Iceland review - 2014, Síða 14

Before i began this project, i had no pre-
conceived notion of the modern icelandic
woman. all i knew was that i wanted to cap-
ture her in her own environment—at home,
or somewhere that belonged uniquely to her,”
writes photographer Berglind Björnsdóttir in the
preface of her new book, Modern Icelandic Woman,
which consists of 41 portraits of icelandic women
of different ages and backgrounds.
the book’s essays, in which the women talk
about their personal histories, give fascinating
insights into the lives and dreams of icelandic
women. the portraits are of variable quality;
Berglind has a much stronger sense for black-
and-white photography than color.
the book was designed by inga elsa
Bergþórsdóttir and aðalgeir arnar Jónsson. * PS
it took an australian exchange student’s fascination
for icelanders to realize the significance of agnes
magnúsdóttir’s story, who in 1830 on conviction of mur-
der became the last woman to be executed in the country.
Kent describes how upon learning of agnes’ fate, she was
unable to let her go, and felt compelled to write a novel
about her. agnes even haunted her in her sleep—one of the
chapters is based on a dream Kent had. Released last year,
Burial Rites has topped bestseller lists, won a multitude of
awards and translation rights have been sold to 30 coun-
tries, including iceland. Kent’s storytelling has made such
an impression that it’s even caught the eye of Hollywood
with the industry’s darling Jennifer Lawrence pegged to
portray agnes in director gary Ross’ adaptation of the
novel. * ESA
eye to eye
a murderess’
Uprising
CULtUre
12 ICELAND REVIEW
BRaVe neW BooKS
These three recent publications portray Icelanders from different angles:
contemporary, historical and realistic.