, a new website opens a door to the ancient world of Icelandic manuscripts.

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Rucksack reads for the curious traveler

As always, summertime marks the arrival of flowering growth, funny looking birds and an abundance of new travel books. Here's a brief look at this season's crop of rucksack reads.

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The Ship pronounced crime novel of the year in France

In its newest issue, the French literary magazine Lire declares Skipið / The Ship by Stefán Máni to be the the best crime novel to appear in France this year.

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The Blood Drop awarded to Helgi Ingólfsson

The historical whodunnit Þegar kóngur kom / When the King Came receives the annual crime-writing prize – and a nomination for the Scandinavian Glass Key award.

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A German treasure trove of Icelandic literature

Since the early 19th century, the Kiel University Library has been collecting books on Iceland.

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Literary festival in Romania

“It was especially touching to meet writers from countries which are genetically related to us through the female line of descent,” says author Þórunn Erlu-Valdimarsdóttir, who recently represented Iceland at the festival "Days and Nights of Literature" in Neptun, Romania.

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Útkall to be published in Germany

A deal was struck last week to publish Útkall – árás á Goðafoss / Rescue – Goðafoss under Attack. "I think that the time is right for Germans to read of what really happened out there," says author Óttar Sveinsson.

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Bankster in German

The German publishing firm Frankfurter Verlagsanstalt (FVA) has bought the translation rights of the novel Bankster by Guðmundur Óskarsson. The German edition is due to appear in the fall of 2011. more
 

A leg up for emerging talent

For the third time, the Icelandic Literature Fund presents its New Voices Grant – intended to encourage literature projects with artistic potential, but little chance of financial success.

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On the saga trail

“A great trip in good company,” says Bergur Ebbi Benediktsson of German-Icelandic spoken word collaboration.

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Untamed nature

A new book on the eruption in Eyjafjallajökull is in the pipelines. A collaboration between geologist Ari Trausti Gudmundsson and photographer Ragnar Th. Sigurdsson.

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Slam event

Three young German writers have spent the last few days in Iceland, assiduously studying Iceland's literary heritage. On the Thursday of May 27 the entourage will perform along with young Icelandic poets at Næsti bar.

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An unlikely bestseller

So far, Iceland's bestseller of the year is the report detailing the build-up to the Icelandic bank crash of 2008. Which means that the Icelandic parliament is currently the bestselling publisher of 2010.

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A harbinger of spring

The Reykjavík Arts Festival kicked off earlier this week. The annual event has become a harbinger of spring in Iceland, brimming with concerts and exhibitions.

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Fríða Á. Sigurðardóttir dies at 69

Fríða Á. Sigurðardóttir, author, died in the early hours of May 7.

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A bleak moral portrait

The German-speaking media reacts to Einar Már Gudmundsson's work on Iceland's meltdown.

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Friends of literature sign up in Germany and Iceland

“This interesting project has got off to a good start,” says Ólafur Davíðsson, chair of the board of Friends of "Sagenhaftes Island".

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Seven Days' Darkness

The Spanish Flu looms over the inhabitants of Reykjavík and, in the distance, a menacing plume rises to the sky. A 90 year old work which speaks directly to the present times' preoccupation with swine flu and cataclysmic eruptions.

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Slam poetry out of the Icelandic sagas

Slam – Saga is a literary event in May which will see German and Icelandic poets performing original prose inspired by the Old Norse Sagas.

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"I never think, I just write"

"Iceland is mainly just nature, with a few human beings scattered here and there," says Icelandic writer Jón Kalman Stefánsson in an interview with Sagenhaftes Island, which will appear on the project´s website on Friday.

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Future of football

„Football guides us towards the future“ says Didier Drogba, football player for Chelsea and the Ivory Coast, in the preface of a new book by photographer Páll Stefánsson.

