Books from Iceland 2014 by Icelandic Literature Center

2014

Books from

Icelandic Literature Center

Hverfisgata 54 101 Reykjavík Iceland Tel. +354 552 8500 Fax +354 552 8181 islit@islit.is www.islit.is

Iceland English working title

Moonstone – The Boy Who Never Was by Sjón

(b. 1962)

Original title

Mánasteinn – Drengurinn sem aldrei var til Publisher

JPV / Forlagið, 2013 132 pp.

Genre

Novel About the book Árið er 1918 og frá Reykjavík má sjá eldgosið í Kötlu mála himininn nótt sem dag. Lífið í höfuðstaðnum

um bækur Sjóns:

SjóN

DRENguRiNN SEM aLDREi VaR tiL

★★★★★

gengur sinn vanagang þrátt fyrir náttúruhamfarir, kola-

„ L E S t R a R u p p L i f u N Á R S i N S.“

skort og styrjöldina úti í hinum stóra heimi. Íslendingar

framúrskarandi; ísmeygilegur húmor og myndbreytingatöfrar. t H E Wa L L S t R E E t j o u R N a L

friðrika Benónýsdóttir / fréttablaðið

búa sig undir að verða fullvalda þjóð. Sjón skrifar eins og maður í álögum, innblásinn af seiðmagni og töfrum og mikilli orðheppni. Hann er skelmir í fremstu röð.

Drengurinn Máni Steinn lifir í kvikmyndunum. Sofandi dreymir hann myndirnar í tilbrigðum þar sem vefur atburðanna er slunginn þráðum úr hans eigin Sjón fékk Bókmenntaverðlaun Norðurlandaráðs árið 2005 fyrir

Skugga-Baldur. Hann hefur gefið út fjölda skáldverka sem þýdd hafa verið á erlend tungumál.

Wa S H i N g t o N p o S t

lífi. Vakandi hefst hann við á jaðri samfélagsins.

En þá tekur spænska veikin land og leggur

Sjón er orðinn einn þeirra evrópsku nútímarithöfunda sem ekki er unnt að líta fram hjá.

þúsundir bæjarbúa á sóttarsæng, sviptir hundruð lífinu. Skuggar tilverunnar dýpka. Í brjósti Mána Steins ólmast

E L pa Í S

svartir vængir. Það súgar milli heima í veröld þar sem líf og dauði, veruleiki og ímyndun, leyndarmál og afhjúpanir

Sjón er einn frumlegasti og veigamesti rithöfundur Íslands.

vegast á.

D E R tag E S S p i E g E L

„…a f a R Þ é t t o g V ö N D u ð S K Á L D S a g a.“ Einar falur ingólfsson / Morgunblaðið

„E i N a f B E S t u S K Á L D S ö g u M Á R S i N S.“

S j ó N

Kolbrún Bergþórsdóttir / Kiljan

Awards and nominations

The Icelandic Literary Prize 2013, The Icelandic Bookseller’s Prize, The DV Newspaper Literary Prize. Rights

Literary agent: Licht & Burr Contact

Trine Licht, tl@licht-burr.dk

The year is 1918 and from Reykjavík the erupting volcano Katla can be seen colouring the sky night and day. Life in the small capital carries on as usual despite the natural disaster, shortage of coals and the Great War that still wages in the big world. The sixteen year old kid Máni Steinn lives for the movies. Asleep he dreams the pictures in variations where the tapestry of events is threaded with strands from his own life. Awake he lives on the outskirts of society. But then the “Spanish influenza” epidemic comes ashore and forces thousands of the townspeople into the sick bed, killing hundreds. About the author

Sjón has published numerous poetry collections and seven novels, as well as written plays, librettos and picture books for children. His long-time collaboration with the Icelandic singer Björk led to an Oscar nomination for his lyrics for the Lars von Trier movie Dancer in the Dark. In 2005 Sjón won the prestigious Nordic Council Literature Prize for his fifth novel The Blue Fox which in 2009 was nominated for the Independent Foreign Fiction Prize. Sjón’s poems have been translated into more than twenty languages. His latest novel, From the Mouth of the Whale, was shortlisted for the Independent Foreign Fiction Prize 2012.

English working title

The Woman With the Yellow Bag

Dignity

by Vigdís Grímsdóttir

by Guðmundur Andri Thorsson

(b. 1953)

(b. 1957)

Original title

Dísusaga. Konan með gulu töskuna

Sæmd

Publisher

JPV / Forlagið, 2013

Genre

Novel

About the book

When it’s finally revealed that Dísa Gríms from Kleppsvegur will get to write her own book, she tells her story plainly. The book Átells the very powerful story of a ten-year-old girl who is exposed to violence and locks herself into a dungeon of silence and hiding games. This is Dísa’s story, a story of violence, honesty and generosity.

