Continental Rift 2
In our February issue I wrote about observing Icelandic discourse from afar, via social media and also via regular media. My thoughts: there is something broken in the way we [&hel
Why Do We Need karlssonwilker?
New York City design firm karlssonwilker is the brainchild of Messrs Jan Wilker and Hjalti Karlsson, one of whom happens to be born and raised in Reykjavík (no points for [&hellip
Here Don’t Be Dragons!
As I write this from my apartment in Kópavogur, I realize I should start at the beginning. Every immigrant has a long tale, but I need to condense the background […]
The Parliament That Wouldn’t
Following four months of intense debates, Iceland’s Constitutional Council handed Alþingi its proposals for a new Constitution. That was July 29, 2011. Now the Council has been
Sincere Lamentations In A Cynical World
Last month Valentine’s Day came and went with its usual masquerade of chocolate hearts, red flowers, embarrassingly ambitious dates, I-love-yous, and well, you know the drill. Fe
All Tomorrow’s Parties
So, will the Icelandic government survive yet another Grapevine deadline? Probably, but its chances of re-election are looking increasingly grim. This time, though, the threat is e
Don’t Get Too Excited About Your Authentic Icelandic Souvenir…
Walking down the main shopping street in Reykjavík, it is hard to miss the abundance of lava jewellery for sale. Perhaps this isn’t so strange given that the entire surface [&he
What Is A Work Of Art Really Worth?
According to Greek mythology, King Midas of Phrygia was given the power to transform everything he touched to gold. As the Austrian writer Ernst Fischer points out, capitalism on t
The Long Political Journey Of Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson
President Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson has decided—after insinuating in his New Year’s Address that he would not run and then dodging the question for two months—that he will
Well Here’s Another Fine Mess You’ve Gotten Us Into
Here’s what international journalists—the same ones who’ve previously slagged us off numerous times—are presently saying: • In Iceland, the voice of the people has wo
The Grapevine’s 2nd Annual Product Awards
Last year we launched our annual Grapevine Product Awards. This year, however, we can’t really call them Product Awards because in addition to Best Product and Best Product Line,
News In Brief
Monster hunting! February started out with some paranormal activity, when a farmer in northeast Iceland recorded a video of something moving in a snake-like motion across the river
Sour Grapes And Stuff
MOST AWESOME LETTER: Hello You wrote an article on ICY SPICY LEONCIE LIVE IN ICELAND in your last weeks grapevine. I absolutely hate the way you’ll wrote about me. “Peculiar [&
Iceland: A Symbol Of Hope
I recently got a letter from someone in Slovenia who was interested in Iceland because “Here in Slovenia, where we’re also struggling with a financial and social crisis, Ic
EXPLORE: The Home Of Peat, The ‘Fuck-You-House’, etc.
The area known as Bústaðir and Háaleiti was once one of the most important sources of peat for the residents of Reykjavík. While peat has since lost most of its […]
Why The Crisis Hurt So Bad: Spotlight on ‘The End of Iceland’s Innocence’
Iceland was not the country hardest hit by the global financial crisis in 2008. Its unemployment rate didn’t rise higher than in the United States or the United Kingdom, and [&he
Don’t Ask Nanna!
Disclaimer: This is The Grapevine’s BAD ADVICE column. It’s where Nanna Árnadóttir answers questions from our readers about traversing the Icelandic cultural jungle. She is u
A Watergate Of Our Own
The Watergate scandal was both a low point and a high point in American politics. The downside was that the President turned out to be a crook. The upside was […]
Why I Bother, Pt. IV
Late in 2010 an Icelandic couple made the news. A surrogate mother in India, paid for by the couple, had given birth to a baby boy but Icelandic law prohibited […]
Lighting A Fire Under The Orchestra
After an exhilarating performance of Giacinto Scelsi’s ‘Hymnos,’ the conductor turns to the audience and tells us that because we will probably never hear the piece performed
Lithuanian Witches Stopped Traffic In Reykjavík!
On a rainy Sunday, Lithuanian witches stopped traffic in the suburbs of Reykjavík. It was Women’s Day in Iceland. While many women were dressed up and looking their best, Lithua