Hope as a Survival Strategy: Meeting the Icelandic Writer AAÓlafsdóttir | Culture

The author, whose works are already known to the Lithuanian public, invites readers to an interview on May 9, Thursday, at the Kaunas Artists’ House.

Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir’s works are characterized by deep emotions and paradoxical plots. She studied Italian literature at the University of Bologna, history and literature at the University of Iceland, art history at the Sorbonne University in Paris, and today she is not only a writer, but also teaches at the University of Iceland, writing lyrics for the songs of the popular Icelandic band Milkywhale.

Ólafsdóttir’s first novel Upphækkuð jörð was published in 1998. But she became famous following the third novel “Atžala” (Afleggjarinn, 2008). He was nominated for the Northern Council of Ministers Literary Award and won the Canadian Prices of Quebec booksellers (2011) prize. The novel “Scars” (Ör, 2016) was awarded the literary prize of the Nordic Council of Ministers. It was also translated into Lithuanian – it appeared in 2019 (translated by Rasa Ruseckienė). The novel explores everyday life and the wounds left by war in the human soul.

The writer emphasizes that her works are regarding freedom, the search for beauty and what it means in a society where beauty contests are organized: “It is important for me to talk regarding freedom, the search for beauty and societies that force women to compete for appearance.”

Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir’s works are characterized by poetic style, deep subtexts, gentle humor, unexpected, paradoxical endings. Her works became famous for her ability to talk regarding the complexities of life in a simple and suggestive way, to answer the pressing questions of society. In the opinion of the writer, believing that everything will be fine is the only way to survive in this collapsing world.

The meeting with Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir will take place on Thursday, May 9, at the Kaunas Artists’ House (56 V. Putvinskio Street). The conversation will be held in English with translation into Lithuanian. She will be interviewed by philologist, translator and Doctor of Humanities Rasa Ruseckienė.

The 4th Kaunas Literature Week will take place on May 8-12. Festival program.