Towards the end of 1882, Ólafur Árnason, a student at the Latin School, filches a book from his schoolmate. In charge of the school is one of the country’s most distinguished scholars, Björn M. Ólsen, who regards it as his life’s work to drag the nation out of ignorance and wretchedness, a task that requires harshness and discipline. A story of crime and punishment, bravery, the nature of power, class division, the poet’s role in society – and honour.

384 pp.

„Stórkostleg bók, bók sem fjallar á svo ekta hátt um tilfinningalíf höfunda.“ Soffía auður BirgiSdót tir / Kil jan

★★★★★

„Hún tekst á við sjálfa sig, þetta er bók sem skiptir máli.“

„… lifandi, sorgleg, litrík og skemmtileg …“

Sigurður ValgeirSSon / Kil jan

Dísu Hr afn Jökul sson / Pressan.is

„Þetta er afar tilfinningarík og sérlega persónuleg saga …“ KolBrún BergÞórSdót tir / MorgunBl aðið

„lykilverk á hennar ferli, og eykur manni skilning á öllu því sem hún var að gera á undan … bráðfyndin líka … stórmerkilegt hjá henni. Bók sem við mælum óhikað með.“ egill HelgaSon / Kil jan

köldu vetrarkvöldi árið 1882 situr Benedikt Gröndal skáld í einkennilega húsinu sínu og ákveður að rífa sig upp úr drykkju og draumórum og mæta til kennslustarfa í Lærða skólanum daginn eftir. Þar er hins vegar kominn til valda helsti lærdómsmaður landsins, Björn M. Ólsen, sem lítur á það sem sitt lífsverkefni að hefja þjóðina upp úr fáfræði og vesældómi; og það verði ekki gert án hörku og aga. Skólapiltar voru fjöregg landsins og framtíð, og því áríðandi að ala þá upp í réttum anda. Ólíkir menn, ólíkar hugmyndir – og atvik í skólanum verður til þess að þeim lýstur saman.

„Meistaralegar mannlýsingar og áhugaverð gegnumlýsing á samfélagi karla í fortíðinni.“ JÓN YNGvi JÓhANNSSoN / FréTTABLAðið

„orðgnótt hans og stílfimi setur verk hans í flokk þess besta sem ritað er á íslenska tungu … hér er hann í sínu allra besta formi …“ FrÍðA BJörk iNGvArSdÓTTir / vÍðSJá

„Lýtalaus, spennandi, hugsana- og tilfinningavekjandi saga.“ ÞorGEir TrYGGvASoN

„Stórskemmtileg bók …“

SiGurður G. TÓMASSoN / kiLJAN

Konan með Gulu tösKuna

„… óvægið uppgjör konu við sjálfa sig og skálds við skáldskap sinn. að sama skapi er þetta óður til manneskjunnar og náttúrunnar í sinni hreinustu mynd … fyrst og fremst vekur hún lesanda til umhugsunar um þau átök sem geta átt sér stað innra með manneskju og tengsl hennar við umhverfi sitt og aðra.“

„Snilld Guðmundar Andra í bókinni felst í meistaralegum og nærfærnum mannlýsingum, stemmningsatburðum sem fá lesandann til að lenda hægt og hljótt inni í samkvæmum og atburðum fyrir fjórum mannsöldrum.“ BJArNi hArðArSoN / PrESSAN.iS

„… hann er einn okkar allra flottasti stílisti … maður nýtur þess að lesa á hverri einustu blaðsíðu.“ SoFFÍA Auður BirGiSdÓTTir / kiLJAN

ÁsDís siGmunDsDót tir / VíðsjÁ

About the author

„Bókin er áhrifamikil og heldur lesandanum föngnum frá upphafi til enda. Þetta er ein af þeim bókum sem maður mun lesa aftur og aftur. klárlega skyldulesning.“

Guðmundur Andri Thorsson er einn snjallasti rithöfundur þjóðarinnar, víðkunnur og vinsæll pistlahöfundur og hefur skrifað fjölda skáldverka sem hlotið hafa mikið lof, ekki síst fyrir stílgáfu höfundarins. Síðasta bók hans, Valeyrarvalsinn, var tilnefnd til Bókmenntaverðlauna Norðurlandaráðs fyrir Íslands hönd.

Í þessari heillandi og fágætlega vel skrifuðu sögu er byggt á raunverulegum atburðum og persónum, og þær notaðar til þess að draga upp áhrifamikla mynd af svipmiklu fólki og mannlífi á viðkvæmu skeiði í sögu þjóðarinnar. En Sæmd er líka saga um glæp og refsingu, hugrekki, eðli valdsins, stéttaskiptingu, hlutverk skáldsins í samfélaginu – og sæmdina.

Sæmd

g r í m s d ó t t i r

Guðmundur Andri Thorsson

V i g d í s

175 pp.

