Milli mála - 2020, Blaðsíða 212

212 Milli mála 12/2020
MULTILINGUAL WRITING IN ICELAND

10.33112/millimala.12.7
promotional materials that were not originally discussed with the
authors. Ós also works to broaden the area of shared concern – lit-
erature in Iceland – by consistently publishing new authors in the
language of their choice, though this means making typical readers
of Icelandic literature uncomfortable. In fact, creating discomfort in
the mainstream population is one method that Ós uses to wake peo-
ple up about the reality of being a marginalized member of society.
Looking at event attendance, sales figures, and media coverage, we
can see that Ós Pressan has had an impact on the publishing industry
in Iceland by members such as Helen Cova and Ewa Marcinek
launching their professional careers there. Through the activities of
Ós Pressan, many languages have been rendered visible that are not
traditionally recognized as a part of the Icelandic literary landscape.
Ós Pressan as a project has been received by the media, both abroad
and in Iceland. However, participating in literature production is not
really visible. The gatekeeping seems to persist in a way. For example,
the percentage of months awarded in artist’s salaries to immigrants in
Iceland has not increased since Ós Pressan was founded. The change
is not really visible in the traditional structures of the Icelandic liter-
ary scene, but the changes are visible primarily in the grassroots ini-
tiatives.
With projects such as Ós Pressan, immigrants in Iceland have the
opportunity to publish their work in Iceland. These structures seem,
however, to be understood as immigrant structures. This reality is
mirrored in the discussions of Ós Pressan in the media which focus
primarily on Ós Pressan as made by foreigners for foreigners, which
is not necessarily the reality of Ós Pressan. The radical anomaly of
multilingual literature66 can be seen here as well. While Ós Pressan
serves as an addition to the literary scene, the overall understanding
of Icelandic literature as homogenous and extending a centuries-long
tradition persists in contemporary society, media, and marketing.
Societal focus on Ós Pressan’s general structures as a foreign-origin
non-profit initiative, as opposed to consideration of the press’ literary
material, limits the possibility to hear the actual narratives and
voices of people on, about, or connected to Iceland in different ways.
66 Rossich, Albert, “An Overview of Literary Multilingualism”.