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Hugleikur Dagsson's Popular Hits

“I think the book Should You be Laughing at This? is the only one that's been published in German,” says writer/cartoonist Hugleikur Dagsson. “And it's much funnier in German than in Icelandic.”

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Yrsa's fifth crime-novel in German

German publisher Fischer Verlag has secured the translation rights to Horfðu á mig (Look at Me).

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Icelandic poetry in India

Poems by Gerður Kristný and Sigurður Pálsson translated into Hindi and Bengali

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Eggert Pétursson's flower prize

Flora Islandica wins design award as best publication.

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Five novels by Steinunn Sigurðardóttir now in paperback in German

A German translation of Sólskinshestur (Sun Horse) published in paperback.

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'Fjöruverðlaun' literary prizes

Presentation of women's book awards

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Cultural tourism in Iceland

Katrín Árnadóttir in Berlin on the success of the Culture Lounge at the ITB.

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Fabulous Iceland at the Leipzig Book Fair

Kristín Steinsdóttir and Andri Snær Magnason promoted their books.

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Fabulous Iceland at the ITB in Berlin

Sagenhaftes Island will be present at one of the largest travel trade shows in the world 10-14 of March.

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France falls for Jón Kalmann

Print run for Himnaríki og helvíti (Heaven and Hell) doubled only ten days after first issue.

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'The Rune Cabal' to Germany

Aufbau publishing house in Germany acquires German rights to Rúnagaldur/The Rune Cabal.

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Andri Snær Magnason receives KAIROS award

Sagenhaftes Island interviewed the author on the occation of the ceremony in Hamburg 28 February.

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The Icelandic Literary Prize

Guðmundur Óskarsson and Helgi Björnsson awarded the Icelandic Literary Prize 2009.

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Support for Iceland in Frankfurt

We are proud that Iceland is Guest of Honour in Frankfurt 2011.

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Friends of "Sagenhaftes Island"

The aim is to bring Icelandic culture to Germany 2011.

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Major paperback contract in Germany

Three novels by Hallgrímur Helgason coming out in paperback in Germany.

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Success in Scandinavia

Superb reviews, prizes and impressive coverage. Three Icelandic writers achieve success in Scandinavia

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Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

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Two new books from Gyrðir Elíasson

Two new books by Gyrðir Elíasson were published this autumn, a short-story collection and a book of poetry. Critical consensus is that Elíasson is at his best this year.

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RAX in New York Times

A new photography book, Last Days of the Arctic, is expected in 2010.

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Nanna Rögnvaldardóttir nominated for the Gourmand Prize

The cookbook Maturinn hennar Nönnu (Nanna's Food) has been nominated for one of the world's most highly regarded prizes in Wine and Cookery writing.

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Der Spiegel recommends Auðnin (Bleakness) By Yrsa Sigurðardóttir

This book selected as one of the three Books of the Week

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Literary award nominations

Nominations for the Icelandic Literary Prize and The Nordic Council Literary Prize announced last week

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Jón Leifs - a new biography

Jón Leifs is one of Iceland's most important artists of the 20th century. His story is that of a man who was to some extent too big for the Iceland of that time.

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Icelandic authors in Graz

The newest issue of the Austrian literature magazine Lichtungen is dedicated to Icelandic literature

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Andri Snær Magnason  receives the KAIROS prize

The KAIROS prize is awarded for work which connects art and society

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Þorsteinn frá Hamri is awarded the Jónas Hallgrímsson prize

The Jónas Hallgrímsson Prize was awarded on Icelandic Language Day 2009

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Foreign publishers compete for Jón Kalman Stefánsson

Publication rights to Himnaríki og helvíti /Heaven and Hell sold to Italy, Spain and the Netherlands

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Óttar M. Norðfjörð in Spanish

Óttar M. Norðfjörð's books Hnífur Abrahams/Abraham's Knife and Sólkross/Sun Cross to be distributed in about 20 countries

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The Black Cliffs (1929) by Gunnar Gunnarsson re-issued in Germany

One of Gunnar's best-known novels  translated by Karl Ludwig Wetzig

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Thirty Icelandic writers have German publishers

excellent response to Frankfurt 2011

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Icelandair supports Sagenhaftes Island

Contract of partnership signed 28 september.