Guðmundur Andri Thorsson

Victim! Nei, ég álít mig andskotann ekki fyrir „victim“ – ég sem sit og stend með hnefann í vasanum og öxina á lofti, hvenær sem færi gefst . . . en ég er stundum óánægður með circumstantias.

„Þetta er vel sögð saga, afar fallega skrifuð og sviðsetningar ljóðrænar og vandaðar ...“ Einar Falur ingólFsson / Morgunblaðið

SKÁLDSAGA

GuðMuNdur GuNNArSSoN / EYJAN.iS

Awards and nominations

Nominated for the Icelandic Literary Prize 2013 and the Icelandic Women Literature Prize. Rights:

The Forlagið Rights Agency Contact:

Úa Matthíasdóttir, ua@forlagid.is Valgerður Benediktsdóttir, vala@forlagid.is

Vigdís Grímsdóttir has received widespread recognition for her work and her books have been translated into several languages. Vigdís has won many prizes for her writing, including the Icelandic Literary Prize. Two of her novels have been adapted for the stage in Sweden and Iceland, and one of her novels, Cold Light (Kaldaljós), has been made into a major motion picture.

Awards and nominations

About the author

Nominated for the Icelandic Literary Prize 2013.

Guðmundur Andri Thorsson is a writer and the director of the literary magazine TMM and a columnist for Icelands biggest newspaper, besides working as an editor for a publishing house. He has also translated several works of fiction into Icelandic. His novel The Valeyri Waltz was nominated for the Nordic Council Literature Prize.

Rights

The Forlagið Rights Agency Contact

Úa Matthíasdóttir, ua@forlagid.is Valgerður Benediktsdóttir, vala@forlagid.is

English working title

The Man from Manitoba

The Exchange

by Arnaldur Indriðason

by Yrsa Sigurðardóttir

(b. 1961)

(b. 1963)

Original title

Skuggasund

Lygi

Publisher

Vaka-Helgafell / Forlagið, 2013

Veröld, 2013

Genre

Crime

About the book

An old man is found dead in his apartment in Reykjavik. On his desk are newspaper clippings going back to the Second World War about a brutal m urder: a girl was found strangled behind the National Theater, which at the time was a storage facility for the American Army. This is Arnaldur’s 17th book. Here he treads unknown paths following a new character; both during the present and during the World War.

Four Icelanders take a trip to a lighthouse on a cliff in the Atlantic Ocean only accessible by heli copter. An Icelandic family returns to their house after a home exchange, only to find the American guests have disappeared. A police woman comes across a fragment of an old police report of a case in which her husband was interrogated as a young boy. Three threads come together in a spine-chilling story where nothing is as it seems.

About the author

316 pp.

De Telegraaf

„... einn af bestu glæpasagna höfundum samtímans.“ The Sunday Times

arnaldur indriðason

Arnaldur Indriðason has the rare distinction Awards and nominations Premio RBA de Novela Negra 2013. of having won the Nordic Crime Novel Prize two years running. He is also the winner of Rights: the highly respected and world famous CWA The Forlagið Rights Agency Gold Dagger Award for the top crime novel Contact: of the year in the English language, Silence Úa Matthíasdóttir, ua@forlagid.is of the Grave. Arnaldur’s novels have been Valgerður Benediktsdóttir, published in over 40 languages and sold in vala@forlagid.is more than 10 million copies worldwide.

401 pp.

Rights

Salomonsson Agency Contact

Jessica Bager, jessica@salomonssonagency.com

Yrsa Sigurðardóttir is the bestselling Icelandic crime author of the Þóra Guðmundsdóttir series as well as several stand-alone thrillers. She made her crime fiction debut in 2005 with Þriðja táknið / Last Ritual, the first book in the Þóra Guðmundsdóttir series, and has been translated into more than 30 languages.

English working title

Fair Fish

Dreamsword

by Sveinn Kjartansson & Áslaug Snorradóttir (photography)

by Kjartan Yngvi Björnsson & Snæbjörn Brynjarsson

(b. 1963 & 1967)

(b. 1984)

Original title

Fagur fiskur

Draumsverð

Publisher

JPV / Forlagið, 2013

Vaka-Helgafell / Forlagið, 2013

Genre

Nonfiction / cooking book

Fiction 10+ years

223 pp.

555 pp.

About the book

This entertaining and unusual cookery book contains recipes and facts about seafood, and aims to encourage people to eat more fish, and to convince the reader that preparing fish can be exciting and straightforward, whether cooking for a feast or for everyday. This is the book of the TV series produced by chef Sveinn Kjartansson and photographer Áslaug Snorradóttir and others.

S V E I N N K J A R TA N S S O N ÁSL AUG SNORR ADÓT TIR

angar vakna,

í mánans véum.

r myrkum glufum

mátt aftur sækja. ungrið mun alla heima sverfa.

