tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-83361616633047709092024-03-05T09:27:19.506-08:00Lestrarfélagið Gleym-mér-eiLestrarfélagið Gleym-mér-ei is an English-language reading society for Icelandic Canadians and their friends, which meets monthly at the Icelandic Collection in the Elizabeth Dafoe Library of the University of Manitoba. Anyone who loves reading and conversation is welcome to attend.Lestrarfélagið Gleym-mér-eihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04617043874681312284noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8336161663304770909.post-74474297616891079162011-11-22T19:03:00.000-08:002011-11-22T19:03:44.661-08:00The Sea - A Film by Baltasar Kormákur<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #fff9ee; font-weight: bold; line-height: 18px;">Thursday, November 27, 2011 at 7:00 p.m.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #fff9ee; line-height: 18px;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 14px;">—</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #fff9ee; line-height: 18px;"> It's film night at Lestrarélag! We will watch </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;">Baltasar Kormákur's 2003 movie</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #fff9ee; line-height: 18px;"> </span><i style="background-color: #fff9ee; line-height: 18px;">The Sea (Hafið)</i><i style="background-color: #fff9ee; line-height: 18px;">,</i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #fff9ee; line-height: 18px;"> after which we will enjoy our usual robust discussion. Reviewer Edward Lee describes <i>The Sea </i>as "a</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;"> great family drama told against the backdrop of the small town psyche, [which] tells the story of how one family</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #222222; line-height: 14px;">—</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;">shackled with more inner conflict that Bergman could shake a stick at</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #222222; line-height: 14px;">—</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;">deals with the emotions, the conflicts, and the disappointments of life itself. As the family business falls apart, so do the siblings until we eventually learn that it isn't so much what we leave behind that affects us but rather it's the scars that run deep from questionable moral choices."</span></span><br />
<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Jürgen Frauth's review of <i>The Sea </i>can be found at: <a href="http://worldfilm.about.com/library/weekly/aafpr052003.htm">http://worldfilm.about.com/library/weekly/aafpr052003.htm</a></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7tYdWzfyDBqSFqpbbIHhbgd2oylFSRvtBA2sICQmcRFFKNOzyOcnN5Z1DosDN0GZYgqU7SV-GHn5OcFq9xYJCYnthWQCjFDMO2qKKFcTUrOe9Yb49WRx5VAtoYJYem0pmd_cZbVUESHM9/s1600/The+Sea.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7tYdWzfyDBqSFqpbbIHhbgd2oylFSRvtBA2sICQmcRFFKNOzyOcnN5Z1DosDN0GZYgqU7SV-GHn5OcFq9xYJCYnthWQCjFDMO2qKKFcTUrOe9Yb49WRx5VAtoYJYem0pmd_cZbVUESHM9/s320/The+Sea.jpg" width="207" /></a></div>Lestrarfélagið Gleym-mér-eihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04617043874681312284noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8336161663304770909.post-25622964994032683502011-09-29T10:35:00.000-07:002011-09-29T10:37:00.050-07:00Baldur's Song<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 14px;"></span><br />
<h6 class="uiStreamMessage" data-ft="{"type":1}" style="color: black; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;"><span class="messageBody translationEligibleUserMessage" data-ft="{"type":3}"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;">Thursday, September 29, 2011 at 7:00 p.m.<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"> - We will gather for the first evening of our 2011-2012 season. Our selection is </span><i style="font-weight: normal;">Baldur's Song</i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"> by David Arnason, who will join us in our discussion. Our evening will also include a celebration of the 75th anniversary of the Icelandic Collection and 60th anniversary of the founding of the Chair of Icelandic Language and Literature. Bring your memories ...</span></span></span></h6><h6 class="uiStreamMessage" data-ft="{"type":1}" style="color: black; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;"><span class="messageBody translationEligibleUserMessage" data-ft="{"type":3}"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><br />
</span></span></span></h6><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">You can read the first chapter of <i>Baldur's Song</i> at: <a href="http://tinyurl.com/6k8jwzx">http://tinyurl.com/6k8jwzx</a>.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRvQ2JbNsKIbrYMo93n1T30dhfW8P6t2MwmMK-S3oYYK0cWab-7jAOfB_hwZRTyAZzu9ozXEYPBtAxIaCI0UZDrwx1JqQi5ApixG8Pi6lqMau87OEAN4Vc9CKwCTwj3Z634LDhh94XXIVu/s1600/Baldu.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRvQ2JbNsKIbrYMo93n1T30dhfW8P6t2MwmMK-S3oYYK0cWab-7jAOfB_hwZRTyAZzu9ozXEYPBtAxIaCI0UZDrwx1JqQi5ApixG8Pi6lqMau87OEAN4Vc9CKwCTwj3Z634LDhh94XXIVu/s320/Baldu.jpg" width="207" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><b><br />
