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saareman's review
4.0
Reykyavik Shorts
Review of the Comma Press paperback edition (August 2021)
Average [3.8] so rounds up as a strong [4]
The Book of Reykyavik provides an excellent variety of short stories centred around the world of the city of Reykyavik, Iceland. It is part of Comma Press' Reading the City/A City in Short Fiction series along with titles such as [b:The Book of Khartoum: A City in Short Fiction|24945265|The Book of Khartoum A City in Short Fiction|Raph Cormack|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1458171853l/24945265._SY75_.jpg|44603694], [b:The Book of Cairo: A City in Short Fiction|41738945|The Book of Cairo A City in Short Fiction|Raph Cormack|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1547004401l/41738945._SY75_.jpg|65130992], etc.
The stories tend to lean towards nordic melancholy, which is ok by me with me with my Estonian heritage background. The themes are often about people being distanced from partners, family or even their homeland, but still making an effort to seek connection. Almost all of the authors were new to me except for [a:Sjón|424265|Sjón|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1266092585p2/424265.jpg] who provides an excellent Foreword and [a:Kristín Eiríksdóttir|4463051|Kristín Eiríksdóttir|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1511184926p2/4463051.jpg] (Story #6) whose [b:A Fist or a Heart|49761020|A Fist or a Heart|Kristín Eiríksdóttir|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1563530180l/49761020._SX50_SY75_.jpg|58352709] (Orig 2017/Trans 2019) I had previously enjoyed in both its audiobook and paperback editions, which was also translated by Larissa Kyzer.
1. Island by [a:Friðgeir Einarsson|15033151|Friðgeir Einarsson|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png] translated by [a:Larissa Kyzer|13504072|Larissa Kyzer|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1652376493p2/13504072.jpg]. ** An ex-pat returns home to Reykyavik for his mother's funeral and discovers that he has become completely unassimilated from its culture.
2. The Gardeners by [a:Einar Már Guðmundsson|259485|Einar Már Guðmundsson|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1266181915p2/259485.jpg] translated by [a:Victoria Cribb|2790834|Victoria Cribb|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png]. ***** A trio of brothers, give up on farming life and move to the city to become landscape gardeners. They move in with a recluse scholar who yearns for a quiet place to do his Icelandic poetry translations and who also communicates with the dead. The humour in this one made it a standout.
3. Keep Sleeping, My Love by [a:Andri Snær Magnason|689347|Andri Snær Magnason|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1647503807p2/689347.jpg] translated by [a:Lytton Smith|2793731|Lytton Smith|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1236038576p2/2793731.jpg]. **** Leaving his lover sleeping, a man sneaks off in order to search for something to rekindle their relationship.
4. Home by [a:Fríða Ísberg|14147972|Fríða Ísberg|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1529271151p2/14147972.jpg] translated by Larissa Kyzer. *** After a night of partying, a woman walks home through the deserted streets of Reykyavik in fear of possible assaults.
5. Two Foxes by [a:Björn Halldórsson|4917552|Björn Halldórsson|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1628807546p2/4917552.jpg] translated by Larissa Kyzer. **** An insomniac, whose marriage has grown distant, awakes and goes for a cigarette on a balcony. He observes two foxes going off into the dawn.
6. Without You, I'm Half by [a:Kristín Eiríksdóttir|4463051|Kristín Eiríksdóttir|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1511184926p2/4463051.jpg] ***** translated by Larissa Kyzer. A man reminisces about his past relationships while staying at home to duck out of going to a party where he suspects he is being set up with his friend's girlfriend.
7. Reykjavik Nights by [a:Auður Jónsdóttir|2779806|Auður Jónsdóttir|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1480978979p2/2779806.jpg] translated by [a:Meg Matich|15365076|Meg Matich|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png]. *** A writer describes her wild one night stand to her publisher friend.
8. Incursion by [a:Þórarinn Eldjárn|2711715|Þórarinn Eldjárn|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1267624138p2/2711715.jpg] translated by [a:Philip Roughton|814415|Philip Roughton|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1490727569p2/814415.jpg]. **** The inhabitants of a new apartment complex built on a torn down sawmill site believe that the building is haunted by the ghosts of its previous workers and machines.
9. When His Eyes are on You, You're the Virgin Mary by [a:Guðrún Eva Mínervudóttir|3373650|Guðrún Eva Mínervudóttir|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1266107456p2/3373650.jpg] translated by Meg Matich. **** An odd encounter with a man becomes even odder with a subsequent encounter with a washroom attendant.
