Milli mála - 2020, Side 194

194 Milli mála 12/2020
MULTILINGUAL WRITING IN ICELAND

10.33112/millimala.12.7
increased from about 3% in 2000 to 14% in 2019.13 Poles, for exam-
ple, comprise 40% of the total immigrant population.14 A number of
studies have suggested that the language aspect is central to the in-
clusion of migrants in Iceland society. Unnur Dís Skaptadóttir and
Pamela Innes have written that many immigrants view the difficul-
ties they face when trying to become a member of the Icelandic
speaking community, e.g. using Icelandic in their everyday lives, as
“the largest hindrance to integration and acceptance”.15
The imbalance in the publishing industry can also be seen in
public funding for the arts. The Icelandic government directly sup-
ports writers through The Artists’ Salaries, which go as well to de-
signers, visual artists, theater groups, and others working in creative
fields. In 2020, 1,410 months were awarded as artist’s salaries. Of
that, 555 months were awarded to writers. Six months of those 555
were awarded to a male writer of foreign origin, giving 1% in total.16
In 2019, no salary was awarded to writers of foreign origin.17 In 2018,
one male writer of foreign origin received a salary for three months
from the fund.18 In 2017, a three-month salary was awarded to a fe-
male writer.19
The initiative Ós Pressan and its publication of migrant literature
contributes to shifting the landscape of what is considered to be Ice-
landic literature. The case study of Ós Pressan focuses especially on
the selection process of the work published in Ós Pressan. It also
considers the role Ós has played to assist its members in starting their
professional writing careers in Iceland.
13 Statistics Iceland classifies an immigrant as “a person born abroad with both parents foreign born
and all grandparents foreign born”. “Immigrants and Persons with Foreign Background 2019”,
Statistics Iceland, 2019, https://statice.is/publications/news-archive/inhabitants/immigrants-and-
persons-with-foreign-background-8903 [accessed April 29, 2020].
14 Ibid.
15 Skaptadóttir, Unnur, Innes, Pamela, “Immigrant Experiences of Learning Icelandic and
Connecting with the Speaking Community”, Nordic Journal of Migration Research, 1/2017, pp.
20–27, here p. 25.
16 Bjarnar, Jakob, Hilmarsdóttir, Sunna Kristín, “Þessi fá listamannalaun árið 2020”, Vísir, 2020,
https://www.visir.is/g/2020200109135 [accessed April 29, 2020].
17 Bjarnar, Jakob, “Þessi fá listamannalaun árið 2019”, Vísir, 2020, https://www.visir.is/g/2019-
190119758 [accessed April 29, 2020].
18 Daðason, Kolbeinn Tumi, “Þessi fá listamannalaun árið 2018”, Vísir, 2020, https://www.visir.
is/g/2018180109405 [accessed April 29, 2020].
19 Olgeirsson, Birgir, “Þessi fá listamannalaun árið 2017”, Vísir, 2020, https://www.visir.is/g/
2017170109223 [accessed April 29, 2020].