The Nordic Council Literature Prize Nominees — Iceland: Elísabet Jökulsdóttir & Larissa Kyzer

In this talk held virtually from Scandinavia House Online on October 18, Elísabet Jökulsdóttir discussed with translator Larissa Kyzer how she applied the methods of poetry to investigate what happened when, in the late 1970s, at the age of around 20, she suffered a bipolar disorder that she has since worked to penetrate and convey in her art. Learn more about programming at Scandinavia House at www.scandinaviahouse.org

Awarded since 1962 alongside other prizes from the Nordic Council in music, film, and environment, the Literature Prize is selected annually for a work of fiction (poetry, prose, or drama) written in one of the Nordic languages. Created to generated greater interest in the sense of Nordic cultural community and to recognize unique artistic endeavors, each year’s prize is selected by the Nordic Adjudication Committee, made up of two members from each of the Nordic nations.

One of this year’s nominees from Iceland, Elísabet Jökulsdóttir’s Aprílsólarkuldi follows Védís, who, on the brink of adulthood loses her father and is unable to cope with the resulting emotions. She has grown up using language to deceive herself and others – not saying what she means, and not meaning what she says — but there is nothing so dangerous as emotions. Moreover, it becomes complicated for her to mourn her father, whom she feels she actually lost long ago. In the midst of a nervous breakdown, Védís meets Kjartan, and the love between them melts her inner ice. But their hunger, combined with overconsumption of intoxicants, also leads to associated obsession, fear, anxiety and depression. Védís soon begins to lose her hold on reality, believing she can see and hear various messages in her surroundings that are hidden to others.

Íslendingaspjall með hreim:
Íslenskar bókmenntir í útlöndum

Roundtable discussion on the program ‘Icelander-Chat with an Accent’ about Icelandic books abroad with translators Luciano Dutra (Ísl > Pt), Martina Kašparová (Ísl > Czech). Moderated by program host Natasha Stolyarova. Event is in Icelandic.

Að Íslendingarspjalli með hreim koma þýðendur frá þremur heimsálfum sem miðla íslenskum bókmenntum í útlöndum: frá Bandaríkjunum Larissa Kyzer, brasilískur Luciano Dutra og tékknesk Martina Kašparová. Í þættinum skoðum við stöðu íslenskra bókmennta í þeim löndum og þróun hennar í gegnum árin. Hvaða höfundar eru að ná mestum vinsældum á erlendum vettvangi og hvernig lítur úrvalið af þýddum bókum á Íslandi út. Einnig tölum við um hvort það sé hægt að vera þýðandi í fullu starfi og hvaða áhríf heimsfaraldur hefur á vinnu þýðenda. Þáttastjórnandi er Natasha Stolyarova.

The Book Of Reykjavík — Virtual Book Talk

See a virtual book talk on the new fiction anthology "The Book of Reykjavik: A City in Short Fiction," out now from Comma Press! Authors Kristín Eiríksdóttir & Björn Halldórsson and translator Larissa Kyzer discuss the novel and its translation, as well as the themes explored in the book, with moderator Halla Þórlaug Óskarsdóttir.

Us&Them
Summer 2021 Reading

Us&Them is a quarterly reading series giving literary translators with parallel careers as writers a place to showcase both sides of their work.

The summer 2021 installment featured readings from the following writer-translators:
LILY MEYER
reading Claudia Ulloa Donoso (Peru)
LARISSA KYZER
reading Icelandic poetry*
JULIA WALTON
reading poetry from Bluestocking magazine (Japan)
NAIMA RASHID
reading Ali Akbar Natiq (Pakistan)

*Two poems from Kári Tulinius’ Glacier Line: “Upon Seeing Snæfellsjökull Glacier from an Idling Bus” and “Vanishings of Snæfellsjökull Glacier,” both of which were published in the July 2021 issue of Asymptote; and three poems by members of Reykjavík’s Impostor Poets’ Collective—”Malice,” by Thóra Hjörleifsdóttir, “Hauntings” by Thórdís Helgadóttir, and “Jam” by Sunna Dís Másdóttir.

