The Nordic Council Literature Prize Nominees — Iceland: Elísabet Jökulsdóttir & Larissa Kyzer

See a discussion with Icelandic author Elísabet Jökulsdótti on her nomination for the 2022 Nordic Council Literary Prize, moderated by translator Larissa Kyzer! Awarded since 1962 alongside other prizes from the Nordic Council in music, film, and environment, the Literature Prize is selected annually for a work of fiction (poetry, prose, or drama) written in one of the Nordic languages. Created to generated greater interest in the sense of Nordic cultural community and to recognize unique artistic endeavors, each year’s prize is selected by the Nordic Adjudication Committee, made up of two members from each of the Nordic nations. One of this year’s nominees from Iceland, Elísabet Jökulsdóttir’s "Aprílsólarkuldi" follows Védís, who, on the brink of adulthood loses her father and is unable to cope with the resulting emotions. She has grown up using language to deceive herself and others – not saying what she means, and not meaning what she says — but there is nothing so dangerous as emotions. Moreover, it becomes complicated for her to mourn her father, whom she feels she actually lost long ago. In the midst of a nervous breakdown, Védís meets Kjartan, and the love between them melts her inner ice. But their hunger, combined with overconsumption of intoxicants, also leads to associated obsession, fear, anxiety and depression. Védís soon begins to lose her hold on reality, believing she can see and hear various messages in her surroundings that are hidden to others. In this talk held virtually from Scandinavia House Online on October 18, Jökulsdóttir discussed with translator Larissa Kyzer how she applied the methods of poetry to investigate what happened when, in the late 1970s, at the age of around 20, she suffered a bipolar disorder that she has since worked to penetrate and convey in her art. Learn more about programming at Scandinavia House at www.scandinaviahouse.org #literature #iceland #booktalk