Lögberg-Heimskringla - 04.02.2000, Side 10

10 » Lögberg-Heimskringla * Millennium Edition • Friday 4 February 2000
The World’s Smallest Giant
Icelandic puppet theatre visits Canada
Hallveig Thorlacius entertains two children.
The Pocket Theatre was founded
in 1984 by one of Iceland’s leading
puppeteers, Hallveig Thorlacius,
with the purpose of telling old Icelandic
stories she loved listening to as a child in
her grandmother’s kitchen. Iceland has
always been in the role of the storyteller
in Europe, ever since the íirst settlers
came sailing from Norway in the Viking
Age. The theatre is based in Reykjavík
and has travelled all oyer Iceland, to
Sweden, Norway, Denmark. Finland,
Greenland, the Faeroe Islands, England,
Slovenia, China, and the USA.
The show The World’s Smallest Giant
has been selected by the Leifur Eiriksson
Millennium Commission of Iceland to
introduce Icelandic folklore to American
and Canadian audiences. It will be per-
formed in schools and libraries all over
the continent in the year 2000 to remind
us of another visit from Iceland a thou-
sand years earlier, when Leifur Eiriksson
arrived in America, and to recall the fact
that the first European child to be born
there was actually Icelandic.
David Gislason of Canada comment-
ed, “I was watching closely for the reac-
John Harvard, MP for Charleswood
and St. James-Assiniboia is well
known in the Icelandic Canadian com-
munity. For the past several years he has
represented the Canadian govemment at
the annual June 17 Icelandic National Day
celebrations in Winnipeg and in 1994, he
represented Canada at the 50th anniversary
celebrations of the Icelandic Republic in
Iceland.
“As a Canadian with Icelandic ances-
try, I feel it is my community, my family if
you will. We are of the same blood and
share a common heritage. Their history is
my history; their values are my values,”
says Harvard.
As a Member of Parliament, he partic-
ipates in the Icelandic-Canadian communi-
ty by providing support whenever possible.
tion from the children, and it was imme-
diate. This woman has a real gift for story
telling. She captured her audience imme-
diately and held their attention through-
out. Children as well as adults were
On an ongoing basis, he supports the
Icelandic Festival in Gimli and the Nordic
House in Winnipeg.
“I am also involved with issues
between the Canadian and Icelandic gov-
emments. Last year, I had the honour of
meeting with Prime Minister Davíð
Oddsson of Iceland with regard to securing
financial support from his govemment for
the Department of Icelandic studies at the
University of Manitoba.”
Mr. Harvard has also been involved
with planning for Icelandic celebrations
marking the new millennium, but how
does he think the relationship between
Iceland and Canada can be strengthened in
the future?
“I think a lot can be done. I believe
there are opportunities for increased cul-
drawn into her storytelling spell, as she
introduced us to some interesting aspects
of Icelandic folklore.”
tural and student exchanges between the
two countries,” he said. “There are also
prospects for increased commercial trade,
with the port of Churchill serving as a nat-
ural gateway to a trade route linking
Canada and Iceland.”
With increased cultural and economi-
cal ties between the two countries, the need
for more structured political relations aris-
es and the opening of an Icelandic embassy
in Canada has been proposed. How does
Mr. Harvard feel about that?
“I am very excited about Iceland’s
intention to open an embassy in Canada.
That will help strengthen the linkages
between the two countries. I hope that
Canada will be able to do the same in the
near future.”
The best of
Icelandic
literature
Readers can eook forward to three
and maybe five new Icelandic titles
in English on the history of the emigra-
tion this year. The highly praised novel
Hibyli vindanna (“Where Tlie Winds
Dwell”), by Böðvar Guðmundsson, will
be published by Turnstone Press in. the
autumn of 2000. In 1995, Guðmundsson
won the highest Icelandic literary prize
for his novel which is set during the emi-
gration of Icelanders to Canada at the end
of the nineteenth century. The book, and
more than likely the sequel. Lífsins tré
(“The Tree of Life”) are due out from
Turnstone Press in autumn 2000.
Turnstone Press has also bought the
rights to Nýja ísland (“New Iceland,”
1997) by Guðjón Árngrimsson, a non-fic-
tion account of the Icelandic emigration in
the years 1870-1914, with emphasis on the
New Iceland settlement. The book, with
hundreds of photographs, was a bestseller
in Iceland. The sequel, Annað ísland,
(Another Iceland) is being considered for
publication.
The third work on the subject is a new
book, written in English by Jonas Thor, a
historian who lived for many years in
Manitoba. His book is being considered
for publication in Manitoba by the
University Press
This year the Icelandic publishers,
Mal og Menning, will be publishing
Vinlandsgatan (Wineland Millennium) by
Pall Bergthorsson. At this time it is not
know whether that book will be published
in Canada.
Jazz trio to tour
Canadian Jazz
Festivals
Guitar Islancio", an Icelandic
swing/jazz guitar and double bass
trio, will tour Western Canada this
spring-summer. The trio’s members are
Björn Thoroddsen (guitar), Gunnar
Thorðarson (guitar), and Jón Rafnsson
(double-bass), all highly talented and
prolific musicians. With a repertoire of
Duke Ellington, George Gershwin, origi-
nal compositions and more, the musi-
ciáns have proven themselves to be high-
ly popular with audiences throughout
Iceland. The trio will appear at several
jazz festivals including: the Jazz
Winnipeg Festival on June 21; the
Saskatchewan Jazz Festival, Saskatoon
on June 23; the Jazz City Festival in
Calgary and Edmonton on June 24-25;
Vancouver’s DuMaurier International
Jazz Festival on June 27; and Victoria’s
Jazz Fest International on June 29
through July 1. The trio may also appear
at the highly acclaimed Montreal Jazz
Festival, as well as other single venue
performances.
We are the same blood
says John Harvard
MP John Harvard addresses a crowd at the Manitoba Legislature on June 17, Iceland’s National Day. Photo: Jón Einars. Gustáfsson
For more information, visit our website: www.iceland2000.org