The Iceland Noir Literary Festival is held annually in Reykjavik, Iceland’s capital city, during the country’s darkest time of year. The festival was founded in 2013 by the iconic Icelandic crime writers Ragnar Jónasson and Yrsa Sigurðardóttir. The team now includes author, translator, and publisher Sverrir Norland, as well as actor and screenwriter Olafur Darri Olafsson (Mr. Drummond from Severance!). While the festival began as a celebration of crime fiction, it has grown exponentially over the years. If you were to attend the festival this year, you would have the opportunity to explore a broader range of genres and media, including film. Iceland Noir is now a globally recognized festival, offering readers and professionals a great opportunity to be exposed to international literature and authors.
Iceland is a country of less than 400,000 people, with around 350,000 native speakers of the language. As of 2024, the capital city of Reykjavik has a population of 140,000. For such a small nation, Iceland has found a way to impact the book publishing industry and get its voice out there. Despite the small numbers, Iceland is a literary country. A Christmas Eve tradition that has been spreading across the world from Iceland is Jólabókaflóð, known in English as the “Christmas Book Flood.” This involves friends and family exchanging books and spending the evening reading. The dream, right? Anyway, this is an example of the power of books and reading in Icelandic culture. The country has become a hub for publishing in recent years. The Icelandic Literature Center has thirty-eight members as part of the Icelandic Publishers Association.
Icelandic crime fiction, as its own subgenre and identity, acts as a marketing strategy for the country, creating a brand. There is a sense of contrast that intrigues outsiders who have preconceived notions, believing that there is zero crime except in books. The glamorized vision of Scandinavia and Nordic countries has influenced the accomplishments of the genre. Iceland Noir is an example of the rising popularity of the country, which has become a pretty popular tourist destination. Unfortunately, this has caused the tickets to the festival to go up, thanks to the tourism boom, which has resulted in the city of Reykjavik becoming one of the most expensive cities in the world. Despite this, the Iceland Noir Literature Festival continues to grow. In 2023, some guests included Hillary Clinton, Dan Brown, Neil Gaiman, Lisa Jewell, and Richard Armitage.
Iceland Noir’s website includes last year’s program for reference. Here is a PDF of the 2024 program and what one might expect from the festival: Iceland Noir 2024 Program
An overview of the festival’s program includes lunch and dinner breaks. Some of the conversations are titled “Deadly Relationships: Domestic Noir,” “Supernatural Thrills and Gothic Chills,” “Money Talks: Luxury Noir and Financial Crime,” and “Poetry Hour.” Some panels and discussions included The Darkness Panel with Ragnar Jónasson, Kristinn Þórðarson, and JP Sarni, or All About the Vikings with Dr. Cat Jarmann.
Even though we all can’t make it out to Iceland to enjoy this festival, I hope that the highlight on the country’s literary scene and the impact of crime fiction has left you with something new to explore!
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