Reykjavík Grapevine - 09.12.2016, Page 40

40The Reykjavík GrapevineIssue 18 — 2016
Get Your Read On
For the unacquainted, it can be
hard to know where to start with
Icelandic literature. Should you
begin with a weighty medieval
saga—and if so, which one? Should
it be a Laxness tome? Maybe a slim
volume of concise, lyrical fiction by
our cover star, Sjón (interviewed
on page 20), or the philosophical
prose of Oddný Eir (page 26)?
To offer a route into the rich
world of Icelandic literature, we
asked a variety of Grapevine con-
tributors, and a couple of expert
guests, for a selection of their fa-
vourites, old and new. So whether
you’re in need of a gift idea, or just
something to pass the time this
Christmas, there’s something here
for you.
Andri Snær Magnason
LoveStar
Despite some fantastical passages in
the Sagas, Icelanders traditionally
liked their beer to be lager and their
literature to be realist. Following
his acclaimed children’s sci-fi book
‘The Story of the Blue Planet’, Andri
submitted an Icelandic rarity—a
science fiction book for adults. A
takedown of the boom years before
they even happened, ‘LoveStar’ was
prescient in many ways. It present-
ed a very Icelandic Orwellian future,
in which the country is driven to
chaos (and manages to wreck the
world) via boundless optimism, and
free market economics. It remains a
good read, though by now it’s more
science than fiction. Space burials
and all. VSG
Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir
Butterflies in November
After being dumped twice, acci-
dentally killing a goose, and being
stuck with the responsibility of
taking care of a deaf-mute son, a
young woman’s luck takes a turn
for the better when a winning lot-
tery ticket makes her and the boy
the richest people in the country.
The two embark on an adventure
across Iceland, passing through
lava fields, cucumber farms, flocks
of sheep, both her exes, and a se-
ries of interesting characters. This
quirky tragicomedy is unexpected,
yet charmingly relatable. It’ll defi-
nitely set the mood for the ultimate
Icelandic road trip. SL
Bergsveinn Birgisson
Reply to a Letter from Helga
After long silence, an elderly sheep
farmer writes a letter to the woman
from a neighboring farm, whom he
loved, then lost in the waves of mi-
gration to Reykjavík that reshaped
Icelandic society in the middle of
the 20th century. Filled with bawdy
rural humor, earthy sensuality, play
with traditional Icelandic literary
language, and an aching nostalgia,
the novel movingly mourns a lost
love that stands for a whole lost
way of life. MA
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 and described
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
»» Continued on P: 42
Get
Your
Read
On
Where to start in the Icelandic book store
Books
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