Author: Jóhann Páll Ástvaldsson

Blackport – a political thriller set in the remote Westfjords of the 1980s, documents what happens to a small fishing village when the Icelandic fishing quota system is implemented. If this doesn’t sound like the premise of a hit TV show to you – that’s understandable. But Blackport had Icelanders glued to their television sets every Sunday night during its entire run this winter. The ´80s are back, and they’re full of thrills, glamour, humour, and sorrow. Who said scheduled programming was dead? Riding on the quota-tails Blackport has turned a spotlight on the elephant in the room of Icelandic……

“Our city belongs to all of us. It’s so much more than a collection of buildings.” To architect Jórunn Ragnarsdóttir, a city is an organic entity, a collaboration between the architects who design its buildings and the inhabitants who populate them and traverse the streets between them. Jórunn is one of Iceland’s most respected architects and a partner in the German architecture firm Lederer Ragnarsdóttir Oei. Reykjavík has been growing so rapidly for the past few years that it hasn’t escaped growing pains. New buildings pop up everywhere, and whole new neighbourhoods rise in the blink of an eye, both……

Every New Year’s Eve for a decade, Þóra Hjörleifsdóttir made the resolution to write a book. It took a while, but in 2019, Magma was published – a harrowing story about how a young woman loses herself within the confines of an emotionally abusive relationship affected by the pornification of society. It was published in February, outside of the country’s literary high season, the so-called Christmas Book Flood. Nevertheless, sales were surprisingly good and critics praised it as a strong debut. And that was just the beginning. Soon, international publishers began to sit up and take note. Magma was first……

The Faroe Islands. The Orkney Islands. Jan Mayen. Iceland. These are some of the few places in the world where you won’t find mosquitoes. You sometimes hear that Iceland is the only country in the world utterly devoid of mosquitoes. That’s technically correct as the Faroe Islands are part of the Kingdom of Denmark. Icelanders often savour victories based on technicalities the most. But the mosquito-free paradise could be coming to an end. Surprisingly, the bug fauna in Iceland is more abundant and more diverse than people believe.

The Age of the Sturlungs…

The Ministry of Health has announced changes to the rules regarding public gatherings. The new rules will come into play on August 28 and will be in place until September 10 at the least. The changes are not substantial, and previous releases and instructions are still in full effect. The main change is that the so-called 2-metre rule has been changed, along with allowing contact in sports, stage rehearsals, music performances, and film-making. Previously, the rule stipulated that business operators ensure that there was a minimum of 2-metres between members of different households. This rule came into play, for example,……

A second COVID test for government ministers that were possibly exposed to the virus has been returned negative, RÚV reports. The ministers had been in quarantine until the first test was returned back negative. It was believed that the ministers’ were exposed to COVID-19 during a dinner in Hótel Rangá in South Iceland. The result was revealed in a press release from the Prime Minister’s Office late last night. The first COVID test was performed on Friday, of which all returned negative. All of the ministers thought to have been exposed to the virus went for a second test this……

Water levels in Hálslón reservoir, a storage reservoir connected to Kárahnjúkar Hydropower plant, reached their highest point late last Saturday night, Rúv reports. This affects the popular nature spectacle Stuðlagil in East Iceland, one of the largest basalt rock formations in Iceland. Travellers in the area should beware, as glacial water is now flowing out of the Hálslón reservoir, down to its old riverbed in Jökulsá á Dal river. The river flowing through Stuðlagil canyon is stronger than usual at this time of year. Some travellers have gone into the water this summer, putting themselves in risk. Entering the water……

Iceland is believed to be one of the main dust-producing areas in the northern hemisphere, Kjarninn reports. The majority of the dust that forms in Iceland is blown northwards across the country and out towards the sea, even as far north as Svalbard. The international HiLDA project started measuring the past July 17 in Raufarhöfn in North-East Iceland. The scientists from the Germany University of Darmstadt have put up dust measurement devices in the area. The project aims to shed light on how dust in the Arctic affects global climate change. A lof it still unknown about the dust, and……