Printable Program and Streaming Links
19. April, 2023
18:00
Here you can find the Printable Program 2023 and below are the links to follow the streaming of the festival’s event. Wednesday Evening – Iðnó Thursday – Nordic House Thursday Evening –…
Off venue: Publication of Writers Adrift, Essays by foreign born writers in Iceland
19. April, 2023
17:00
Icelanders used to be a very efficient nation, utilizing everything that washed ashore. The ocean brought wood, jetsam, and sometimes even a beached whale (hvalreki) that could feed a whole…
Opening of the Sixteenth Edition of the Reykjavík International Literary Festival
19. April, 2023
18:00
Lilja Alfreðsdóttir, Minister of Culture and Business Affairs, opens the festival and Australian writer Hannah Kent delivers the opening address, discussing the relevance of Icelandic stories globally. Hannah was an…
Panel: Örvar Smárason, Mariana Enriquez og Hildur Knútsdóttir
19. April, 2023
19:30
Translator Larissa Kyzer will speak with three authors about the aspects of their writing that frustrate or disgust the reader. What role does horror play in literature? Why do readers…
Panel: Colson Whitehead, Natasha S. and Kristín Eiríksdóttir
19. April, 2023
20:30
Who wields power and how is it exercised? Here Colson Whitehead, Natasha S. and Kristín Eiríksdóttir will discuss the manifestations of power, both in literature and in real life with…
Panel: Hannah Kent, Haukur Már and Kristín Svava
19. April, 2023
21:30
Hannah Kent, Haukur Már Helgason and Kristín Svava Tómasdóttir will discuss fictional reality. All of them have written books based on real stories from Icelandic reality with a fictional twist….
Performance with Mariana Enriquez: Reading, Drawing & Music
19. April, 2023
22:30
Mariana Enriquez is one of the most spellbinding narrators in Latin American literature. Her writing is known for being both dark and even a bit uncomfortable; it takes hold of…
Interview: Dina Nayeri
20. April, 2023
11:00
Dina Nayeri fled her home country of Iran at a young age with her mother and brother. She has written movingly about her upbringing, her mother’s life, escape, waiting and…
Interview: Lea Ypi
20. April, 2023
12:00
In the autobiography Free: A Child and a Country at the End of History Lea Ypi writes about the many paradoxes of freedom through an examination of her own upbringing…
Interview: Åsne Seierstad
20. April, 2023
13:00
Åsne Seierstad is an award-winning Norwegian journalist and author. She is best known for her accounts of daily life in conflict zones. Among her best-known works are the best-selling book…
Panel: Vigdis Hjorth, Kim Leine and Kirsten Hammann
20. April, 2023
14:00
Three Nordic authors will discuss their works, all of which speak to Nordic reality in their own way. Vigdis Hjorth has attracted a lot of attention for her writing about…
Interview and reading: Gyrðir Elíasson
20. April, 2023
15:00
Halldór Guðmundsson will host a rare and major event in Icelandic cultural life as one of the strongest voices in contemporary Icelandic literature, Gyrðir Elíasson, takes the stage for the…
Off Venue: What is Political Progress?
20. April, 2023
15:00
The Institute of Philosophy at the University of Iceland, in collaboration with the Institute of Public Administration and Politics and Reykjavík International Literary Festival, will host a public lecture by…
Off venue: Icelandic literature on the silver screen — Icelandic Reading Book series
A 16-part film anthology mapping contemporary Icelandic Literature, introducing sixteen Icelandic authors. Each episode is 8 minutes long, shot by a different director, andreflects the given author’s personality. It is…
Panel: Lea Ypi, Jan Grue og Dina Nayeri
20. April, 2023
19:00
Three international superstars of the literary world who have written about their own lives will take the stage for a not-to-be-missed discussion. Dina Nayeri is best known for her book…
Panel: Boualem Sansal, Kim Leine and Gonçalo Tavares
20. April, 2023
20:00
Three authors will discuss post colonial states and the colonial legacy of the West, each from their own unique perspective. Portuguese writer Gonçalo Tavares, who was born in Angola, the…
Panel: Júlía Margrét Einarsdóttir, Vigdis Hjorth and Alejandro Palomas
20. April, 2023
21:00
What’s so exciting about secrets? Who has the right to tell them? Three authors will discuss what is difficult to say out loud. All of them have written about secrets–whether…
Poetry Night
20. April, 2023
22:00
Poets will take the stage and read from their works, both previously published and new. Readings by: Ewa Marcinek Kristín Svava Natasha S Alejandro Palomas Kristín Eiríksdóttir This event will…
Interview: Pedro Gunnlaugur Garcia
21. April, 2023
11:00
Pedro Gunnlaugur Garcia attracted much deserved attention for the novel Lungs, which was published at the end of 2022. For the book, Pedro received the Icelandic Literature Prize. He had…
Seminar on Translation from Icelandic to Catalan
21. April, 2023
11:00
The seminar will be conducted by the Government Delegate for the Nordic and Baltic Countries, Ms. Montserrat Riba. Ms. Inés García is professor of German language at the Rovira i…
Interview: Alexander McCall Smith
21. April, 2023
12:00
Helga Soffía Einarsdóttir, translator, talks to the Scottish author Alexander McCall Smith about his works and life. McCall Smith was born in Southern Rhodesia, which is now Zimbabwe. His long…
A Conversation with Jan Grue
21. April, 2023
12:00
At LÓN lecture hall at The National and University Library of Iceland, (on the second floor) 21. of April. 12:00-13:00 The Reykjavík International Literary Festival in association with The Council…
Q&A: Dina Nayeri. Who gets believed?