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Yrsa in Russian

The largest publishing house in Russia (AST) has purchased the rights to Yrsa Sigurðardóttir‘s first two novels.

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Next Reykjavík International Literary Festival: 2011

The ninth Reykjavík International Literary Festival ended with a publishers' symposium and poetry.

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The atom poets in German

A poetry collection dedicated to the five foremost modernist poets of Iceland will be published in the summer of 2011 in Germany.

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Reykjavík International Literary Festival

held for the ninth time in Reykjavik 6-12 September 2009

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The Arnamagnaean Manuscript Collection

...has been added to UNESCO‘s Memory of the World Register, thus becoming the first Icelandic relic to be submitted to the archives.

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Success for Gerður Kristný's Garden

...rubs shoulders in Norway with literary giants.

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Stefán Máni's  success in Denmark

Politiken and Jyllands Posten praise the book Skipið/The Ship.

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Father's big secret

An Icelandic cannibal wreaks havoc in Denmark...

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Laxness in Arabic

Lebanese publisher Arab Scientific has bought the publishing rights to Brekkukotsannáll /The Fish Can Sing in arabic.

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All's Well that Ends Well...

Ambassador

by Bragi Ólafsson published in German by S. Fischer Verlag.

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Linguistic ambassadors in Reykjavík and Suðursveit!

Over thirthy translators into twelve different languages.

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International translators' conference in Reykjavík

Translators of Icelandic literature gather in Reykjavík and at Hali.

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Fabulous Iceland at the Leipzig Book Fair

Halldór Laxness, Egill Skallagrímsson, Grim and the Miðgarðsormur Serpent in Leipzig

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Fabulous Iceland

The new Website is now open
The Project Fabulous Iceland has now opened it’s new website.

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New complete edition

of Sagas of Icelanders in German for publication in 2011 Published and promoted by one of Germany’s leading publishing houses

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Guest of Honour

Agreement signed by Iceland’s Minister of Education, Science and Culture and Book Fair managing director

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More news

Author of the Month

Ólafur Jóhann Ólafsson - Forsíða

Olaf Olafsson

Despite enjoying phenomenal success in Iceland as well as abroad, Olaf Olafsson remains oddly disassociated with the rest of Iceland's literary scene. His eighth novel, Restoration, will be published by HarperCollins in early 2012.

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Arnaldur - forsíða

Arnaldur Indriðason

“It ought not to be possible to write crime fiction in Iceland because nothing happens here. And it's extremely difficult to convince readers of anything else. This is the challenge you're faced with,” says crime-writer Arnaldur Indriðason.

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Pétur Gunnarsson - forsíða

Pétur Gunnarsson

“The relationship between authors and their previous works is perhaps best compared to our relationship with dreams. They just disappear into another dimension,” says the author Pétur Gunnarsson, who has two books coming out in Germany this year.

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Óskar Árni - Forsíða

Óskar Árni Óskarsson

Óskar Árni Óskarsson is an acknowledged master of short prose, with a gift for bringing out the surreal in the most quotidian of circumstances.

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Sigurbjörg Þrastardóttir - forsíða

Sigurbjörg Þrastardóttir

Sigurbjörg Þrastardóttir is one of the most prominent Icelandic poets of her generation. We spoke with her about the art of poetry, and the possibilities of sneaking it to unsuspecting crime fiction buffs.

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Kristín Steinsdóttir

“I was reaching for things that were simply gone,” says author Kristín Steinsdóttir of her latest novel, Ljósa, which is based on the life of her grandmother. Mental illness, Kristín tells us, was not something people used to discuss. “Perhaps people felt that, just by talking of it, they put themselves at risk of falling ill.”

