Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The most renowned skald was saga anti-hero Egil Skallagrímsson. In 948, after being
captured and sentenced to death, Egil composed the ode Höfuðlausn (Head Ransom) for
his captor Eirík Blood-Axe. Flattered, the monarch released Egil unharmed.
Iceland publishes the greatest number of books per capita in the world, and the literacy
rate is a perfect 100%.
Modern Literature
Nobel Prize-winner Halldór Laxness is Iceland's modern literary genius. Another author
you may come across is the early-20th-century children's writer Reverend Jón Sveinsson
(nicknamed Nonni), whose old-fashioned tales of derring-do have a rich Icelandic flavour
and were once translated into 40 languages; At Skipalón is the only one readily available in
English. Sveinsson's house in Akureyri is now an interesting museum. Two other masters
of Icelandic literature are Gunnar Gunnarsson (1889-1975) and Þórbergur Þórðarson
(1888-1974). You'll have to look out for their work in secondhand bookshops.
For more up-to-date and easily available fare, try Einar Kárason's outstanding Devil's
Island, about Reykjavík life in the 1950s; it's the first of a trilogy, but unfortunately the
other two parts haven't yet been translated into English. Hallgrímur Helgason's 101 Reyk-
javík is the topic on which the cult film was based. It's a dark comedy following the torpid
life and fertile imagination of out-of-work Hlynur, who lives in downtown Reykjavík with
his mother. Even blacker is Angels of the Universe, by Einar Már Gudmundsson, which is
about a schizophrenic man's spells in a psychiatric hospital. Svava Jakobsdóttir's
Gunnlöth's Tale blends contemporary life with Nordic mythology.
Currently surfing the Nordic Noir tidal wave is Arnaldur Indriðason, whose Reykjavík-
based crime fiction permanently tops the bestseller lists. Many of his novels are available
in English, including Voices, the award-winning Silence of the Grave, The Draining Lake,
and our favourite, Tainted Blood (also published as Jar City, and the inspiration for a film
of the same name). Yrsa Sigurðardóttir's thrillers have also been widely translated - her
latest are I Remember You and Someone to Watch Over Me . Or look for Guðrún Eva Mín-
ervudóttir's The Creator, a dark psychological novel; or former Sugarcube band-member
Sjón's The Blue Fox , a fantasy-adventure tale set in the 19th century.
 
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