10. The Dead are Here with Us at Christmas by [a:Ágúst Borgþór Sverrisson|4410764|Ágúst Borgþór Sverrisson|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1287188549p2/4410764.jpg] translated by Lytton Smith. **** A young boy is resentful of having to go with his mother to his brother's gravesite for a Christmas candle ritual. The story leaves the sense of being an actual childhood memory written in adulthood.
I read The Book of Reykyavik due to its selection for the 2021 Borderless Book Club for which it was the initial July 29, 2021 selection. Due to a publication delay, it was replaced by [b:The Book of Venice: A City in Short Fiction|58049739|The Book of Venice A City in Short Fiction|Orsola Casagrande|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1624720947l/58049739._SY75_.jpg|90975696] (also 2021) in the final selection.
Trivia and Links
The Comma Press blog features an interview with translator Larissa Kyzer (who translated 4 of the 10 stories in The Book of Reykyavik) which you can read here.
Review of the Comma Press paperback edition (August 2021)
Average [3.8] so rounds up as a strong [4]
The Book of Reykyavik provides an excellent variety of short stories centred around the world of the city of Reykyavik, Iceland. It is part of Comma Press' Reading the City/A City in Short Fiction series along with titles such as [b:The Book of Khartoum: A City in Short Fiction|24945265|The Book of Khartoum A City in Short Fiction|Raph Cormack|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1458171853l/24945265._SY75_.jpg|44603694], [b:The Book of Cairo: A City in Short Fiction|41738945|The Book of Cairo A City in Short Fiction|Raph Cormack|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1547004401l/41738945._SY75_.jpg|65130992], etc.
The stories tend to lean towards nordic melancholy, which is ok by me with me with my Estonian heritage background. The themes are often about people being distanced from partners, family or even their homeland, but still making an effort to seek connection. Almost all of the authors were new to me except for [a:Sjón|424265|Sjón|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1266092585p2/424265.jpg] who provides an excellent Foreword and [a:Kristín Eiríksdóttir|4463051|Kristín Eiríksdóttir|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1511184926p2/4463051.jpg] (Story #6) whose [b:A Fist or a Heart|49761020|A Fist or a Heart|Kristín Eiríksdóttir|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1563530180l/49761020._SX50_SY75_.jpg|58352709] (Orig 2017/Trans 2019) I had previously enjoyed in both its audiobook and paperback editions, which was also translated by Larissa Kyzer.
1. Island by [a:Friðgeir Einarsson|15033151|Friðgeir Einarsson|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png] translated by [a:Larissa Kyzer|13504072|Larissa Kyzer|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1652376493p2/13504072.jpg]. ** An ex-pat returns home to Reykyavik for his mother's funeral and discovers that he has become completely unassimilated from its culture.
2. The Gardeners by [a:Einar Már Guðmundsson|259485|Einar Már Guðmundsson|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1266181915p2/259485.jpg] translated by [a:Victoria Cribb|2790834|Victoria Cribb|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png]. ***** A trio of brothers, give up on farming life and move to the city to become landscape gardeners. They move in with a recluse scholar who yearns for a quiet place to do his Icelandic poetry translations and who also communicates with the dead. The humour in this one made it a standout.
3. Keep Sleeping, My Love by [a:Andri Snær Magnason|689347|Andri Snær Magnason|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1647503807p2/689347.jpg] translated by [a:Lytton Smith|2793731|Lytton Smith|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1236038576p2/2793731.jpg]. **** Leaving his lover sleeping, a man sneaks off in order to search for something to rekindle their relationship.
4. Home by [a:Fríða Ísberg|14147972|Fríða Ísberg|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1529271151p2/14147972.jpg] translated by Larissa Kyzer. *** After a night of partying, a woman walks home through the deserted streets of Reykyavik in fear of possible assaults.
5. Two Foxes by [a:Björn Halldórsson|4917552|Björn Halldórsson|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1628807546p2/4917552.jpg] translated by Larissa Kyzer. **** An insomniac, whose marriage has grown distant, awakes and goes for a cigarette on a balcony. He observes two foxes going off into the dawn.
6. Without You, I'm Half by [a:Kristín Eiríksdóttir|4463051|Kristín Eiríksdóttir|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1511184926p2/4463051.jpg] ***** translated by Larissa Kyzer. A man reminisces about his past relationships while staying at home to duck out of going to a party where he suspects he is being set up with his friend's girlfriend.
