Reykjavík Grapevine


Reykjavík Grapevine - 16.06.2017, Blaðsíða 51

Reykjavík Grapevine - 16.06.2017, Blaðsíða 51
Books 50The Reykjavík GrapevineIssue 10 — 2017 Against Perfection Poet Fríða Ísberg raises her hand Words: Björn Halldórsson Photo: Kristín Ósk Ingvarsdóttir Fríða Ísberg has just received the much-coveted Grassroots Grant from Icelandic Literature Center, an award intended to support new authors in publishing their first book. She also writes for the Times Literary Supplement and works as an editor for local publisher Par- tus Press, as well as publishing a recent collection of poetry titled ‘Ég er ekki að rétta upp hönd’ (“I'm Not Raising My Hand”) with the poetry collective Svikaskáld (“The Impostor Poets”), a group of po- ets who initially met through the Creative Writing depart- ment at the University of Iceland. Poet pride “The group was formed during a weekend in a summer house in the countryside,” Fríða explains. “It was six of us, all women, who travelled there with the goal of writing poetry together. We re- ally didn't know what the out- come would be but it soon dawned on us that we were all struggling with perfectionism and Impostor Syndrome, both as poets and in our professional lives. The publication of the book became a way to take a stand against perfectionism. Fur- thermore, as a group we found ourselves willing to take some chances that we might never have dared as in- dividuals. It's easier to take pride in a group that you belong to than to take pride in yourself, so the process was certainly liberating and empowering.” The conversations that take place when writers and poets work together in groups such as the Svikaskáld collective are im- portant, she says. “There's noth- ing new about poets forming cliques and supporting one an- other, but the poetry scene today is a lot more spread out than it was when the local poets used to meet up at Unuhús and Hressingarká- linn [legendary gathering places of Reykjavík poets in the early 20th century]. That's why having umbrellas such as Partus Press and the Creative Writing depart- ment at the University of Iceland to gather under is so effective.” Pacing, flâneuring Among her many projects, Fríða will be spending the summer creating a new podcast with her friend and collaborator Brynja Hjálmsdóttir. “It's called Póetrý Gó,” she explains. “It's a reference to Pokémon Go, except we're look- ing at how poets go out for walks to capture poems. Me and Brynja had often heard older authors and poets talk about the important part that going for a walk every day plays in their writing routine. We decided to look into it, both from the point of view of writers but also to examine how walk- ing repeatedly crops up in poetry. There will be eight episodes in to- tal, each one with a specific theme, and every week we will be interviewing a poet. This week we are discussing flâ- neurs and talking to Sigurður Pálsson.” She is guarded on the subject of her forthcoming col- lection but stresses the important role of publication in the creative process. “Poems tend to be in a liquefied state for long periods of time,” she says. “At some point, you have to let the poems solidify into a con- crete form through publication.” Get Your Read On Guðbergur Bergsson & other zombies Words: Björn Halldórsson Each issue, we take a look at two Icelandic titles old and new, available in English translation at most Reykjavík bookstores. If you’d like more ideas, or to read more on Icelandic literature, head over to gpv.is/lit for in-depth au- thor interviews, guides, and more book reviews. Guðbergur Bergsson - Tómas Jónsson, Bestseller Originally published in 1966, ‘Tó- mas Jónsson: Bestseller’ is often seen as having ushered in a new era in Icelandic literature and is sometimes even called “The Icelan- dic ‘Ulysses’.” Confined to his base- ment apartment, Tómas Jónsson, a senile, retired bank clerk, sets out to write his autobiography, which he naturally assumes will be a best- seller. What follows is a humorous and at times exhausting barrage of grievances, rants and intertex- tual wordplay. As Tómas lashes out at anything and everything, his diatribes poke fun at the egoist national identity of the “blue-eyed Viking” so readily spouted by the traditional Icelandic blowhard—a character readily familiar as that- drunk-guy-at-the-bar-feeding-cli- chés-to-the-tourists. What's partic- ularly scathing is how relevant this fifty-year-old novel is right now, at a time when Icelandic patriotism has reached new heights through a combination of success in the Euro- pean football championships, fear of immigration and the ever-in- creasing hype that the Inspired by Iceland campaign unleashed when it first began to echo across the internet. The nation has perhaps never been as much in need of be- ing confronted by its own raging id. Nanna Árnadóttir - Zombie Iceland You probably won't be able to se- cure yourself a copy of ‘Zombie Iceland’ to prepare for your visit, as it’s only available through a lo- cal publisher. However, if you're in the mood for something a bit dif- ferent I would recommend making a stop in a Reykjavík bookstore to secure yourself a copy. The Grape- vine’s very own Nanna gives you a book that’s partly a zombie novel/ survival guide á la Max Brooks and partly a guide to Icelandic cul- ture—the latter being delivered in footnotes that expound upon vari- ous Icelandic idiosyncrasies along with delivering the occasional culinary recipe. Accompanied by illustrations by Icelandic cartoon- ist Hugleikur Dagsson, author of such knee-slappers as ‘Should You be Laughing at This?’ and ‘Is This Supposed to be Funny?’, the book also delivers a playlist of Icelandic music. Each chapter is accompa- nied with a QR code to retrieve the relevant song, making the book a total entertainment package. gpv.is/lit Share this + Archives “Poems tend to be in a liquefied state for long periods of time.”
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