An Interest in Trees

I trace the interest in genealogy in Iceland to the lack of trees. Because of the sparsity of trees, people opt for family trees and find themselves forests among their forebears.
--Einar Mar Gudmundsson, Angels of the Universe

Perhaps John http://casimirsdream.leetllama.com// will be the one to find that he has Icelandic forebears, not me?

Tainted Blood: a Reykjavik Murder Mystery
by Arnaldur Indridason, 2004
Translated by Bernard Scudder




Original Icelandic edition 2000. First published (in English) in Great Britain with the title Jar City, 2004. Indridason won the Nordic Crime Novel Award for this book. Coined "a chilling read"--is this tongue in cheek?

I enjoyed this book and expect that, as with any strong mystery series, the main characters will grow on me with each book. I prefer mysteries that have strong character development. The mystery doesn't have to be complex in order to completely stump me. This book was a good mixture of a challenging mystery and above average character development. I look forward to future installments.

On the horizon: Silence of the Grave was published in English in 2005, and Voices is due out in August 2006.

Do you have any Icelandic mysteries to share?

Iceland from an anthropologist's view



I just finished reading Icelandic Essays: explorations in the anthropology of modern life, by E. Paul Durrenberger (1995). He begins his book with a quote:

Long ago [1875] Richard Burton warned of a condition he labeled "Iceland on the brain," which overtakes some foreigners who get so romantically involved with Iceland that they see everything through rosy lenses.

I don't believe that this happened to W.H. Auden. To be honest, it has happened to me. But I anticipate that when I visit Iceland and fantasy becomes reality--rainy, cold weather and all--I will still be crazy about Iceland, even without rosy lenses. We'll see!

Durrenberger, let's call him Paul, explores the "Skipper Effect," Elves, the sagas and their effect (or lack of effect) on Icelandic society today, among other things. Paul, like Bill Holm, went to work on a remote farm in order to learn Icelandic. He went back time after time, because being an actual part of a working farm enabled him to not only to learn the language, but also to be able to draw anthropological conclusions based on personal experience and observation, rather than research removed from the source.

Paul has some unusual points of view as well as some ideas that I find a little reactionary. While I'm not an anthropologist, this book is geared toward the layperson. What I really liked about it is that it looks at Icelandic society from a very different perspective, and gave me a lot of fresh ideas to consider. His book could have benefitted from some editing, but it is a very worthwhile read. You won't agree with everything he says, but you'll find many thought-provoking ideas.

Alert! Prairie Home Companion broadcasts from Reykjavik--today!

Bill Holm will be reading one of my favorite stories of his today on PHC--the one about the Reykjavik Cathedral Choir's birthday concert. Listen in, laugh and cry. Listen to the archived broadcast here:
Choir Story

Thanks to Wincie (Reykjavik) and Jody (California) for the head's up!

Packing List for Iceland

Icelanders say there is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothes. (E. Paul Durrenberger, Icelandic Essays)

I know you can help! I look forward to your comments as to what else we should bring, or what we should leave behind.

We plan to spend a lot of time outdoors: walking around Reykjavik, day hikes throughout the countryside in ALL kinds of weather, swimming, and so on. We won't be camping. We will be getting around by rental car.

Here goes:

sleeping bags (for places with "sleeping bag accommodations"--to save $)
hiking boots
hat/earwarmer
poncho and waterproof pants
good waterproof jacket with hood
swimsuit
binoculars
camping utensils
"flat" ice chest
camping style lightweight towels
kerchief
day packs
vest to wear under jacket for extra warmth
gloves
batteries & memory cards for cameras
travel pillows?
lightweight long underwear
peanut butter & crackers, nuts & dried fruit, trailmix
sunglasses
Voltage converter (220/50Hz, European plug type)
Camera, cables, extra memory cards
Thumb drives (to offload pictures)
Playstation for Web browsing (and camera off-loads?)
Books, sketch pads and art supplies, trip journals

Boy Howdy! Iceland, here we come!

Our flight is booked on Icelandair (despite their not having picked my essay as a winner), and we will be in Iceland the last two weeks of July!

We even have a place to stay in Reykjavik. I am sure we are going to love Three Sisters Guesthouse where, the owners assure us, "We and Iceland will take care of you."

So, how ready are we? As you can see we have completed the Iceland puzzle. We weren't too dumb to figure out the last piece...it's missing.
Gabe is going with us too, and he's ready...he said, "bless bless" when we said goodbye last night.