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Sjón - Forsíða

Sjón

"Stories don't go out of date,” Sjón told us over the telephone. Starting out as a prominent advocate of the avant-garde, the ever-busy author never expected he'd write a novel about 17th century Iceland. But here he is. From the Mouth of the Whale is due out in the UK in May 2011.

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Gyrðir Elíasson - Forsíða

Gyrðir Elíasson

The works of Gyrðir Elíasson, one of Iceland's most renowned authors, reflect the dictum that “real humor needs a tragic sinker.”

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Óttar M. Norðfjörð - forsíða

Óttar M. Norðfjörð

“I think that my ingenuousness keeps me from understanding evil. And precisely because I don't understand it, evil keeps turning up in my work,” says novelist Óttar M. Norðfjörð. He has a new thriller out this Christmas.

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Gerður-forsíða

Gerður Kristný

According to Gerður Kristný – poet, novelist and children's book author – fear was an early settler in her poetry. “It's stayed there ever since, so I don't think I'll be evicting it by now,” she told us. Also discussed: Uganda, tattoo artists and the new book.

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Áslaug Jónsdóttir - forsíða

Áslaug Jónsdóttir

“Each picture book needs to strike the right temperature, the right mood,” says author and artist Áslaug Jónsdóttir, whose visually striking and atmospheric books have enthralled children and adults alike for the past decade.

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kristinMarja(forsida)

Kristín Marja Baldursdóttir

“Equal rights were at the top of my mind when I began writing novels,” claims author Kristín Marja Baldursdóttir. Her works highlight a mostly neglected part of Icelandic history: The lives of its women, and the disparity between their aspirations on one hand, and their predestined roles on the other.

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Kristín Eiríksdóttir

“I don't know how I could be an artist without being brutal,” says poet and writer Kristín Eiríksdóttir, who will release a short story-collection in October. “Where would I find inspiration for that?”

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Auður - Forsíða

Auður A. Ólafsdóttir

“Beautiful, like a painting out of the golden age,” was a critic's verdict on Auður A. Ólafsdóttir's novel Afleggjarinn (The Offspring), the story of a young man who sets out to restore a dilapidated monastic garden to its former beauty.

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Sölvi Björn Sigurðsson

“Anybody, anything can inspire you: a museum brochure, a shampoo bottle, even a TV show about an Englishman's armpit,” says author Sölvi Björn Sigurðsson, whose next novel will provide a fresh take on greed, heartbreak, domesticated pigs and much besides.

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forsida

Sigurgeir Sigurjónsson

Sigurgeir Sigurjónsson has long been renowned for his landscape photography. At the moment, he has two works underway: a book on the eruption in Eyjafjallajökull, due in late June, and a book of aerial photographs of Iceland, which will be called Earthward.

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ragna,forsida

Ragna Sigurðardóttir

Prose constantly wormed its way into her visual art, until she channeled it into full-blown novels. Ragna Sigurðardóttir, with her unique visual style and willingness to experiment, has struck a new note in Icelandic literature.

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hallgrimur-forsida

Hallgrímur Helgason

"Icelandic paper is in some cases not completely worthless" says author Hallgrímur Helgason. His latest novel, The Hitman's Guide to House Cleaning, has just been published in German translation.

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gudmundur-forsida

Guðmundur Óskarsson

"It usually takes less than an economic crisis to cause a blow to the lives of ordinary people" says Guðmundur Óskarsson. His latest novel, Bankster, won the Icelandic Literary Prize 2009.

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Steinar - forsíða

Steinar Sigurjónsson

Steinar Sigurjónsson went his own way in his writing, which broke away from the  conventions of narrative and form. He has been hailed as one of the leaders of Icelandic modernist literature.

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Kristín Helga

Kristín Helga Gunnarsdóttir

Kristín Helga Gunnarsdóttir is a multiple award winning children’s book author. She has cemented her status as one of Iceland’s foremost contemporary author with books that bridge the gap between generations.