21. April, 2023
13:00
In this Q&A session, Dina Nayeri, a writer who escaped Iran with her family as a child, discusses her book The Ungrateful Refugee with Gauti Kristmannsson, a professor of translation…
Interview: Åsne Seierstad in conversation with Ingibjörg Sólrún Gísladóttir
21. April, 2023
14:00
The Norwegian writer and journalist Åsne Seierstad will be interviewed by Ingibjörg Sólrún Gísladóttir, Former Minister for Foreign Affairs of Iceland and representative of UN Women in Afghanistan, on the…
Lecture: Boualem Sansal on Algeria
21. April, 2023
15:00
In this lecture, Boualem Sansal, an Algerian writer, discusses the current situation in Algeria. He examines the challenges faced by writers in the country, including restrictions on their work and…
Off Venue: “Not being heard is no reason for silence”
21. April, 2023
17:00
Join us for an event that celebrates the importance of literature as a tool for expression. Poets from Slovakia will share their works alongside foreign-born writers who have made a…
Panel: Eva Björg Ægisdóttir, Alexander McCall Smith and Hannah Kent
21. April, 2023
19:00
Join us as three authors, each with their unique take on crime fiction, take the stage. Eva Björg Ægisdóttir has rapidly risen to prominence in the genre in recent years….
Panel: Mariana Enriquez, Alejandro Palomas and Bragi Ólafsson
21. April, 2023
20:00
Join us as three authors delve into the topic of why we’re drawn to literature that makes us feel uneasy. What is the role of discomfort in relation to a…
Panel: Jenny Colgan, Benný Sif and Pedro Gunnlaugur
21. April, 2023
21:00
Join us for an enlightening discussion featuring three authors who have captivated readers with their compelling works. Jenny Colgan enchants readers with her delightful stories set in the Scottish Highlands,…
Readings: Gonçalo Tavares and Boualem Sansal
21. April, 2023
22:00
Don’t miss the rare opportunity to hear from two internationally acclaimed contemporary writers, Gonçalo Tavares and Boualem Sansal. They will be reading from their works in their original languages, Portuguese…
Conference: International Trends in Translation and Rights Sales
22. April, 2023
09:00
An international conference will focus on the publishing industry and the potential for growth in the rights sales market. The event will feature a panel of esteemed professionals, including Edward…
Interview: Colson Whitehead
22. April, 2023
12:00
Colson Whitehead, a Pulitzer Prize-winning and best-selling author, has gained worldwide acclaim as one of the most thrilling writers of our era. His books have been translated into numerous languages…
Panel: Jan Grue and Ewa Marcinek
22. April, 2023
13:00
Here, two authors delve into the concept of belonging to a community and explore when we can truly consider a society to be inclusive. Jan Grue, a Norwegian author, shares…
Football Match Between Publishers and Writers
22. April, 2023
22:00
An exciting and fun-filled football match between publishers and writers at the Reykjavík International Literary Festival 2023! This is not your typical literary event, as we invite you to witness…
Interview: Gonçalo Tavares
22. April, 2023
14:00
Gonçalo Tavares, a renowned Portuguese writer with widely translated and highly popular books, has been praised for his novel Jerusalem, which has been hailed as one of the most significant…
Interview: Jenny Colgan
22. April, 2023
15:00
Jenny Colgan, widely recognized as the queen of feelgood literature, has captured the hearts of readers worldwide with her cozy and heartwarming stories. In this interview, Jenny sits down with…
The RILF Book Ball
22. April, 2023
21:00
The RILF Book Ball is a must-attend event of the festival, where authors, translators, readers, and book enthusiasts gather for a delightful evening. This year’s event will feature a performance…
Off venue: Literary Festival in Kanínuholan
23. April, 2023
14:00
Kanínuholan, located at Stangarholt 10, is known for being one of the coziest bookstores in the country, and boasts an exceptional collection of foreign books. In celebration of the Reykjavík…
Off Venue: Hannah Kent and Þórunn Valdimarsdóttir
23. April, 2023
14:00
As part of the 10-year anniversary literary festival Máttugar Meyjar hosted by Konubókastofa, authors Hannah Kent and Þórunn Valdimarsdóttir will participate in an open conversation. The authors will discuss their…
Panel: Orðstír, Honorary Award for Translators from Icelandic into Foreign Languages
23. April, 2023
15:00
Honorary award Orðstír, given to translators for their exceptional work in translating Icelandic literature into foreign languages, will be presented for the fifth time during the festival. The award winners…
Off Venue: Kirsten Hammann in converstation with Auður Jónsdóttir
23. April, 2023
16:00
Kirsten Hammann, the acclaimed Danish writer, will be visiting the library in Suðurnesjabær to engage in a conversation with writer Auður Jónsdóttir about her works. The event will take place…