Magma:
Virtual Book Talk with Thóra Hjörleifsdóttir & Meg Matich, Moderated by Larissa Kyzer

In this slim and haunting debut, 20-year-old Lilja is quickly smitten with an intelligent, beautiful young man from university who quotes Derrida, reads Latin and cooks balanced vegetarian meals. Before long, she’s moved in with him and begins living in his cramped apartment. As the newfound intimacy of sharing a shower and bed fuels her desire to please her partner, his quiet and pervasive manipulations start to unravel her, as acts of nearly imperceptible abuse continue to mount. Lilja wants to hold onto him, take care of him and be the perfect lover. But in order to do so, she gradually lets go of her boundaries and concurrently starts to lose her sense of self.

With astounding clarity and restraint, Magma sheds light on the commonplace undercurrents of violence that so often go undetected in romantic relationships.

With moderator Larissa Kyzer, the author and translator will discuss the novel, out beginning today from Black Cat.

Meet the Author: Kristín Eiríksdóttir
February 13, 2020

in Conversation with Larissa Kyzer & Gabriella Page-Fort
Moderated by Dr. Elizabeth DeNoma

Icelandic author Kristín Eiríksdóttir will discuss her book A Fist or a Heart (Elín, ýmislegt). The talk is in conversation with translator Larissa Kyzer and moderated by Dr. Elizabeth DeNoma. Also joining the conversation is publisher Gabriella Page-Fort.

Icelandic Authors You Should Know
October 6, 2020

Part of the ‘Nordic Authors You Should Know’ series hosted by Scandinavia House this fall, this virtual panel features The Imposter Poets (Svikaskáld), a poetry collective made up of members Thórdís Helgadóttir, Thora Hjörleifsdóttir, Fríða Ísberg, Ragnheiður Harpa Leifsdóttir, Sunna Dís Másdóttir, and Melkorka Ólafsdóttir, moderated by author and translator Larissa Kyzer.

The event features readings of a poem by each of the authors in both English and in Icelandic, followed by interviews with the authors and a conversation on Icelandic literature today. Readings include: Fríða Ísberg's “Fullkomnun er dauði” / “Completion is Death” (Trans. Meg Matich); Melkorka Ólafsdóttir's Hljómteppi” / “Tapestry of Sound” (Trans. Larissa Kyzer & Melkorka Ólafsdóttir); Ragnheiður Harpa Leifsdóttir's “Ósk mín til þín” / “My Wish for You” (Trans. Larissa Kyzer); Sunna Dís Másdóttir's “Bogi” / “Bow” (Trans. Meg Matich); Thora Hjörleifsdóttir's “Bölvun” / “Malice” (Trans. Larissa Kyzer); and Thórdís Helgadóttir's “Vindvera” / “Windbeast” (Trans. Meg Matich).

Support for this event was provided by Iceland Naturally and the Consulate General of Iceland. Media support for the series is provided by the journal EuropeNow, published by the Council for European Studies at Columbia University.

Translating the Future: Week 5
"A Manifesto For Our Time"
feat. Elizabeth Lowe, Matthew Harrington, and Larissa Kyzer
June 9, 2020

Join us for Week 5 of Translating the Future as we continue our series of conversations between renowned translators with "A Manifesto For Our Time," featuring Elizabeth Lowe, Matthew Harrington, and Larissa Kyzer in conversation, which is presented with the support of the Bread Loaf Translators' Conference, with introductory remarks from director Jennifer Grotz.

Read the "Call for Action" from the 2020 Manifesto on Translation and hear from the translators who have been working to update the manifesto drafted for the original 1970 conference, "The World of Translation,” (read the 1970 manifesto here) as they discuss questions such as: How do we recognize the progress that has been made over the past 50 years? What are our priorities in 2020? What is our vision for literary translation in the future?

Works in Translation: Icelandic Fiction
at Virtual Wordplay Literary Festival
May 4, 2020

Kristín Eiríksdóttir (A Fist or a Heart) and translator Larissa Kyzer(A Fist or a Heart) detail the dizzying relationship of two Icelandic women in a thrilling mix of buried memories, balances of power, and hidden secrets. Moderated by editor Gabriella Page-Fort, Eiríksdóttir and Kyzer will talk about the process of working together on this heart racing and page turning project.