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Þórarinn (forsíða)

Þórarinn Eldjárn

Þórarinn Eldjárn's novel The Blue Tower has recently been published in Denmark.

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Yrsa Sigurðardóttir

Yrsa Sigurðardóttir

From We want Christmas in July to Last Rituals, from Iceland to the world (most recently the Arab world) Yrsa Sigurðardóttir’s crime novels are on an international roll.

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Alfrun

Álfrún Gunnlaugsdóttir

Álfrún Gunnlaugsdóttir has earned a place among Iceland's leading authors. She has been praised by critics and received awards for her work.

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Book of the Month

Jarðnæði - Forsíða

Plan of Ruins

“I believe that all lives can yield interesting stories. It isn't necessarily so important to remember school grades or calendar dates correctly, but much rather to  try, in some way, to mediate the truth of each life,” says author Oddný Eir Ævarsdóttir in an interview on her newest book, Plan of Ruins.

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Flugan sem stöðvaði stríðið - forsíða

The Fly that Ended the War

Bryndís Björgvinsdóttir nimbly navigates the precarious line between humour and gravity in The Fly that Ended the War, this year's winner of the Icelandic Children's Book Award.

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Góði Elskhuginn - Forsíða

The Good Lover

“As soon as the reader knows what to make of a book, it fails,” says the author Steinunn Sigurðardóttir in an interview with us. Her newest novel, The Good Lover, was published in German in early September.

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Vetrarsól - Forsíða

Winter Sun

“Turbulence is important, not tidiness,” says Auður Jónsdóttir of her novel Winter Sun. A German translation of the book was published by the major publishing house btb last spring, marking the first time Auður's work is published in Germany.

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The Codex Regius

The author Andri Snær Magnason ruminates on the mass and static energy of art – and poses a question: What is the single most important man-made phenomenon in Iceland?

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Maximus Musicus

As a rule of thumb, mice aren't particularly welcome in concert halls. Not so with Maximus Musicus, arguably the most popular rodent in the history of Iceland. We had a word with Hallfríður Ólafsdóttir, creator of this murine musicophile.

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bryndis-forsida

“Thanks, Nanna”

“Thanks, Nanna,” says Bryndís Loftsdóttir, picking out her favourite from the home's private book collection: a mammoth, bright-orange cookbook by food guru Nanna Rögnvaldardóttir.

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Ofsi - Forsíða

The best of times, the worst of times

Einar Kárason's historical novel Fury draws on a tumultuous period in Icelandic history. A German translation appeared in February.

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Þegar kóngur kom - forsida

When the King Came

What better cover for a murder than a royal visit? Helgi Ingólfsson's award-winning mystery is set against the backdrop of a spectacular point in Icelandic history: the height of the country's 19th century struggle for sovereignty.

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sonata-forsida

Nighttime Sonata

"My grandfather earnestly believed that while he slept, he would be transported inside other people, and that his dreams were the experiences of the other person.” These nomadic dreamings inspired Þórdís Björnsdóttir to write her second novel.

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President Vigdís

“The story of Vigdís Finnbogadóttir is the story of Iceland in the 20th century,” says biographer Páll Valsson of his new book on the former president.

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Missir/Loss

“When I was a child, people spoke of the beauty and wisdom of old age. I  didn't really believe them,” says author Guðbergur Bergsson in an interview with Sagenhaftes Island. His new novella is dedicated to the “generation of eternal youth.”

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heim-til-mins-hjarta-forsida

Home to My Heart

I lie in bed in a sanatorium, struggling to resist sleep, but then I recall that I'm allowed to fall asleep; I've got a sleep certificate, a stamp on my bum: Burnt Out." The opening paragraph to Heim til míns hjarta/Home to My Heart by Oddný Eir Ævarsdóttir.

