**Never Miss a Blog Post: Subscribe to Icelandic Roots!**

Are you eager to stay informed about all things Icelandic? Look no further than the Icelandic Roots newsletter! Our dedicated team of authors and guest writers brings you insightful and engaging content on various topics related to Icelandic culture, history, travel, famous people, language, genealogy, and upcoming events.

Subscribe Today!

by Shaune Jonasson This month, we are profiling a contemporary Icelandic author born on 17 December 1963, Jón Kalman Stefánsson. The Icelandic Roots Book Club has had the privilege of hosting Jón Kalman as the guest author to discuss his book Summer Light, Then Comes the Night  in May 2024. In January 2026, the Icelandic Roots Book Club will meet to discuss the 2024 English translation of Your Absence Is Darkness .   Jón Kalman Stefánsson Photo Credit: Reykjavík Grapevine, Vi

This wonderful new Christmas legend is currently only available in Icelandic, but will be out next year in English. If you have been learning Icelandic a children's book can be a good way to practise, and I did surprisingly well with reading it, I was very encouraged!  You will have heard, I am sure, of the festive peril that awaits you should you not be gifted any new clothes for Christmas - Jólakötturinn , or the Yule Cat, will come to devour you! Jólabókaormurinn introd

The Icelandic Roots Book Club Leader, Heather Lytwyn, has been busy behind the scenes creating a wonderful start to 2026 with a diverse series of books to explore. Here is a quick look at the 2026 lineup so far: On January 8, Jón Kalman Stefánsson's latest novel, Your Absence is Darkness , is the focus of discussion. In 2025, the book club explored his intriguing novel, Summer Light, and Then Comes the Night, and as a special treat, members were visited by Jón Kalman and his

This month’s Interesting Icelander profiles Bólu-Hjálmar, one of Iceland’s notable folk poets, whose sharp wit and satirical views were often received with mixed reviews. He was most noted for his mastery of rimur , a short poetic narrative. He was also an accomplished woodcarver. Life for Bólu-Hjálmar was far from easy and not without strife. Despite these challenges, he lived a colorful life for 80 years. It is my privilege and honor to write this post. Whatever he was to s

By Bryndís Víglundsdóttir Laxness Portrait by Einar Hákonarson Wikimedia Commons The Nobel laureate Halldór Kiljan Laxness is the...

Editor Note:  There is a change in the usual timing for this event. It will be taking place at 1200 noon Central Time (DST) on October 2...

Reviewed by Sharron Arksey   Jonas Ebaneser is in a midlife crisis and when he discovers that his daughter is not biologically his, he...

Collecting Icelandic books.

Icelandic Roots Book Club Meets Thursday, February 6th By Heather Lytwyn Letters to Brian: A Year of Living and Remembrance  is a...

Iceland is one of the most literate countries in the world and has a long literary history that goes back to the Icelandic Sagas. The...

By Heather Goodman Lytwyn   The Icelandic Roots Book Club for Thursday, November 7, 2024, will feature  Guđríđur’s Saga , Mundi: Boy of...

By Rob Olason Editor's Note: Icelandic Roots is encouraging everyone to jot down a quick diary entry to document their day on June 17,...

By Doreen (Borgfjord) McFarlane For its small size and population, Iceland is a giant when it comes to literary accomplishments as well...

By Jason Doctor “One can see... in the Icelanders’ obsession with literacy, an urge to impose order on the desolation of the Icelandic...

The Icelandic Roots Book Club for Thursday May 2, 2024 will feature Summer Light, and Then Comes the Night. It is important to note that...

Jakob Sigurðsson and his Melsted Edda by Jason Doctor and Cathy Josephson Editor’s Note:  You will recall Part One addresses the life,...

Jakob Sigurðsson and his Melsted Edda by Jason Doctor and Cathy Josephson Today if you want to see pictures of the Norse gods, an...

By Gay Strandemo This month we continue learning about interesting Icelanders that were important to the settlement era of Iceland. As a...

By Brian Borgford “In fourteen hundred and ninety-two, Columbus sailed the Ocean Blue.” People of a certain age will remember the little...

Introducing Part Two of The Saga of the Golden Curse. You may recall in Part One that Odin and two friends, Loki and Heinir, journeyed to...