7. Reykjavik Nights by [a:Auður Jónsdóttir|2779806|Auður Jónsdóttir|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1480978979p2/2779806.jpg] translated by [a:Meg Matich|15365076|Meg Matich|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png]. *** A writer describes her wild one night stand to her publisher friend.
8. Incursion by [a:Þórarinn Eldjárn|2711715|Þórarinn Eldjárn|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1267624138p2/2711715.jpg] translated by [a:Philip Roughton|814415|Philip Roughton|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1490727569p2/814415.jpg]. **** The inhabitants of a new apartment complex built on a torn down sawmill site believe that the building is haunted by the ghosts of its previous workers and machines.
9. When His Eyes are on You, You're the Virgin Mary by [a:Guðrún Eva Mínervudóttir|3373650|Guðrún Eva Mínervudóttir|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1266107456p2/3373650.jpg] translated by Meg Matich. **** An odd encounter with a man becomes even odder with a subsequent encounter with a washroom attendant.
10. The Dead are Here with Us at Christmas by [a:Ágúst Borgþór Sverrisson|4410764|Ágúst Borgþór Sverrisson|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1287188549p2/4410764.jpg] translated by Lytton Smith. **** A young boy is resentful of having to go with his mother to his brother's gravesite for a Christmas candle ritual. The story leaves the sense of being an actual childhood memory written in adulthood.
I read The Book of Reykyavik due to its selection for the 2021 Borderless Book Club for which it was the initial July 29, 2021 selection. Due to a publication delay, it was replaced by [b:The Book of Venice: A City in Short Fiction|58049739|The Book of Venice A City in Short Fiction|Orsola Casagrande|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1624720947l/58049739._SY75_.jpg|90975696] (also 2021) in the final selection.
Trivia and Links
The Comma Press blog features an interview with translator Larissa Kyzer (who translated 4 of the 10 stories in The Book of Reykyavik) which you can read here.
culturenator's review
challenging
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.5
A collection of short stories covering different themes and styles, most of the stories I enjoyed but a couple just didn’t grasp me. One in particular I still don’t get what the point of it was, it felt like half a chapter rather than a completed piece of writing.. maybe that was the point? But it didn’t work for me, hence the 4.5/5
quicksilvermoon's review
5.0
One of the things I love, love, loved about Reykjavik was the sheer number and variety of bookstores packed into the tiny city. Picked this one up at the Salka sale happening at the hotel we were staying at, because I’ve seen something similar for Dhaka.
It is always interesting to view a city from the perspective of its natives, particularly when they’re not very fond of it. Orhan Pamuk made a whole book bitching about Istanbul, and this little collection here is a lovely sampler of shorts from various Icelandic writers through the decades. We practically get to chart its growth from a small port into the bustling capital, through the grumblings of citizens so accustomed to their country’s stunning natural vistas as to no longer be dazzled, and a sort of urbane melancholy seeps into their thoughts. There’s the insomniac pondering the slow decline of his marital bliss, who meets a fox and realises life is beautiful. There are three displaced farmers who find a new life as city gardeners. There is a newly divorced woman slowly wading back into the dating pool. The stories are pithy, poetic and introspective; testament to the skills of this storytelling nation, and while I liked some more than others, as a collection they whetted my appetite for essays so I am happy with this collection
It is always interesting to view a city from the perspective of its natives, particularly when they’re not very fond of it. Orhan Pamuk made a whole book bitching about Istanbul, and this little collection here is a lovely sampler of shorts from various Icelandic writers through the decades. We practically get to chart its growth from a small port into the bustling capital, through the grumblings of citizens so accustomed to their country’s stunning natural vistas as to no longer be dazzled, and a sort of urbane melancholy seeps into their thoughts. There’s the insomniac pondering the slow decline of his marital bliss, who meets a fox and realises life is beautiful. There are three displaced farmers who find a new life as city gardeners. There is a newly divorced woman slowly wading back into the dating pool. The stories are pithy, poetic and introspective; testament to the skills of this storytelling nation, and while I liked some more than others, as a collection they whetted my appetite for essays so I am happy with this collection
itschristane's review
emotional
hopeful
reflective
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
lauramolenaar's review
4.0
Great collection! I liked the stories by Björn Halldórsson and Fríða Ísberg the best.
lillisbookishthoughts's review
Very interesting insight into Icelandic culture and people. I especially enjoyed the mixture of nature, folklore and love for writing and all in all found this to be a very atmospheric and immersive collection.