óttin mun herja,

styrkur mun þverra.

Innsiglin sjö sem vitringarnir skópu fyrir nærri þúsund

árum eru að rofna. Skuggarnir geta því aftur snert heimana þrjá og eftir að manngálkn þeirra réðust á þorpið Vébakka hafa Ragnar, Breki og Sirja verið á flótta.

Leið þeirra liggur nú suður á bóginn, inn í Yglumýri, þar sem

að bjóða dauðanum birginn í myrkviðum mýrarinnar. Þar bíða þeirra ógurleg skrímsli og Sirja heyrir gamalkunnan en þó framandi söng.

DRauMSVeRð er önnur bókin í ÞRIggja HeIMa Sögu, æsispennandi sagnaflokki þar sem blóðgaldrar, falin leyndarmál og gleymdar óvættir ógna heimunum öllum. Fyrsta bókin, HRaFNSauga, hlaut gríðargóðar viðtökur lesenda á öllum aldri, hreppti Íslensku barnabókaverðlaunin og var valin unglingabók ársins af bóksölum.

S V E I N N K J A R TA N S S O N ÁSL AUG SNORR ADÓT TIR

Rights

The Forlagið Rights Agency Contact:

Úa Matthíasdóttir, ua@forlagid.is Valgerður Benediktsdóttir, vala@forlagid.is

Kjartan Yngvi Björnsson Snæbjörn Brynjarsson

nornin Heiðvíg Ormadróttin er sögð dvelja. Með aðstoð

Nanúks, dularfulla veiðimannsins úr norðri, verða krakkarnir

Þriggja heima saga

K j a r t a n Y n g v i B j ö r n s s o n S n æ b j ö r n B r y n j a r s s o n

About the authors

About the author

Rights

Sveinn Kjartansson is a chef and the owner of the restaurant Borðstofan in the centre of Reykjavik. He has lived and worked both in Iceland and abroad, in Oslo and Amsterdam. Sveinn Kjartansson has participated in three food and lifestyle series on Icelandic national TV and is one of the authors of a popular book of fish recipes for the supermarket Hagkaup.

The Forlagið Rights Agency Contact

Úa Matthíasdóttir, ua@forlagid.is Valgerður Benediktsdóttir, vala@forlagid.is

English working title

Cruelty & Wolfheart

Icelandic Model Book by Guðbjörg Kristjánsdóttir

(b. 1970)

Original title

Íslenska teiknibókin

Original titles

Grimmd | Úlfshjarta

Publisher

Crymogea, 2013

Publisher

178 pp.

JPV / Forlagið, 2013

451 pp. | 300 pp.

Genre

Nonfiction

Genre

Crime (Cruelty) | Fiction 15+ (Wolfheart)

About the book

Crymogea Publishing

Model books or exempla were compiled by most artists in the Middle Ages and in the early Renaissance to use in their work. Very few of them have survived and only 30 such medieval manuscripts are known in Europe today. In Scandinavia, only one survived: The Icelandic Model Book.

Contact

About the author

Kristján B. Jónasson, kbj@crymogea.is

Dr. Guðbjörg Kristjánsdóttir is the director of Gerðarsafn – Kópavogur Arts Museum and an art historian from Sorbonne University in Paris. Guðbjörg has studied the Icelandic Model Book for decades.

About the book Cruelty

f R AN c e S O I R

„... nýr sprengikraftur sem fær ykkur til að gleyma öllum eldfjöllunum.“ M AR I AN N e M AG A zI N e

Um Úlfshjarta K K G / Pressan.is (Um Húsið)

„... á köflum er textinn með því besta sem Stefán Máni hefur skrifað. Það er ekkert slegið af kröfunum ...“ f R I Ð R I K A B eNó N ý S D ó t t I R / f R ét tAB L AÐ I Ð

„... atburðarásin er hröð og töff og bókin öll hin skemmtilegasta.“ ANNA L I L jA Þó R I S D ó t t I R / M O R G U N B L AÐ I Ð

U m Hú s i ð „... ein besta spennubókin ...“ S t eI N Þó R G U Ð B jARt S S O N / M O R G U N B L AÐ I Ð

„... vel fléttuð saga, flottur glæpon og enn flottari lögga ...“ f R I Ð R I K A B eNó N ý S D ó t t I R / f R ét tAB L AÐ I Ð

„Spennutryllir ... mikið testósterón!“ eG I L L H eL G AS O N / K I L jAN

U m F ei g ð „... kraftur, þungur taktur, öflugur sláttur ... lesandi hálfpartinn dáleiðist á stundum og hjartað byrjar að hamast!“ K AR L B L Ö N DAL / M O R G U N B L AÐ I Ð

„... röff, töff og spennandi saga.“

After murdering one of the leaders in a criminal gang, William Smári Clover is chased both by investigator Hörður Grímsson and the vengeful criminals. When Smári learns that that his friend’s newborn baby has been kidnapped he decides to help her, even though it puts his life at risk. Smári is now the hunter and the hunted, trying to stay a head of the wolf-pack while saving the boy.