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snorri-sturluson-bok

Snorri Sturluson – A Biography

The story of the life of one of the most remarkable men in Icelandic history has been written for the first time as a comprehensive biographical work.  Ævisaga Snorra Sturlusonar/The Biography of Snorri Sturluson by Óskar Guðmundsson is an important contribution to medieval scholarship.

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Goðafoss

Rescue – Goðafoss under Attack

How Iceland's flagship, the Goðafoss, was torpedoed by a German U-boat in WWII. The book provides a look into Icelandic way of life during WWII, it also contains secred documents and accounts from the U-boat crew.

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Algleymi - forsida

Algleymi / Oblivion

A unique work in Icelandic writing – a stage of an author’s oeuvre which has consciously introduced ideas and approaches hitherto unknown in Icelandic fiction.

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skaparinn-forsida

Skaparinn / The Creator

The author Guðrún Eva Mínervudóttir narrates the theft of a state of the art sex-doll in The Creator, a story of alienation, loneliness and despair.

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Erró - Mannlýsingar(b)

Erró – Portraits

Twenty years ago Erró, one of Iceland’s leading artists, made a huge donation of his works to the Reykjavík Art Museum. The anniversary of the gift is marked by the publication of a magnificent book focussing on Erró’s portraits.

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Konur / Women

“For every woman who takes a seat in parliament, or as a managing director, or ‘shames’ men in other ways by gaining access to power, thousands of porn movies are produced which put women back in ‘their place,’ where they are powerless, submissive, and usually humiliated.”

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Himnaríki og helvíti / Heaven and hell

Heaven and Hell, by Jón Kalman Stefánsson, has already been translated into numerous languages. Quercus publishers have recently acquired the English translation rights.

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Video of the Month

Bókasýningin - Final

Impressions – Frankfurt Book Fair 2011

Impressions from five eventful days as the Guest of Honour at the Frankfurt Book Fair 2011.

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Crepusculum - forsida

8 ancient manuscripts arrive at the Schirn

Gabríela Friðriksdóttir's “Crepusculum” opened at the Schirn Kunsthalle on September 28, and features eight ancient manuscripts from Iceland in an entirely new context.

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Heimilisbókasöfn

Home libraries in Frankfurt

The Guest of Honour Pavilion at the Frankfurt Book Fair 2011 will feature a video installation, showing Icelanders reading from their favourite books in their homes. Here is a short preview of what to expect.

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thydingar

New translations of The Sagas of Icelanders

“This edition is intended for readers,” says Kristof Magnusson of a new German translation of The Sagas of Icelanders, due out this fall with the publishing house S. Fischer Verlag.

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gabriela-forsida

Soul capsules

“Working with the Icelandic manuscripts is like handling mummies from the British Museum,” says the artist Gabríela Friðriksdóttir.

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hkl-forsida

Halldór Laxness

“On this occasion, I think of my book-loving country, Iceland, which has kept its watchful eye on me ever since I took my first steps as an author,” said Halldór Laxness when he returned to Iceland with the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1955.

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Thor-forsida

Literature that lasts

“I believe that we need poetry, if we want to come through the storm,” said the author Thor Vilhjálmsson in an interview with Sagenhaftes Island, shortly before his death.

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Gljufrasteinn-19

In the poet's house

Gljúfrasteinn, formerly the residence of Halldór Laxness, now a museum and cultural center, often houses readings during the darkest winter months. Sagenhaftes Island dropped in on one such reading.

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Oddiforsida2

Where the Christmas books come from

Roughly 70-80% of Iceland's annual book output is probably printed around this time of year,” says Jón Ómar Erlingsson, manager of the print company Oddi.

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Raxi - Forsíðumynd

Last Days of the Arctic

“The old woman's face in the window contained a millennium of Greenland's history,” says the photographer Ragnar Axelsson. His newest book, Last Days of the Arctic, is a collection of photographs taken in Greenland.

