Reykjavík Grapevine - 12.09.2008, Blaðsíða 25

REYKJAVÍK GRAPEVINE | ISSUE 14—2008 | 25
V í k i n
Reykjavik
Maritime Museum
V í k i n
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Open daily from 11am to 5pm
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w w w . s j o m i n j a s a f n . i s
L i v i n g M u s e u m b y t h e S e a
INTERVIEW BY BeRguR eBBI BeneDIKTSSon — pHoTo BY vIKToR SvAn
Jón Kalman Stefánsson won the Icelandic Literary
Prize for his novel Summer Light, and then Comes
the Night in 2005. He is the author of seven books
of prose and three volumes of poetry. His books
are widely available in German, but translations
to Danish, Swedish, Czech and French are forth-
coming from the prestigious Gallimard publishing
company. My guess is that Jón Kalman’s novels
will be described as full of small-town mystique
and dreamy mountain fog by the international
press, once they discover him. I’ll even bet that the
phrase ‘the literary equivalent to Sigur Rós’ will be
tossed around. But this is a serious article. It’s about
literature so let’s put on a checked cardigan and be
quiet, shall we?
I meet Jón Kalman in his study, which he
built especially in the backyard of his home in Mos-
fellsbær. He is the picture perfect novelist. There is
no computer to be seen on his desk: only a mod-
est lamp, a pen and an empty piece of paper. The
walls are covered with bookshelves so stacked
with books that it almost looks like wallpaper.
Despite giving the impression of being a traditional
novelist, Jón Kalman is neither traditional nor ordi-
nary. His books do not follow the traditional struc-
ture of the novel and his style is both very mystical
and yet casual. “My publisher has discussed with
me how to define my books, whether they should
be called novels or short stories. I usually don’t
mind what they are called,” says Jón Kalman. Still,
he understands the confusion.
A VEIN BuRST
“The traditional form does not appeal to me but
there are many new exciting things happening. To
name an example I can’t wait for new novels from
the Spanish author Javier Marías. It is like he dis-
covers something new on each page. I tried writ-
ing traditional novels but it ended with two scripts
in the can. Then something happened. It was like
something burst inside me, and it has been flowing
out of a vein ever since”.
How would you describe your style?
“I take influence from poetry. I think poetry is the
deepest form and it has elements that can move
you like no other form can with the possible excep-
tion of music. I have tried to apply this in my books.
The way poetry can be illogical but still make
sense. I must note though that this is not something
I do knowingly. I would rather say that this notion
breathes through me. I guess I do it without mean-
ing to.”
At this stage of our discussion I ask if I’m put-
ting him through hell by making him analyze his
own work. He denies this, and says it’s normal. Still,
we agree that it is probably not the author’s role
to define his prose. We move on to talk about the
themes and settings of his work.
INTERESTED IN ORDINARY PEOPlE
“I write about ordinary people. If I would write a
book about Sturlungaöld [age of clan-warfare
in medieval Iceland] I would not write about the
chieftains but about the ordinary people. I try to
find the casual perspective that we all understand
so well,” he says. I think about Bruce Springsteen’s
lyrics. I once heard them described as being about
ordinary people in unordinary situations.
“My first three books all took place in the
countryside, two mostly revolve around Reykjavík
and my latest one takes place a 100 years ago in a
fishing village and at sea. I just write about what
comes to mind at any given time. Sometimes I
think it doesn’t even matter that much what books
“The Traditional Form does not appeal to me”
Jón Kalman Stefánsson is a picture perfect novelist yet a sympathetic scientist.
that jóN kalmaN steFáNssoN sure likes to read him some Books
are about but rather how they are written. For ex-
ample, a book that would take place a 1000 years
ago could tell you much more about modern times
than a book that deals with contemporary events.”
ASTROlOGIST TuRNED POET
What about Jón Kalman himself? Is his life incor-
porated in his work? “It is up to some level. Many of
my stories take place in the countryside. I grew up
in Reykjavík until I was 12 but I spent a lot of time
in the countryside. As a teenager and young man I
did various ordinary jobs and got to know the life I
sometimes write about in my books.” So were you
not always destined to become a writer? “No, not
at all. As a teenager I wanted to be an astrologist
after I saw documentary shows with Carl Sagan on
television. I enrolled in school as a physics major
but then I realised that it was the poetry behind the
astrology that appealed to me. It is fascinating to
listen to how the astrologists use words to explain
the unknown parts of the universe,” says Jón Kal-
man and we agree that extreme science can rep-
resent beautiful poetry. “Scientists and artists have
one thing in common and that is the doubt. Their
main role is to expand boundaries.”
As he sits in his chair by the desk with the
lamp, Jón Kalman looks a little bit like a scientist.
His subject is the human soul with all its unpredict-
able longings and needs. His study is an experi-
mental lab for literature. I decide to flee the scene
before the scientist analyzes me with his profes-
sional yet sympathetic way of digging out long for-
gotten passions.
“I TAKe InFLuence FRoM poeTRY. I
THInK poeTRY IS THe DeepeST FoRM
AnD IT HAS eLeMenTS THAT cAn
Move You LIKe no oTHeR FoRM
cAn wITH THe poSSIBLe excepTIon
oF MuSIc.”
ABOuT jÓN KAlMAN
Jón Kalman Stefánsson was born in Reyk-
javík in 1963. His first published work, the
poetry collection With a Gun Permit against
the Eternity (Me› byssuleyfi á eilíf›ina),
came out in 1988. He is known for his distinc-
tive style where he blends together short tales
of ordinary people into a wholesome piece,
mostly linked together with an invisible
subtle thread that flirts with mysticism.
main novels by jón kalman stefánsson
Ditches in Rain (Skur›ir í rigningu - 1996)
The Summer behind the Hill (Sumari›
bak vi› brekkuna -1997) - The Light on the
Mountains (Birtan á fjöllunum - 1999) - A Few
Things about Giant Pines and Time (†mislegt
um risafurur og tímann - 2001) - The Crackle
in the Stars (Snarki› í stjörnunum - 2003) -
Summer Light and then Comes the Night
(Sumarljós og svo kemur nóttin - 2005) -
Heaven and Hell (Himnaríki og helvíti - 2007)