Þó R U N N H S I G U R j ó N S D ó t t I R / f R ét tAB L AÐ I Ð

About the book Wolfheart

Awards and nominations

The Icelandic Literary Prize for nonfiction 2013 and nominated for the Hagthenkir nonfiction Prize. Rights

Alexander is a 19-year-old highschool dropout. He works on a Coca-Cola delivery truck, rents a small apartment and owns an old BMW. Life is simple and days are all the same. But when he goes to the movies with his best friend’s little sister he sets in motion a course of events he cannot control – maybe because he is fighting unhuman forces that have been around for thousands of years. Rights

Nordin Agency Contact

Henny Holmqvist, henny@nordinagency.se

Kjartan Yngvi Björnsson and Snæbjörn Brynjarsson have been friends since secondary school. Both are great fans of fantasy fiction. Kjartan has a degree in Literature and is now studying creative writing. Snæbjörn writes for the stage and is currently studying Japanese. Dreamsword is their second book together in the Three Worlds series.

English working titles

by Stefán Máni

„... hin nýja perla íslenskrar glæpasagnaritunar.“

Dreamsword is the second book in the Three Worlds series, a thrilling saga of blood magic, hidden secrets, and forgotten fiends that threaten all three worlds. The first book, Raven’s Eye, won the Icelandic Children’s Literary Award in 2012 as well as the Booksellers Prize for best Young Adult fiction book in the same year.

About the author

Stefán Máni is the author of 13 novels. In 2006 his novel The Ship became a national best seller and has since been translated into a number of languages.

MARÍA MEÐ VERNDARMÖTTULINN FRAMMI FYRIR KRISTI DÓMARA A-TEIKNARINN, 1330–60

English working title

Randalín and Mundi in Secret Grove

Mói – Cowboy in Arizona by Kristín Helga Gunnarsdóttir (b. 1963)

by Þórdís Gísladóttir (b. 1965)

Original title

Mói hrekkjusvín - Kúreki í Arisóna

Original title

Randalín og Mundi í Leynilundi

Publisher

Mál og menning / Forlagið, 2013

Publisher

89 pp.

Bjartur, 2013 91 pp.

Genre

Children’s fiction (8+ years old)

Children’s fiction (6-11 years)

About the book:

About the book Þekkir þú hrekkjusvín?

Ertu kannski hrekkjusvín?

Mói’s real name is Marteinn Jörundur Marteinsson. His best friend and personal protector is Gun-Joe, an extremely tall and invisible cowboy. We follow Mói and Gun-Joe in their adventures involving homemade tires and trying to sail to America on an iceberg!

Kristín H e lga gunnarsdótti r

Randalín and Mundi get to spend a few days with their friends who live in an old summer house in the outskirts of Reykjavík. There the two friends discover interesting people and animals, among them adult twin sisters who breed dogs and make artworks, a quiet ornithologist and a runaway convict! This is the second book about the adventures of Randalín and Mundi.

MÓI HREKKJUSVÍN er eyrnastór götustrákur sem heitir

reyndar fullu nafni Marteinn Jörundur Marteinsson. Besti verndari. Mói fær óteljandi hugmyndir, flestar frábærar og

ísjaka til Ameríku og búa til heimagerð nagladekk. Stundum er svo mikið að gera hjá honum að hann gleymir skólatöskunni í skólanum.

Mói H re KKJusVín

vinur hans er Byssu-Jói, risavaxinn leynikúreki og öflugur

aðeins örfáar sem eru ekkert sérstakar. Hann reynir að sigla á

Kúreki í Arisóna geymir hrekkju-

teikningar eftir Lindu Ólafsdóttur.

KÚre Ki í arisóna

svínslegar sögur eftir Kristínu Helgu Gunnarsdóttur og töffaralegar

About the author Kristín Helga gunnarsdóttir

ISBN 978-9979-3-3408-8

9 789979 334088

About the author

Rights

Bjartur Publishing Contact

Guðrún Vilmundardóttir, gv@bjartur.is

Þórdís Gísladóttir is, among other things, a poet and a translator. This is her second book about the friends Randalín and Mundi. Þórdís received the Icelandic Booksellers Prize and the Icelandic Women Literature Prize for her first book about Randalín and Mundi. Þórarinn M. Baldursson is an illustrator of children’s books and a violist in the Icelandic Symphony Orchestra.

