Í dag stend ég hér sem íslenskur rithöfundur. Íslenskur rithöfundur? Hvernig getur það verið? spyr ég sjálfa mig í forundran. Ég fæddist í Póllandi. Mamma og pabbi töluðu pólsku. Ég gekk í skóla þar. Líf mitt fór fram á pólsku. Ég lærði skapandi skrif í háskóla, á póllsku. Ég orti nokkrar sögur og ljóð á pólsku.  Var ég þá rithöfundur í Póllandi? Nei. Það var ég ekki. Kannski var ég fræ, lítið bókmenntafræ sem hafði gaman af því að ferðast...

Zombie Stories is a personal essay I wrote for RÁS 1 and their series Uppástand. Contributing to the national broadcasting service here in Iceland was a great joy. I am grateful for the invitation from Jóhannes Ólafsson, who curated the most recent episodes.

I want to express my gratitude to Bryndís Jónatansdóttir, also known as Febrúar, for her friendship and for lending her beautiful voice to the project. I am thankful to Helga Soffía Einarsdóttir for the fabulous translation, Leslie Schwartz for all the support and editorial assistance, and Jóhannes Ólafsson for his help with the recording.

The piece aired on the 7th of March 2024, and you can listen to it HERE.

You will find the original piece in English HERE.

"Skáldreki/Writers Adrift" is a collection of essays by 10 foreign-born authors presenting their personal perspectives on writing and living in Iceland. The book was published thanks to the initiative and support Kjartan Már Ómarsson and Kristín Ingu Viðarsdóttir from Reykjavík UNESCO City of Literature, and Einar Kári from Una útgáfuhús, the publisher.

Natasha S and I had the pleasure to edit the book and collaborate on it with the authors: angela rawlings, Francesca Cricelli, Giti Chandra, Helen Cova, Jakub Stachowiak, Joachim B. Schmidt, Margrét Ann Thors, Mazen Maarouf.

The foreword is Eliza Reid, writer and the First Lady of Iceland. The book is in two language versions (English and Icelandic). A big thanks to translators: Larissa Kyzer, Kristín Ingu Viðarsdóttir, Pedro Gunnlaugur Garcia, Kelsey Paige Hopkins, Benedikt Hjartarson. The beautiful design is by Elías Rúni.

My essay “We were here” about proving one’s existence as an immigrant & writer is closing the publication.

Polishing Iceland is a collection of short stories and poems, with humour and irony describing the reality of a young Polish woman who moves to Iceland to start a new life. Set in a small Reykjavík restaurant, this heartfelt immigrant tale savours a new Icelandic blend of languages, cultures, social aspirations, and memories.

The original version, written in English with a play on words in Icelandic and Polish, was published by Ós Pressan in November 2022.

The play Polishing Iceland is featured in SYRPA, a collection of manuscripts, plays, and writings on performing artists in Reykjavík from 2009 to 2020.

In early 2020, Pálína Jónsdóttir adapted my manuscript for Reykjavík Ensemble International Theatre Company and Tjarnabíó, and in 2021, Lókal Performing Arts Reykjavík included our script in their publication. Thanks to support from Miðstöð íslenskra bókmennta - Icelandic Literature Center.

The fourth column for Tímarit Máls og Menningar. It’s been a beautiful literary journey to write about the life of immigrant writers. Elín Edda Pálsdóttir and Sigþrúður Silju Gunnarsdóttir: thank you for your kind invitation, editorial support, and translation. I’m grateful to my friends and fellow writers, whose life inspired the articles.

"So you want to be famous in Iceland?” an Icelandic writer asks us, two foreign-born authors, demonstrating mastery of social swordplay. I try to read the smile on his face: not a mean smirk, not an encouragement, nor is it a joke. In fencing, a fake attack like this one is called a feint. One uses it to provoke a reaction and read the opponent. No wonder, he is such a good writer. He knows exactly where his words will strike.

A beautiful gesture on behalf of the Icelandic literary scene towards the immigrant writers living and writing in Iceland. Publisher Una útgáfuhús just released an anthology of poems by fifteen poets of foreign origin, the immigrant voices: Ana Mjallhvít Drekadóttir, a rawlings, Deepa R. Iyengar, Elías Knörr, Ewa Marcinek, Francesca Cricelli, Giti Chandra, Jakub Stachowiak, Juan Camilo Roman Estrada, Mao Alheimsdóttir, Meg Matich, Natasha Stolyarova, Randi W. Stebbins, Sofie Hermansen Eriksdatter, and Vilja-Tuulia Huotarinen. Three of my poems are included in the publication, together with Icelandic translation by Helga Soffía Einarsdóttir.

More infrmation at Una útgáfuhús.

In the third column for Timarít Máls og menningar, I write about family connectedness in immigration experience and sociopolitical challenges of post-communist identity. Thank you: Sigþrúður Silju Gunnarsdóttir, and especially Elín Edda Pálsdóttir for the translation. Thank you, Elías Knorr, Laura López, and Natasha Stolyarova for sharing your stories with me.

When my friend Natasha moved to Iceland from Russia, it wasn’t the glaciers or geysers that she found most surprising, but rather the landscapes formed by loose skin, sagging cheeks, white hair, and hunched backs. She’s never seen so many older people at once, the streets full of them, healthy, happy, alive. Natasha’s grandparents passed away a long time ago, along with an entire generation. Too early. In Russia, those who lived through communism died with the end of it. The shortcut from socialism to capitalism cost millions of lives; they themselves were cut short before they could bloom into autumn flowers. During the economic transition, the life expectancy among Russian men dropped to 58. The hardship of life killed them, the so-called “socioeconomic stress”, or the black holes.

The second issue of Tímarit Máls og menningar is out, and in the column Hugveikja I write about the experience of foreign-born children and foreign-born teachers living in Iceland. I tell the story of Francesca Cricelli, a wonderful friend, poet, and translator, who early in her life moved between Brazil, Italy, Malaysia, Spain, and India before she put down roots here in Reykjavík.

It's a big pleasure to be featured in TMM #2. Within the great collection of writing you can find texts by my writing sisters: Elena Ilkova and Helen Cova.

Thank you: Sigþrúður Silju Gunnarsdóttir, and especially Elín Edda Pálsdóttir for the translation, Luciano Dutra for help with Francesca's poems and dear Francesca Cricelli, for your time and your trust.