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RILF Program 2021

Off venue: Publication of Writers Adrift, Essays by foreign born writers in Iceland

Icelanders used to be a very efficient nation, utilizing everything that washed ashore. The ocean…

Opening of the sixteenth edition of the Reykjavík International Literary Festival

Lilja Alfreðsdóttir, Minister of Culture and Business Affairs, opens the festival and Australian writer Hannah…

Panel: Örvar Smárason, Mariana Enriquez og Hildur Knútsdóttir

Here, translator Larissa Kyzer talks to three authors about the aspects of their writing that…

Panel: Hannah Kent, Haukur Már and Kristín Svava

Here, Hannah Kent, Haukur Már Helgason and Kristín Svava Tómasdóttir talk about fictional reality. All…

Panel: Colson Whitehead, Natasha S. and Kristín Eiríksdóttir

Who wields power and how is it exercised? Here Colson Whitehead, Natasha S. and Kristín…

Interview: Dina Nayeri

Dina Nayeri fled her home country of Iran at a young age with her mother…

Interview: Lea Ypi

In the autobiography Free: A Child and a Country at the End of History Lea…

Interview: Åsne Seierstad

Åsne Seierstad is an award-winning Norwegian journalist and author. She is best known for her…

Panel: Vigdis Hjorth, Kim Leine and Kirsten Hammann

Here, three Nordic authors talk about their works, all of which speak to Nordic reality…

Interview and reading: Gyrðir Elíasson

A rare and major event in Icelandic cultural life takes place here when one of…

Off venue: What is Political Progress?

The Institute of Philosophy at the University of Iceland, in collaboration with the Institute of…

Panel: Lea Ypi, Jan Grue og Dina Nayeri

Here, three international superstars of the literary world who have written about their own lives…

Panel: Boualem Sansal, Kim Leine and Gonçalo Tavares

Here, three authors talk about post colonial states and the colonial legacy of the West,…

Poetry Night

Poets take the stage and read from their works, both previously published and new. Readings…

Panel: Júlía Margrét Einarsdóttir, Vigdis Hjorth and Alejandro Palomas

What's so exciting about secrets, and who has the right to tell? Here, three authors…

Interview: Pedro Gunnlaugur Garcia

Pedro Gunnlaugur Garcia attracted much deserved attention for the novel Lungs, which was published at…

Interview: Alexander McCall Smith

Helga Soffía Einarsdóttir, translator, talks to the Scottish author Alexander McCall Smith about his works…

Q&A: Dina Nayeri. Who gets believed?

Dina Nayeri fled her home country of Iran at a young age with her mother…

Lecture: Boualem Sansal on Algeria

The Algerian writer Boualem Sansal talks here in a lecture about the state of affairs…

Off Venue: “Not being heard is no reason for silence”

An event of reading and discussion on the importance of literature as a tool of…

Panel: Eva Björg Ægisdóttir, Alexander McCall Smith and Hannah Kent

Here, three authors who have written about crime, although in very different ways, take the…

Panel: Mariana Enriquez, Alejandro Palomas and Bragi Ólafsson

Why do we want to read things that make us feel bad? What role does…

Panel: Jenny Colgan, Benný Sif and Pedro Gunnlaugur

Here, three authors discuss their work: Jenny Colgan enchants readers with a sparkling narrative joy…

Readings: Gonçalo Tavares and Boualem Sansal

Gonçalo Tavares and Boualem Sansal are both recognized internationally to be among the most exciting…
Colson Whitehead, Photo: Chris Close

Interview: Colson Whitehead

Pulitzer Prize winner and best-selling author Colson Whitehead has made a name for himself as…

Conference: International Trends in Translation and Rights Sales

An international conference on publishing and rights sales and what opportunities lie ahead in that…

Panel: Jan Grue and Ewa Marcinek

What does it mean to belong to a community? When can we truly talk about…

Interview: Gonçalo Tavares

The Portuguese writer Gonçalo Tavares is highly respected globally. His books have been translated into…

Interview: Jenny Colgan

The queen of feelgood literature, Jenny Colgan, is well known to readers internationally. Her books…

Book Ball

The Book Ball has long since become an essential part of the program of the…

Off Venue: Hannah Kent and Þórunn Valdimarsdóttir

As a part of Konubókastofa´s 10 year anniversary literary festival Máttugar meyjar there will be…

Off venue: Literary Festival in Kanínuholan

One of the coziest bookstores in the country, Kanínuholan at Stangarholt 10, has an amazing…

Panel: Orðstír, honorary award for translators from Icelandic into foreign languages

Orðstír, an honorary award for translators from Icelandic into a foreign language, will be awarded…

Read Hour: The Invisible Child

Wednesday 16:00 The Nordic House (more…)

Opening Remarks: Barbara Demick

Wednesday September 8 19:00 Iðnó (more…)

Poetry Program

Wednesday September 8 20:30 Iðnó (more…)

Off-Venue: Moon Night N°XII

Wednesday September 8 21:00 Radisson Blu Saga Hotel, 8th floor (more…)

History, Psychology, Sci-fi

Friday September 10 12:00 The Nordic House (more…)

Off-Venue: Reykjavík Poetics

Thursday September 9 17:00 Iðnó (more…)

Heart of Darkness

Thursday September 9 21:00 Iðnó (more…)

Closed Communities: Barbara Demick

Friday September 10 11:00 The Nordic House (more…)

Home and Away

Thursday September 9 12:00 The Nordic House (more…)

Keynote Speech: Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Friday September 10 14:00 Large Hall, Háskólabíó (more…)

Environment and Conscience

Friday September 10 19:00 Iðnó (more…)

Off Venue: Apéritif with a Poetry Collective

Friday September 10 18:00-19:00 Gröndalshús (more…)

Humor in Fiction

Friday September 10 20:00 Iðnó (more…)

Children’s program: Read and Write with the Moomins

Saturday September 11 11:00 The Nordic House (more…)

Children’s program in Swedish

Saturday September 11 13:00 The Nordic House (more…)

Icelanders’ Self-image in Literature and a Different Perspective

Saturday September 11 13:00 The Nordic House (more…)

Children’s program

Saturday September 11 14:00 The Nordic House (more…)

Orðstír Honorary Award: Translators and Authors

Saturday September 11 14:00 The Nordic House (more…)

Off-Venue: Publishers’ and Writers’ Football Match

Saturday September 11 14:00 Meistaravellir (KR) (more…)

Halldór Laxness International Literary Prize: Elif Shafak

Saturday September 11 16:00 Veröld (more…)