</b></span>Lestrarfélagið Gleym-mér-eihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04617043874681312284noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8336161663304770909.post-54776461574348651302011-05-25T08:06:00.000-07:002011-05-25T08:10:13.228-07:00Roots Run Deep in Hecla<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><b>Thursday, May 26, 2011 at 6:30 p.m.</b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; line-height: 21px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; line-height: 21px;">-</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; line-height: 21px;"> </span>We will have a wonderful evening with Doris Benson this coming Thursday, when our selection is <i>Roots Run Deep in Hecla,</i> the final book in the trilogy. Lorna will have the books available and Bruce and Valdine will celebrate with samples of our Icelandic heritage food and our good bakers in the IODE.</span><br />
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</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDQ2odnVi2YrghHq_bVIi3eq8KQCQjLmfiUbBZtTFttc3LdLurRTZjuR5wfAq9XUDUmrRAe3vNYKRhxSgCEuGhtd0Mq-ONb-0tNfdD0s-UXsPT62JNSUPKjM6s-FrENdYCt0I4pT87tr_x/s1600/Hecla+Roots.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDQ2odnVi2YrghHq_bVIi3eq8KQCQjLmfiUbBZtTFttc3LdLurRTZjuR5wfAq9XUDUmrRAe3vNYKRhxSgCEuGhtd0Mq-ONb-0tNfdD0s-UXsPT62JNSUPKjM6s-FrENdYCt0I4pT87tr_x/s1600/Hecla+Roots.jpg" /></a></div>Lestrarfélagið Gleym-mér-eihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04617043874681312284noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8336161663304770909.post-20093515285950042522011-03-14T10:06:00.000-07:002011-03-14T10:07:34.616-07:00Amazon Crossing To Publish 10 Icelandic Books<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">According to a report in <i>Iceland Review Online</i>, "American internet giant Amazon has founded the publishing company Amazon Crossing, which will concentrate on translations and release ten books by Icelandic authors in the US next year, both in paper form and electronic versions for Kindle." </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Read the entire article at: </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;"><a href="http://tinyurl.com/6dlzgke">http://tinyurl.com/6dlzgke</a>.</span></span>Lestrarfélagið Gleym-mér-eihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04617043874681312284noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8336161663304770909.post-53077235327676457652011-02-19T20:26:00.000-08:002011-02-19T20:36:21.464-08:00Next Thursday: The Windows of Brimnes<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"></span><br />
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;">"We do not see reality—or nature—directly," wrote Bill Holm, "but always through a window of some sort." Linda Sigurdson Collette reminds us that we will meet at the Icelandic Collection this coming Thursday, February 24, 2011 at 7:00 p.m. to discuss the late Bill Holm's masterful book, <i>The Windows of Brimnes</i>.<br />
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For those attending Lestrarfélag that evening, Linda suggests that you each "select one of the windows at Brimnes. It could be a chapter or section that particularly spoke to you. As you peered through the windows of politics, economics, people, family, stories, tall tales, poetry, nature, music, art, food, language, religion, history, literature, Iceland, or liberty. What did you see, hear, feel, smell, taste? What did you learn? Did you agree with Bill? Read aloud for us some special passages, perhaps some of his powerful descriptions."<br />
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If you don't yet own a copy of <i>The Windows of Brimnes</i>, or if you can't devote much time to preparing for Thursday, you can read a 50-page Google Books excerpt:<a href="http://tinyurl.com/645hoez" rel="nofollow" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://tinyurl.com/645hoez</a>.</span></span></div>Lestrarfélagið Gleym-mér-eihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04617043874681312284noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8336161663304770909.post-31767057102428592192011-02-02T23:02:00.000-08:002011-02-02T23:04:04.934-08:00From Vinyl Café: Morley's Book Club<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">A recent episode of Stuart McLean's <i>Vinyl Café </i>focused on book clubs, a subject that's obviously near and dear to the hearts of Lestrarfélag members. McLean talks about one book club that was started in the 1950s, and another that's been operating for 27 years with just one missed meeting, before weaving his tale about Morley's book club: "When the children got to be a little older, Morley decided that she had the time to join a book club ... but she didn't like the books, or the people, who treated reading like a competitive sport." Here's a link to the CBC podcast:</span><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://podcast.cbc.ca/mp3/vinylcafe_20110122_44199.mp3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>http://podcast.cbc.ca/mp3/vinylcafe_20110122_44199.mp3</b></span></a></div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgumHUnOP8o3WDmZ4ssIMlxhIm_IHgpJGW5xFReI8tcA3Q7_z5LS95vbLtQXatdytkc1_91GkxnoUQDeqs3TWeC_cnhqMmvgP7k5NKQtNO7Q_gDzK-mqExjXtsAF7su-xiG0mFCvEfWWr3x/s1600/front_book_cd.