Reykjavík Grapevine - 12.08.2016, Blaðsíða 68

HOW DO YOU LIKE ICELAND?
On what brings him to
Reykjavík
“Our flight was delayed for an
hour and a half and because of
that we missed our transfer to
Frankfurt. So the airline gave
us a hotel room in Reykjavík
overnight. Actually we are
having a lot of fun here. We
met Carolyn who is also
from Minnesota and now we
are going whale watching
together,” explains Brad
Imsdahl.
On what they had heard
about Iceland
“Actually we have always
talked about coming to
Iceland. As for this trip, our
final destination is Norway.
I’ve heard that Icelanders are
distant cousins of Norwegians
and share the same viking
heritage,” says Brad. “And
also that it is a beautiful land
with geysers, glaciers and all
sorts of natural staff,” says
his wife Susan. “A friend of
mine worked here and she said
onlty wonderful things about
Iceland. I have always wanted
to see it and now I am getting
a chance,” adds Carolyn
Shwash.
On the differences between
Iceland and Minnesota
“ I grew up in Minnesota—it’s
really cold there and winters
last for six months. So it’s
pretty much the same here in
Iceland during a winter,” says
Carolyn.
Words & Photo GEIDI RAUD
Three Americans Here By Chance
If you’re hitting the road this sum-
mer for a day trip, or a tour of
Iceland’s mighty ring road, you’re
going to need something to read
when you get Overwhelmingly
Beautiful Landscape Overload (or
OBLO). The good news? We have
your back: read on for the Grape-
vine’s Brief Overview of Knowledge
Toward English-Translated Ice-
landic Classics (or BOOKTETIC).
Whether old or new, you should
be able to find these easily at the
Eymundsson or Mál og Menning
bookstores before you set off.
Góða ferð!
Sjón - The Blue Fox
‘The Blue Fox’ is a short piece of
magical-realist fiction, based on
some mysterious goings-on in
nineteenth-century rural Iceland.
An intriguing tangle of relation-
ships is shaken loose throughout
its pages, contrasted all the time
with the metaphysical relation-
ship between a hunter and his
prey—the elusive blue fox. The
third Icelandic winner of the Nor-
dic Literature Prize, this is a short
but gripping gem of Icelandic lit-
erature. JR
Bergsveinn Birgisson - Reply to a
Letter from Helga
QUICK GUIDE
Late
Summer
Reads
EDITED JOHN ROGERS ET AL
PHOTO HREFNA BJÖRG GYLFADÓTTIR
After long silence, an elderly
sheep farmer writes a letter to
the woman from a neighbouring
farm, whom he loved, then lost in
the waves of migration to Reykja-
vík that reshaped Icelandic society
in the middle of the 20th century.
Filled with bawdy rural humour,
earthy sensuality, play with tradi-
tional Icelandic literary language
and an aching nostalgia, the novel
movingly mourns a lost love that
stands for a whole lost way of life.
MA
Hugleikur Dagsson - The Very
Worst of Dagsson
If you’re looking for light in pages
but dark in humour, the comics of
Hugleikur Dagsson are sure to de-
light. Or offend. He has published
several collections, but his most
recent is a carefully crafted selec-
tion of the absolute most terrible
and terrific. It’s also the smallest
and cheapest, two extra perks for
the broke backpacker in need of a
bawdy book. GDF
Halldór Laxness - Independent
People
This relatively unknown work of
Icelandic literature is a classic from
the 1955 Nobel Prize winner. How
can a Nobel Prize-winning book
be unknown? We mean unknown
to English-language audiences—
especially American. Apparently,
the conservative government of
Iceland pressured J. Edgar Hoover
to have the book banned in the
United States due to Laxness’s so-
cialist leanings, leaving the author
basically unknown in the US un-
til his works were republished in
1996. The novel follows struggling
farmer Bjartur, whose pride and
staunch individualism prove dif-
ficult for his family and himself
to cope with. Through Bjartur, the
novel explores important facets of
national psyche against the back-
drop of modernisation and the in-
creasing abandonment of rural so-
cieties, which is a recurring theme
in 20th century Icelandic films and
literature. JR/YU
Gerður Kristný - Bloodhoof
‘Bloodhoof’ retells the Old Norse
story of the giantess (and name-
sake of the author) Gerður, from
her own previously unheard point
of view. Originally found in the me-
dieval Poetic Edda, in a narrative
told mostly from the perspective
of her captor, Gerður is abducted
from her homeworld and forced
to marry the god Freyr. Gerður’s
contemporary reinterpretation
is as beautifully minimal as it is
easy to follow, making it especially
excellent for anyone who thinks
they “don’t get” poetry. So don’t be
scared. Gerður will show you how
it’s done. GDF
Pick of the sagas: Laxdæla
If you’re looking for a good introduc-
tion to Old Norse literature, Laxdæla
Saga is the one. A sort of Icelandic
Romeo and Juliet, it tells the story
of one woman caught between two
foster brothers. She marries the one
she doesn’t love and the story un-
ravels with the appropriate amount
of tragedy for everyone involved. It
won’t leave you with only that un-
settled feeling of a sad ending—it’ll
also give you a good sense of what
defines Iceland’s original literary
genre. GDF
Finished already? That was fast!
Some other recommendations:
Svava Jakobsdóttir
- Gunnlöth’s Tale
Andri Snær Magnason
- Dreamland
Andri Snær Magnason
- Love Star
Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir
- Butterflies in November
Einar Már Guðmundsson
- Angels of the Universe
Steinunn Sigurðardóttir
- Thief of Time
Þórbergur Þórðarson
- In Search of My Beloved
Kristín Ómarsdóttir
- Children in Reindeer Woods
Þórbergur Þórðarson
- The Stones Speak
Yrsa Sigurðardóttir
- I Remember You
GDF: Grayson Del Faro, JR: John Rog-
ers, MA: Mark Asch YU: York Under-
wood
THE HOUSE AT EYRARBAKKI

Opening hours: May 1st - September 30th daily 11.00-18.00 or by an agreement
Tel: +354 483 1504 & +354 483 1082 | husid@husid.com | www.husid.com
Árnessýsla folk museum is located in Húsið,
the House, historical home of the Danish
merchants built in 1765. Húsið is one of the
oldest houses in Iceland and a beautiful
monument of Eyrarbakki´s time as the
biggest trading place on the south coast.
Today one can enjoy exhibitions about the
story and culture of the region, famous piano,
shawl made out of human hair and the kings
pot, are among items. Húsið prides itself with
warm and homelike atmosphere.
The House at Eyrarbakki
Open 11:30-22:00
saegreif inn. is
Geirsgata 8 • 101 Reykjavík • Tel. 553 1500 • seabaron8@gmail.com
An absolute
must-try!
Saegreifinn restaurant (Sea Baron) is like none other
in Iceland; a world famous lobster soup and a diverse
fish selection.
The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 12 — 2016
66