Rights

The Forlagið Rights Agency Contact

Úa Matthíasdóttir, ua@forlagid.is Valgerður Benediktsdóttir, vala@forlagid.is

English titles

English working title

I Hate Dolphins & My Pussy is Hungry

Saga in the Night

by Eva Einarsdóttir & Lóa Hlín Hjálmtýsdóttir (illustrations)

by Hugleikur Dagsson

(b. 1976 & 1979)

(b. 1977)

Original title

Publisher

Saga um nótt

Ókeibæ / Forlagið, 2013 222 pp. | 224 pp.

Publisher

Töfraland / Bókabeitan, 2013

Genre

26 pp.

Cartoons

Genre

About the books

Rights

The Forlagið Rights Agency Contact

Úa Matthíasdóttir, ua@forlagid.is Valgerður Benediktsdóttir, vala@forlagid.is

t eina von Helvítis. Þú, Filip Engils,“ Fjandinn lyfti fingri og benti a Filips, sem sló ótt og títt, „átt að verða eftirmaður minn.“

Filip leit niður eftir sjálfum sér, eins og til að fullvissa sig um að það ann sem Fjandinn benti á. „Viltu að ég verði …“

engur minn! Lúsífer II! Hljómar það ekki vel?“

p er ósköp venjulegur strákur. Reyndar er hann ekkert svo venjugur því að hann er alltaf kominn aðeins á undan í skólabókunum hann vaskar alltaf upp og fer út með ruslið þegar mamma hans hann um það og hann lýgur aldrei. Aldrei. Ekki einu sinni til að yfir með eina vini sínum.

Hugleikur Dagsson is the most famous cartoonist in Iceland. Iceland is very cold, very bleak and very expensive. The only things to do there are drink and kill whales. My Pussy is Hungry and I Hate Dolphins are the newest collections of cartoons by Hugleikur Dagsson. About the author

Hugleikur Dagsson KENNETH can BØGH be ANDERSEN called Iceland’s uncrowned prince of the graphic novel. His work has received a great deal of praise both in Iceland and abroad, although some people look on his comic strips as childish scribbles. Hugleikur has also written for the stage and screen as well as being a popular stand-up comedian.

Children’s book / Picture Book About the book

Rights

Bókabeitan Publishing Contact

Marta Hlín Magnadóttir, marta@bokabeitan.is Birgitta Hassell, birgitta@bokabeitan.is

Eva Einarsdóttir is a city councillor for the Best Party at The City of Reykjavík. This is her first book. Lóa Hlín Hjálmtýsdóttir has written and illustrated a number of books.

by someone -with as much drawing as my dog, HANS HÁTIGN LÚSÍFER, FURSTItalent MYRKURSINS and straplines that are as offensive as they could

immediately felt cheapened, soiled, even. If it’s meant

- FILIP ENGILS, 7.A

to be funny, it isn’t. The writer-come-artist is utterly

„Þetta er gómsæt bók.“ - made it without talent and this should never have

to print. It is vile, crude and disgusting, - RAVÍNA, MATRÁÐSKONA HELVÍTIS and those

Hugleikur Dagsson

“this is simply offensive so-called cartoons „LESTUtrash, BÓKINA!!!“

Gateway Monthly að lesa þessa bók. „Ég ráðlegg þér eindregið Það myndi gleðja herrann.“

- LÚSÍFAX, KÖTTUR LÚSÍFERS

Eva Einarsdóttir og Lóa H. Hjálmtýsdóttir

„Myrkrið og nóttin eru full af ævintýrum!“ Þessi fallega saga Evu Einarsdóttur er listilega myndskreytt af Lóu Hlín Hjálmtýsdóttur. Í sameiningu búa þær til fallegan töfraheim sem er fullkomin umgjörð utan um notalega samverustund fyrir háttinn.

„Þetta er æðisleg bók. Lestu hana. Þú veist þig langar til þess. Láttu það eftir þér…“

Eva Einarsdóttir og Lóa H. Hjálmtýsdóttir

- AZIEL STOFELES, DJÖFULL

in Iceland - God help them if that’s true!”

I hate dolphins

my pussy is hungry

Dagsson is apparently the most famous cartoonist

KENNETH BØGH ANDERSEN

are just the good things I can think of to say about

Mér er drullusama hvort þessa bók.inAumar it. I don’t want it inþú my lest house, it’s going the bin mannverur be recycled intoKaflarnir paper for a um more mig deserving komatomér ekki við. eru title. samt ágætir.“

- SATÍNA, FREISTARI

www.forlagid.is

Little Saga is afraid of the dark, but Mom tells her not to worry. Together, they weave a magical world of stories that finally lulls Saga to sleep, and carries her into the land of dreams. About the author

sa vikuna er það hann sem lendir í klónum á versta hrotta skólans. unum lendir Filip undir bíl og deyr. Og hvar lendir hann, þetta lóð? Jú, hann lendir nefnilega í Helvíti, hjá þeim svarta sjálfum.

