Pure Body – Pure Nation
Tell us a bit about the book. What I try to do in the book is to look at the relationship between Iceland and the outside world and try to […]
Fight for Your Right to Stay on the Air
So, the Mayor, huh? Andri: Yes, he is in my pocket, our new best friend. Búi: I have him on speed dial. Is it difficult to get distinguished figures like […]
The Naked Ape
The vibrant designer shop The Naked Ape, located in a spacious second floor at Bankastræti, is undoubtedly the liveliest shopping destination you’ll find in the city. Only a few
Sour Grapes
Dear Editor, Thanks for printing my letter in your Sour Grapes section. (I bitched about the local authorities taking their time or even ignoring the charges I filed when my [&hell
Of Elections and Identity-crises
Icelanders are soon to be offered an opportunity to express themselves actively on political questions and exert influence on the political system under which they live. On he 12th
The Fisherman’s Burden – too many fish in the sea?
After reading a recent Liberal Party advertisement in the papers, shockingly not a joke despite being printed on the first of April, I wasagog with a mix of utter shock […]
If No One Dares to Try, We Would Never Get Anything New.
Sigríður Dögg Auðunsdóttir has a stellar reputation as a journalist. In 2006, she was awarded for investigative journalism by the Icelandic Journalists Association for her ser
GUSGUS ARE FOREVER
The end was near and the heat had already been turned off by the time I visited the GusGus studio in the now-defunct Klink & Bank art factory, the place […]
From the Editor’s Chair
Welcome, dear reader, to the 54th issue of the Reykjavík Grapevine. This might be our lightest issue to date. Sometimes it just cannot be helped: things fall apart at the [&hellip
BEZT Í HEIMI: Filippseyjar Grocery Store
Fewer things are more frustrating than when you’ve decided to be a little experimental in the kitchen and your stomach is aching for a flavourful Asian meal, to drive to [&hellip
Trilogia
Trendy fashion shop Trilogia on Laugavegur shopping street is a candy store for all fashion-conscious girls with a thing for stylish designer wear. Since 2005, the store has been a
Sour Grapes
An open letter to Páll Hilmarsson Dear sir, how dare you state that mighty BLACK-METAL is bad? You obviously have no taste in – nor knowledge of – music. Either [&hell
Honesty Doesn’t Pay
Rejoice, it’s tax time once again. Many foreign residents in Iceland find the rules here a bit baffling at first and, to be fair, Icelandic tax forms have gotten more […]
No Love for Porn!
One of Iceland’s main selling points has always been “purity”, a trait on which Icelandair has capitalized with the tantalizing phrase, “Come and take a break from the worl
Nothing but the Word
The first time I heard it used by a child I was quite shocked and a bit disturbed. Did that third grader just yell the f-word? After the initial shock […]
Prejudice or Paranoia?
“It was the worst experience!” said a young man who came to talk to me the other day. “I have never seen such disrespect. I wouldn’t have been able to […]
HALLDÓR LAXNESS AND THE CIA
In 1946 Halldor Laxness’ epic novel Independent People was published in America. The publication and the success of the novel in the United States caused Laxness and Iceland to b
From the Editor’s Chair
Iceland has been gripped with handball fever for the past month. The Icelandic national team recently participated in the International Handball Federation World Championship, the
The Joy of Failing Miserably, or: Why Icelanders Really Are Happy
Award winning journalist Eric Weiner has seen a lot of the world. His post as a foreign correspondent for respected U.S. radio station NPR (National Public Radio) has brought him [
Friday Night Amongst the Bingo Die-hards
The air is hazy with cigarette smoke and the odour it generates blends with the faint scent of cheap glue and hefty markers, the two most essential weapons of the […]
Think Like a Tourist
I don’t drink and the smell of smoke makes me want to wear a gas mask. And just for the sake of confusion, no, I am not a nun. Based […]