Reykjavík Grapevine - 10.02.2006, Blaðsíða 5

EDITORIALS
Bart Cameron, Editor
The feature of this issue is a lengthy interview
with Vigdís Grímsdóttir, a cherished Icelandic
writer rarely presented to foreigners. In my opin-
ion, she is a throwback to the great generation of
Icelandic writers, including the novelist Halldór
Laxness and the poet Steinn Steinarr—authors
who wrote with the kind of overwhelming ambi-
tion and conviction that often earns the label
genius. Many tourists and all locals know that
Iceland publishes more books per capita than any-
where else on earth. It doesn’t, however, sell more
books per capita, nor do very many books even
have a second printing. Grímsdóttir and her peers,
whom we also hope to mention in the Grapevine
soon, are authors with more ambition than to get
published.
I believe that our writers are cut from the same
cloth as Ms. Grímsdóttir—they write not to get
published but to express something they care
about deeply as best they can. I believe their writ-
ings will make a lasting impression.
A biochemist in Grindavík approached me re-
cently, laughing and smiling as he walked over.
“You’re over at the Grapevine. You guys are trying
to make us modern,” he said.
While I was happy for the positive attention, there
was really no way to respond. As I said, he was a
biochemist, and he was reading a tourist publica-
tion in a second, likely third or fourth, language. I
wasn’t about to tell him he needed modernising.
We talked briefly about his favourite issues, and
then he dropped the smile and asked me, one
professional to another, what my goals were with
the Grapevine. What, exactly, did the Grapevine
want?
I didn’t have a very inspiring answer. Unlike my
predecessor, I have never had political ambitions
for this newspaper. Unlike editors of other local
papers, I have no political ambitions for myself.
And as receptive and helpful as Icelanders have
been to us, especially in the last few months, I
really don’t see any reason for the Grapevine to
expand—we now have enough money to have
pizza on the day we layout AND kleinur the
following day. With the revenue of this year, the
editorial staff have even been able to afford two
Dictaphones.
“I just don’t want to have to dumb anything
down,” I said.
Never say this to a biochemist, as a) he won’t
think it’s an interesting editorial ambition and b)
he will assume you are as smart as he is, which, in
my case, did not hold true as we discussed blue-
green algae for ten minutes.
I have become convinced, in reading over Ms.
Grímsdóttir’s writing, that the goal of not dumb-
ing anything down is something she might admit
to having, and I believe that’s what makes her
seem to be of a different age.

Believe it or not, it is this interest in a different age
that brought about our cover, a lampoon of the
New Yorker’s figurehead Eustace Tilley. In trying
to put together a cultural issue for the Grapevine,
the institution of the New Yorker came to mind.
Beyond its literary history, the New Yorker had
a few other connections to the Grapevine that
struck us as important: the first being that we try
to be funny, but are instead read for our news, the
second being that we lie about who we’re for—the
New Yorker used to state quite clearly that it was
“not edited for little old ladies in Dubuque,” even
as it hired more and more Midwestern writers
and editors, and we claim to not be for those who
speak Icelandic, even as we hire more and more
Icelanders and focus more and more on local news
coverage. We are hoping to build a final connec-
tion: the New Yorker, which could likely stick to
news about New York, cartoons and light humour
and make a profit, has invested an outstanding
amount of effort into creating magazines that were
more than they needed to be. We’re hoping to
create just such a curiosity ourselves.
I am a big fan of Silvía Nótt. I think she is without
a doubt the best we could put on display for the
Eurovision Song Contest. It therefore pains me to
see how certain elements in Icelandic society have
made an effort to have her disqualified from the
competition. In my mind, she is the only realistic
representative.
Her strength lies in her ability to recognise
the Euorovision Song Contest for what it is:
A comical farce. That is why we need to send
someone like Silvía Nótt, someone whose whole
act is a farce to begin with. Too many times I have
felt embarrassed when watching some wanna-be
pop diva try to sing her (and in some cases his)
way into the heart of the European community.
Too many times I’ve had to endure the laughter
when on foreign ground for the hideously tacky
performance by this nation’s representatives. Not
this time, I say.
The fact that the only people who actually take
this competition seriously, the other songwrit-
ers, have ganged up on her and tried to exclude
her from the competition only adds to the weight
of my argument. The best testimony of their
understanding of this competition is the fact that
they have yet to succeed in bringing home the big
prize. In recent years it has been common to view
anything above 16th seat as a victory in itself.
Finally we have an opportunity to send
someone with a little zest. Please Iceland, don’t
mess this up. Let’s all join together to endorse the
only person who could bring a little respect to our
participation. The only person who will go there,
not to play the game, but to be a part of the farce.
Congratulations Iceland!
No Old Ladies in Dubuque, Please
Sveinn Birkir Björnsson,
Editorial Intern
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