Reykjavík Grapevine - 24.06.2005, Blaðsíða 34

34
In keeping with our never-ending thirst for
Icelandic literature, we dove headfirst into this
lauded tome. Nei! won the Bookstore Worker’s
Literary Prize in 2004 and was published
simultaneously in Iceland, Sweden, Denmark
and the Faeroe Islands. While technically a
pan-Scandinavian effort, Áslaug Jónsdóttir is
credited as translator, illustrator and co-author,
which makes it Icelandic enough for us.
Nei! recounts the tale of a little monster
whose peaceful afternoon is shattered by a
knock at his door that fills him with dread, as
the unwelcome guest is “the big monster” – an
obnoxious, pushy beast. From here, the story
takes a Proustian turn into recollection, as we
journey through the little monster’s memories of
the big monster’s transgressions, such as never
letting the little monster do the hiding in a
game of hide-and-go-seek, leaving the caps off
the little monster’s new markers, and stealing
money from the purse of the little monster’s
mother.
How does the big monster get away with
it, time and time again? Because, as the little
monster recalls with increasing resentment, he
never dares to say anything. All that bottled-
up rage has got to come out sooner or later,
and it does: he opens the door and screams
“No!” at the big monster. The big monster,
understandably taken aback by this sudden
growth of a spine, back-pedals and begs the
little monster to stop screaming. The little
monster agrees to do so only if the big monster
will agree to play nice. Remarkably, the big
monster obliges and the two become good
friends. We leave the two with the little monster
confiding in us that if the big monster ever starts
reverting to his old habits, he won’t hesitate to
say “No” again.
As there aren’t nearly enough children’s
books that encourage children to stand up for
themselves while warning against repression,
we think this is a fine book to read to your kids.
The illustrations are darkly comical as well, and
we hope to see more of Jónsdóttir’s work in the
future.
Nei! sagði litla skrímslið (No! said the little
monster) Rakel Helmsdal, Kalle Güettler, and
Áslaug Jónsdóttir
Mál og Menning, 2004
1990 ISK, available at Penninn-Eymundsson and
Mál og Menning, at locations around the country.
by Paul F Nikolov
Nei! sagði litla skrímslið (No! said the little monster)
After reviewing Jón Adólf Steinsson’s work,
one can’t help asking: is it craft, or is it art? In
my opinion, the answer lies very much in the
viewer.
Take “The Judge,” for example. Well-crafted
and accessible, Steinsson describes the piece
with remarkable passion. He says the piece was
inspired by current events. He had read a piece
in the local dailies about a miscarriage of justice
and had been pondering the thought: “He
who passes judgment without righteousness.”
The Kópavogur wood carver, who trained in
England and Australia, deals with a concept
deep in the local mythology.
In another of his more striking pieces,
“Time,” Steinsson comments on the theme:
“Time conquers all. Nothing can arrest it.” This
grim take on mutability is actually a very typical
Icelandic attitude dating back to the Norsemen
and the Vikings. They practiced the ritual of
the “Öndvegissúla,” casting a totem-like carving
into the ocean and leaving them to the fate of
the winds and currents. They believed that the
gods guided the totems and thus they settled
where they totems were later found.
His “found” pieces, often created from
driftwood, display a more subtle talent. “I look
at the wood for days, sometimes months, until
I know what it wants to become.” An image is
“suggested” to him, a latent expression of Jón’s
imagination and the inner life of the wood.

Jón Adólf Steinsson’s work can be seen at
Kársnesbraut 91, Kópavogur, Phone: 896-6234.
Call for appointment. Images are also available
online at www.jonadolph.com.
How To View the Woodcarver
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