Archive for 'Icelandic culture'
About That Icelandic Book Flood… Posted by Meg on Nov 25, 2017
As per usual, I’ve been drowning in Icelandic lit projects again this month; just a few weeks ago, my cabaret show, The Poetry Brothel Reykjavik (Rauða Skáldahúsið) put on a masquerade show, right after I visited the director of the new Vigdís Finnbogadóttir World Language Centre to discuss an upcoming translation project for the organisation…
Reading Exercises, oh my! Posted by Meg on Sep 30, 2017
I was recently asked to start writing book reviews for Icelandic children’s books. So for the past few days, I’ve been reading a number of novels for youngsters. One of the authors, Ævar Þór Benediktsson, is also Ævar vísindamaður, whose tv program I highly recommend for practicing your listening. So I’ve been thinking quite a lot…
Icelandic Literary History In a Nutshell Posted by Meg on Aug 31, 2017
As many of you know, I study Icelandic language in Reykjavik, and I am a translator by trade. I work with a number of languages, but Icelandic is chief among them. I lived in New York for several years, growing my talents as a translator and laying the groundwork for a fruitful life of literature…
Menntun, Menning, Minning: Education, Culture, Memory Posted by Meg on Aug 25, 2017
Last Saturday, a friend and colleague (who I’d never met before) arrived in Reykjavik. Belgian by birth, she is a world traveler, entrepreneur, artist, and yoga teacher. She’d just returned from a trip to the desert, where she finds poetry, and was on her way to produce and direct an event in Antwerp called Poëziebordeel…
Icelandic Slang 101 Posted by Meg on Jun 30, 2017
I’ve been writing a lot these past few months about grammar – which doesn’t necessarily give cultural context to Icelandic as a living language. So today my Icelandic friend, Ingimar, has volunteered to help me to introduce you to a few Icelandic slang expressions, which he condensed into a nice short story for you. Here…
Listening Exercises Abound! Posted by Meg on Jun 26, 2017
When learning a second language, it’s very important to keep the language in your ear as much as possible. Today, I’d like to share a few listening resources/exercises with you. I’ve tried to select representatives of a good range of levels, so I hope that each of you find something that suits you in this…
It Started With Donald Duck…And Became a Revolution. Posted by Meg on May 26, 2017
My initial intention with the somewhat winding road of a blog entry below started out as a look at translations of the names of storybook and fable characters – like Donald Duck (as below) – but my research and persistent questions took me down a rabbit hole that I couldn’t bring myself to climb out…