During this part of the interview, Andri provides some great insight into the current literature landscape in Iceland and the impact of literature from this country on the world. We start off this interview talking about Reykjavík being a UNESCO City of Literature. Andri is a great person to talk about this because he is the chairman of the board for the Reykjavík UNESCO City of Literature.

Andri also shares he favorite pieces of Icelandic literature, his environmental advocacy work, his run for Presidency and, of course, his favorite Icelandic word or phrase. If you have not listened to part one, I highly recommend that you do so that you learn more about Andri.

Some of the people the Icelandic authors that Andri recommend are Halldór Laxness, Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir, Sjón, Krístin Omarsdóttir and Neil Gaiman. He also recommended reading Njáls Saga and the Poetic Edda.

1. Reykjavík has been designated as a UNESCO City of Literature, and it is the first non-native English-speaking city to receive this title. Why is it that Reykjavík received this prestigious title?

2. What makes the literary culture in Iceland is so strong?

3. Can you provide some insight on the current literature landscape in Iceland? Are Icelanders still eager to publish and read Icelandic literature, especially in this age of social media and other technological distractions?

4. What are some places in the city that you recommend for people to check out if they are visiting, or live here, and want to learn more about Iceland’s rich literary history?

5. If a person wants to dive into Icelandic literature, where do you recommend that they start?

6. What are your favorite pieces of Icelandic literature?

7. Your book Dreamland: A Self-Help Manual for a Frightened Nation was the best-selling book in Iceland in 2006 and won numerous awards. It helped to raise Icelander’s interest in environmentalism in the country, specifically about the impact foreign aluminum smelting plants would have on Icelandic nature. Do you think that Icelandic writers today still have the ability to influence the nation in a way that you did with this book?

8. This is slightly off topic, but I think is a fascinating bit of information for the listeners of this podcast to know. You ran for Presidential office in Iceland in 2016. What motivated you to do that and what were the key issues you ran your campaign on?

10. What is your favorite Icelandic word or phrase?

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I hope you enjoyed listening to this interview. I release a new podcast episode every week. Make sure you are subscribed to the All Things Iceland podcast

Þakka þér kærlega fyrir að hlusta (og að lesa) og sjáumst fljótlega

Thank you kindly for listening (and reading) and see you soon!