„Ég mælibemeð þessari En þú possibly - have I made bók. my point yet?skalt I madebara the lesa mistake opening it to what svakaleg was inside, áand hana ef þúofþorir, hún er see svolítið köflum.“

Since her debut in 1997 Kristín Helga Gunnarsdóttir has become one of the most popular children’s book writers in Iceland. For Ghost Trail she received the West-Nordic Children’s Book Award and was nominated for the Nordic Children’s Book Prize. Kristín Helga has received and been nominated for the Reykjavik City Children’s Book Award and four of her books have been chosen Book of the Year by library visitors of 6 to 12 years.

Bókaútgáfa

3 mm

English working title

Fish Have No Feet

Breathless

by Jón Kalman Stefánsson

by Ragnar Jónasson

(b. 1963)

(b. 1976)

Original title

Fiskarnir hafa enga fætur

Andköf

Publisher

Bjartur, 2013

Veröld, 2013

Genre

Novel

Crime

About the book

This is the stage: the steep mountains of the eastern fjords in Iceland. And Keflavik. The town that has been called Iceland’s darkest place. Here you have a big family story, beginning in the early 20th century continuing up until today. It is the story of people who love and suffer, who are searching and running away, a story about pain and loss, violence and a sea full of fish that you are not allowed to fish.

Just before Christmas a young woman is found dead beneath steep cliffs in a remote cove in the northern part of Iceland. Police officer Ari Þór Arason arrives the day before Christmas to investigate the case, only to learn that 25 years ago the baby sister of this young woman and their mother fell to their death from these very same cliffs. Breathless is the fourth book in the Dark Iceland Crime Series.

358 pp.

267 pp.

About the author Awards and nominations

Nominated for the Icelandic Literary Prize 2013. Rights

Leonhardt & Høier Literary Agency Contact

Monica Gram, monica@leonhardt-hoier.dk

Jón Kalman Stefánsson has been nominated for the Nordic Council Literature Prize twice for his works and received the 2005 Icelandic Literary Prize. In 2011 he was awarded the prestigious P.O. Enquist Award. He is best known for his trilogy consisting of Heaven and Hell, The Sorrow of Angels and The Heart of Man.The foreign rights for the trilogy has been sold to numerous countries worldwide. The Sorrow of Angels is longlisted for the Independent Foreign Fiction Prize 2014.

About the author Website

www.ragnarjonasson.com Rights

Leonhardt & Høier Literary Agency Contact

Monica Gram, monica@leonhardt-hoier.dk

English working title

1983

Johanna and I

by Eiríkur Guðmundsson

by Jónína Leósdóttir

(b. 1969)

(b. 1954)

Original title

1983

Við Jóhanna

Publisher

Bjartur, 2013

Mál og menning / Forlagið, 2013

302 pp.

279 pp.

Genre

Novel

Memoir

About the book

„I was dreaming when I wrote this, so forgive me if it goes astray“ – Prince, 1999. The year is 1983 and we follow a 12 year old boy in a small town in the Western Fjords of Iceland discovering the world of adults and falling in love for the first time. This is a story about the search for oneself, desire, dreamlike ships, old hot air balloons and love, told under the soundtrack of pop music from the early eighties. About the author Awards and nominations

Nominated for the Icelandic Literary Prize 2013. Rights:

Bjartur Publishing Contact:

Guðrún Vilmundardóttir, gv@bjartur.is

Ragnar Jónasson is a lawyer in Reykjavik and the author of five crime novels and has translated fourteen Agatha Christie novels into Icelandic. Ragnar is also the co-founder of the Reykjavik international crime writing festival Iceland Noir.

Eiríkur Guðmundsson is well known for his work for the National Broadcasting Service (or RÚV), mainly on the cultural radio programme Víðsjá. 1983 is his fourth novel.

Rights

The Forlagið Rights Agency Contact

Úa Matthíasdóttir, ua@forlagid.is Valgerður Benediktsdóttir, vala@forlagid.is

Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir and Jónína Leósdóttir were both married when they first met in 1983, and neither had ever been involved with a woman. A fateful political tour in 1985 would mark the beginning of their tumultuous relationship, which for years was kept under wraps, Icelandic society being considerably homophobic at the time. After a long and often difficult journey, Jóhanna and Jónína moved in together in 2000 and ten years later they updated their civil union to a legal marriage. By then, Jóhanna had become the Prime Minister of Iceland, making the two women the world’s first same-sex prime ministerial couple – provoking interest around the world. About the author

Jónína Leósdóttir has a degree in Literature from the University of Iceland. She is a novelist, playwright and former journalist and the author of a dozen plays, six novels, two biographies and numerous articles.

