The curious parking techniques and fashion-forward outfits are just a few ways Iceland is sure to leave an impression on an outsider.  more

Four men who were admitted to intensive care at the Landspítali hospital in Reykjavík after two serious car accidents on Friday and Saturday last week have all been taken off a respirator and relocated to a general ward, according to a physician at the ICU.  more

Click on the picture to watch an audio slideshow of a hike to Hraunsvatn lake in Öxnadalur valley in north Iceland, which lies at a height of 490 meters, interlocked between two steep mountains and a small glacier with a view of the majestic Hraundrangar peaks.  more

Fjallabyggd (“Mountain Settlement”) is a skier’s dream. Its slopes are perfect for slaloming and there are also tracks for telemark skiing. Winter sporting enthusiasts can also go ice skating or rent snowmobiles. In summer, Fjallabyggd turns into a paradise for hikers. Read this special promotion about one of Iceland’s best hidden gems.  more

There can’t be many novels that are heralded as being “a purification for body and soul” recommended to “those who enjoy experimental cookery” (review of November Rain (Rigning í nóvember) in DV newspaper) and “as beautiful as a painting from the golden age” (review of The Offspring (Afleggjarinn) by Danish newspaper Politiken). However, Reykjavík based writer, Audur Ava Ólafsdóttir, has attracted such attention not to mention literary prizes. Her novel November Rain won the Tómas Gudmundsson Literary Award in 2004 and was nominated for the 2005 DV Cultural Prize. In 2008 The Offspring won the DV Cultural Prize for literature and the Fjöruverdlaun Award for books by women writers.

Published in the 2010 summer issue of Iceland Review – IR 48.02. By Mica Allan, photos by Páll Stefánsson.

Even though the idea of a big audience scares her a little, Ólafsdóttir may just need to get used to a growing readership as her writing is now being translated abroad. Her novels are the exploration of atypical characters who embark on journeys through which they reach self-realization. During these journeys there are chance encounters, strange coincidences and recurring themes of food, sex, death and the quest for beauty. So a little something for everyone, really.

Mica Allan: Your work has now been translated into German, French and Danish.

Audur Ólafsdóttir: My books are only beginning to ‘spread’ abroad. After my latest novel The Offspring was nominated for the Nordic Council Literature Prize in 2009 it was sold to Denmark, France and Germany. It has so far been published in Denmark where it was very positively received. The novel will be published in France this year by Editions Zulma and in Germany by the prestigious publishing house Suhrkamp in Berlin in 2011.

MA: In your books significant and life changing events happen and are often accepted by the characters in a calm and unassuming way. Does this tell us more about the characters as individuals or is there a more intentional subtext exploring the broader, stoical ‘Icelandic character’?

AO: It might have something to do with our sardonic sense of humor which I believe has its roots in our Celtic female ancestors. Our sense of humor is a careful balance of ýkjur (exaggeration) and úrdráttur (downplaying), of using both over- and understatement. Overstatement when nothing important is happening and understatement, or the stoical reaction as you call it, when too many dramatic or life changing events occur at the same moment.

I am interested in the big events such as giving birth, death and everything that happens between: human relationships, sex, food and love especially. In my books there is no such thing as a normal day or a normal person. I like the unpredictable turnings and twistings. I want each chapter to be a surprise for the reader.

You can read the remainder of this article in the 2010 summer issue of Iceland Review – IR 48.02. Four times a year the print edition of Iceland Review brings you a wealth of articles on all aspects of life in Iceland including Páll Stefánsson's latest images of the country's majestic landscape. Click here to subscribe and here to browse through a selection of pages from the current issue.

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There can’t be many novels that are heralded as being “a purification for body and soul” recommended to “those who enjoy experimental cookery” (review of November Rain in DV newspaper) and “as beautiful as a painting from the golden age” (review of The Offspring by Danish newspaper Politiken). However, Reykjavík based writer, Audur Ava Ólafsdóttir, has attracted such attention not to mention literary prizes.  more

There is something supernatural about Arnarfjördur fjord. Stories of encounters and sightings of sea monsters which have come ashore to terrify, sometimes attack and even kill the remote farmers in this fjord are abundant. This inspired filmmaker and museum curator Kári Schram to establish the Sea Monster Museum in Bíldudalur, which is located in an old factory building above the town’s harbor.  more

Former President of Iceland Vigdís Finnbogadóttir turned 80 on 15 April this year and Mayor Hanna Birna Kristjánsdóttir—in making her an Honorary Citizen of Reykjavík to mark the occasion—observed that Finnbogadóttir’s life was interwoven with that of Reykjavík. In June 1980 Finnbogadóttir made history when she became the world’s first democratically elected female head of state.  more

Amiina’s sound is intimate and rife with mellifluous dialogue. Though lyrics are few and far between, that’s not to say Amiina's new album Kurr doesn’t strike a chord with its listeners. On the contrary, it resonates in the most unexpected of ways.  more

Click on the picture to watch an audio slideshow of a hike to Hraunsvatn lake in Öxnadalur valley in north Iceland, which lies at a height of 490 meters, interlocked between two steep mountains and a small glacier with a view of the majestic Hraundrangar peaks.  more

The second issue of the print edition of Iceland Review 2010 has just been published. Entitled “Under the Volcano” the magazine dedicates 20 pages, words and pictures, to the volcanic eruption in Eyjafjallajökull glacier which made headlines all over the word. New subscribers will receive the book 2010 Eruptions as a gift and all subscribers are part of a draw to win a trip to Iceland. Click here to subscribe to the magazine.  more

Future of Hope is an aptly named documentary directed by Henry Bateman about what some people are doing to shape the future of Iceland, hoping that above all, the crisis will ultimately strengthen the country.  more

Have a laugh this week by visiting Hafnarborg, the Hafnarfjördur Centre of Culture and Fine Art, where the exhibition “Humor in Icelandic Art” is currently running. The exhibition consists of works by contemporary Icelandic artists from different generations which deal with humor and irony.  more