Learn what that statistic means and why it may not be an entirely good thing.
"Reykjavík has been designated a UNESCO City of Literature and is the first non-native English speaking city to receive this prestigious title." - Visit Rejkavík, source here
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The Winter Holiday "Book Flood"
Upon first entering our hostel in Rejkavík, I found several copies of the popular newspaper The Rejkavík Grapevine. Appropriately enough, the topic of the holiday issue was literature. The magazine features interviews with well-published writers Oddný Eir and Sigurjón Birgir Sigurðsson and book guides for holiday gifts to celebrate Christmas Eve with the tradition of gifting books to family and friends. As the English-published magazine is distributed in most hotels, hostels, and shopping centers in the city, visitors to Rejkavík during this holiday season are soon exposed to the substantial influence of reading in the Land of Fire and Ice.
Reading During the Holidays
Jólabókaflóðið refers to the high demand and increased production of books in Iceland during the winter months. On Christmas Eve, families traditionally offer and receive books to read. The gift shopping for books in the winter months makes bookstores and publishing companies in Iceland particularly busy near the holiday season. |
Summary of the Tour
On this virtual tour, you will be taken through several spots in Iceland -- some famous, some more obscure -- and will see pictures and video commentary on the influence of literature in locations such as the National Research Library, the National Museum, Cafe Babalu and the Laundromat Cafe, the National Queer Association, and other locations. Your journey will include an original interview with Bryndís Loftsdóttir, vice director of the Icelandic Publishing Association, and will include information on the sagas of Iceland and how storytelling has shaped the small country into a nation of readers and writers. |