Icelandic works nominated for the Nordic Council Children’s and Young People’s Literature Prize 2014: English working title

English working title

Stína

Timebox

by Lani Yamamoto

by Andri Snær Magnason

(b. 1965)

(b. 1973)

Original title

Stína stórasæng

Tímakistan

Publisher

Crymogea, 2013

Mál og menning / Forlagið, 2013

40 pp.

296 pp.

Genre

Illustrated Children’s book

Children’s book (10+ years old)

About the book

Awards and nominations

The Icelandic Women Literature Prize in children’s books category. Nominated for the Nordic Council Children’s and Young People’s Literature Prize 2014. Dimmalimm Prize 2013 for best Icelandic children’s book illustrations. Rights

Crymogea Publishing Contact

Kristján B. Jónasson, kbj@crymogea.is

Stína is a girl who is always freezing and is so frightened of the cold that she spends all her time, energy and imagination keeping the cold out and avoiding having to go out into the cold. Stína’s work sketches are particularly fun, showing the different tools and instruments she has thought of making to keep herself warm and prevent the cold from getting in. About the author

Lani Yamamoto was born in the United States and has studied psychology and comparative religious studies. She has a background in documentary films and her series of Albert books have been published in 12 languages. She lives in Reykjavik with her husband and two children.

About the book Awards and nominations

Icelandic Literary Prize in Children’s and YA category, The Icelandic Booksellers Prize in YA category. Nominated for the Nordic Councils Children’s and Young People’s Literature Prize 2013. Nominated for the West Nordic Children’s Book Prize 2013. Website

www.andrimagnason.com Rights

The Forlagið Rights Agency Contact

Úa Matthíasdóttir, ua@forlagid.is Valgerður Benediktsdóttir, vala@forlagid.is

Eitthvað furðulegt hefur gerst. Mannkynið húkir í drauga legum kössum og bíður betri tíma. Á meðan hefur skógurinn yfirtekið borgirnar, úlfar ráfa um götur og skógarbirnir hafa hertekið verslunarmiðstöðvar. Hvað kom fyrir? Enginn getur svarað því nema gömul kona sem vakir í einu húsanna. Áratugum saman hefur hún safnað sögum um prinsessuna af Pangeu og föður hennar, Dímon konung, sem í árdaga sigraði heiminn og reyndi að því loknu að sigra tímann. Tímakistan er margslungið ævintýri sem teygir anga sína frá fjarlægustu fortíð til ókominna tíma. Andri Snær er þekktur fyrir bækur sínar sem hafa komið út í meira en 30 löndum. Fyrir Söguna af Bláa hnettinum hlaut hann meðal annars Íslensku bókmenntaverðlaunin og Heiðursverðlaun Janusz Korczak.

Icelandic works nominated for the Nordic Council Literature Prize 2014:

When things are looking bad and economists predict a massive financial crisis, Filippa’s family is lucky – they can crawl into their black boxes and wait for better times. But one day, her box opens and she is confronted by an abandoned city in ruins, with everyone stuck in black boxes waiting for things to get better. Filippa meets a strange old lady in a house full of children and archaeological artefacts. The old lady tells them a story of a greedy king who conquered the world but yearned to conquer time. There seems to be a connection of some sort between the old woman’s story and Filippa’s world. She and her friends must find the link, which will hopefully show them how to fix the world. About the author

Andri Snær Magnason has written novels, poetry, plays, short stories, essays and CDs. His children’s book, The Story of the Blue Planet, was the first children’s book to receive the Icelandic Literary Prize in 1999 and has been published in more than 20 countries.Andri Snær has been active in the fight against the destruction of the Icelandic Highlands. He received the Alfred Toepfer Kairos Prize in 2010.

English working title

Secretaries to the Spirits by Auður Jónsdóttir (b. 1973)

Original title

Ósjálfrátt Publisher

Mál og menning / Forlagið, 2012

The role of the Icelandic Literature Center is to support the publication of Icelandic works of literature and the publication of literary works translated into Icelandic. Its role is also to raise awareness of Icelandic literature, both within Iceland and abroad, and promote its distribution – as well as to nurture literary culture in Iceland.

384 pp.

Genre

Novel

English working title

Evil

by Eiríkur Örn Norðdahl (b. 1978)

Foreign publishers of Icelandic books can apply to the Icelandic Literature Center for translation subsidies. Authors, publishers and organizers of literary events can apply for support for Icelandic authors travelling abroad to promote their work. Books From Iceland 2014 recommends highlights from various categories of books published in Iceland in 2013.

Original title

Illska Publisher

Contacts

Mál og menning / Forlagið, 2012

Agla Magnúsdóttir,

www.facebook.com/islit.is twitter.com/IceLitCenter

540 pp.

Genre

Novel

Head of Literature and Promotions, agla@islit.is

Rakel Björnsdóttir, Managing Director, rakel@islit.is

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