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OktoberVideo-forsida

Small island, big stories

“My mother was a poor woman, who had nothing to give me but poetry – that was all she owned, all she had,” begins a passage by the poet Þorsteinn frá Hamri, included in Iceland's introductory film to the 2010 Frankfurt Book Fair.

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sigurdurHansen(forsida)

The moment before the fight

“Much blood was spilled here on Haugsnes,” says farmer and former policeman Sigurður Hansen, who – using 450-pound boulders – has reconstructed the most monumental battle in Icelandic history.

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The Saga-Steads of Collingwood & Ingólfsson

In 1897, antiquarian and artist W. G. Collingwood set out on a journey of western Iceland. A century later, photographer Einar Falur Ingólfsson retraces the Victorian's footsteps.

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Sögubræðsla - myndskeið

Journey to the center of the sagas

Last June, a bi-national troupe of six writers, spoken-word artists and performers traveled around Iceland, seeking to be inspired by the country's landscapes and literary heritage.

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It's a search for a story

Author Auður Jónsdóttir reads from an unpublished work, Kæra Auður Drauma, at her home in Reykjavík.

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Pall-Stef

The beautiful game

“If people sense that you respect them and their culture, the possibilities are endless,” says photographer Páll Stefánsson of his newest book, Africa – The Future of Football.

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Jón Kalman - video

I'm just a shepherd

"I'm just a shepherd who has lost his flock" says writer Jón Kalman Stefánsson. Although he has released two major novels in recent years – Himnaríki og Helvíti / Heaven and Hell and Harmur englanna / Sorrow of Angels – he remains adamantly silent on his current work-in-progress.

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kritsing

Kristín & the Women

“I was a bit shaky when I was embroidering the first picture,” says artist Kristín Gunnlaugsdóttir, who recently showed new pictures in Reykjavík: not painted, but embroidered on coarse canvas.

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handrit

Medieval manuscripts to Frankfurt?

Some of Iceland's priceless medieval manuscripts, stored in the Árni Magnússon Institute in Reykjavík, may be included in the Icelandic exhibition at the Frankfurt Book Fair next year.

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Artist Eggert Pétursson

Small delicate flowers in full size. The artitist's glorious flower pictures have recently been re-published.

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elsa

Books for Christmas!

Christmas doesn’t just mean pretty lights, cake and feasting – but Christmas books!

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lutz

The translator Karl-Ludwig Wetzig

Gunnar Gunnarsson is by no means a forgotten writer. Karl-Ludwig Wetzig has just completed his German translation of Gunnar’s Svartfugl/The Black Cliffs/Schwarze Vögel, a novel based partly on the author’s own complicated person life.

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yrsasigmynd

Yrsa Sigurðardóttir

"It would be best to get reviews by E-mail." Crime novelist Yrsa Sigurðardóttir sits with silver-varnished fingernails at home on her sofa, writing up Chapter 25 of her latest crime story.

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EINARMAR_MYND

Einar Már Guðmundsson

"WHERE NOW IS THE RAIN SHOWER OF LIBERATION?"

Novelist and poet Einar Már Guðmundsson reads from his new book, Hvíta Bókin/The White Book, at Café Rosenberg in Reykjavík.

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gusgusmynd

Gusgus

In September the band GusGus will be issuing its latest CD, 24/7. 

Birgir, Daníel and President Bongo talk to Þorsteinn J. about their new CD, and the five tracks, all much longer than the average pop song.

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Elín Hansdóttir

"Modernity arrived quite rapidly in Iceland, which called for a new facade," Says artist Elín Hansdóttir. Her exhibition casts a new, historical light on the current financial crisis in Iceland.

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Einar Kárason

“It is the specialty of novelists to see the unique in every person”
Einar Kárason, author of Ofsi/Rage, winner of the Icelandic Literary Award 2008.

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gljufrasteinn

Gljúfrasteinn

The Laxness Museum

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