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgumHUnOP8o3WDmZ4ssIMlxhIm_IHgpJGW5xFReI8tcA3Q7_z5LS95vbLtQXatdytkc1_91GkxnoUQDeqs3TWeC_cnhqMmvgP7k5NKQtNO7Q_gDzK-mqExjXtsAF7su-xiG0mFCvEfWWr3x/s1600/front_book_cd.png" /></a></div><div class="mall_post_body_text" style="color: black; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 14px; margin-top: 3px; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="mvm uiStreamAttachments clearfix" data-ft="{"type":"attach"}" style="color: #333333; display: block; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 14px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; zoom: 1;"><div class="clearfix" style="display: block; zoom: 1;"></div></div>Lestrarfélagið Gleym-mér-eihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04617043874681312284noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8336161663304770909.post-44486161401648868702011-02-02T16:54:00.000-08:002011-02-02T17:03:36.597-08:00Kyndilmessa: In the Absence of Groundhogs<div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Unless you’ve been hiding in a burrow yourself, you’re undoubtedly aware that today is Groundhog Day, one of the lesser holidays of the calendar year, although it did provide the inspiration for an entertaining movie some years ago. I’ve noticed that more attention seems to have been paid to the day this year, perhaps because we’ve endured such a strange and oppressive winter.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 14.1pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The humble groundhog is utterly unknown in Iceland, where the only land mammals before the arrival of humans were the Arctic fox and the mouse, save for the occasional polar bear which drifted ashore on the ice and then starved to death. In the absence of groundhogs and the fun little festival to which they lent their name, the Icelanders observed <i>Kyndilmessa</i> (or Torch Mass), which those who pay attention to such matters know as Candlemas in English. Originally known as the Feast of the Purification of the Virgin Mary, it marked the day on which Mary was thought to have undergone her ritual purification at the Temple in Jerusalem and to have presented her infant son Jesus. There are at least five different names for this feast day in Icelandic but <i>Kyndilmessa </i>is the one that’s stuck!<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 14.1pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 14.1pt;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Whether you call it <i>Kyndilmessa </i>or Candlemas, its name derives from the medieval custom of processing around and about the church with candles. A seventh-century pope decreed that all candles used in worship should be consecrated on this day and Árni Björnsson suggests that Icelanders lit their homes more brightly on <i>Kyndilmessa</i>, even after the Reformation had put an end to many other early church rituals.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 14.1pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 14.1pt;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Across northern and central Europe, and probably long before the Christian era, the weather on Candlemas was thought to presage the progress of winter. A little English doggerel sets out the basic meteorological formula:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.6pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.6pt; margin-left: .5in;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">If Candlemas be fair and bright,<br />
Winter will have another flight;<br />
But if the day be shower and rain,<br />
Winter’s gone, not to come again.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The Icelanders were no different from their counterparts on the mainland, as reflected in this verse recorded by the nineteenth-century folklorist Jón Árnason:<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> <i>Ef í heiði sólin sést<o:p></o:p></i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> á sjálfu kyndilmessu<o:p></o:p></span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> snjóa vænta máttu mest<o:p></o:p></span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> maður upp frá þessu.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Loosely translated, this verse says:<span class="hps"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="hps">If</span><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><span class="hps">on the heath the sun is seen</span><br />
<span class="hps">among ourselves on</span><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><span class="hps">Kyndilmessa,</span><br />
heavy snowfall’s most expected:<span class="hps"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="hps">take heed, o man, from</span><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><span class="hps">this</span><span class="apple-style-span">.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Árni Björnsson maintains that many Icelanders in times past were so convinced that the coming season’s weather could be predicted on <i>Kyndilmessa </i>that “they would curse any trace of sunshine” and “even cover their windows if the sun happened to be bright that day.” Whether they were pessimists or simply everyday pragmatists, I suppose they just couldn’t trust a fair and sunny day as an omen of good things to come. At times, it seems like our general outlook hasn’t changed much! <o:p></o:p>At least we Icelanders needn’t wait for the groundhog’s report: a simple stroll across the heath will do!</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: xx-small;"><br />
</span></div><div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">— Stefan M. Jonasson<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><b><span style="font-family: Georgia;">For further reading</span></b><span style="font-family: Georgia;">:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: x-small;">Árni Björnsson, <i>High Days and Holidays in Iceland, </i>trans. Anna H. Yates<i> </i>(Reykjavík: Mál og menning, 1995).<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Árni Björnsson, <i>Icelandic Feasts and Holidays, </i>trans. May and Hallberg Hallmundsson (Reykjavík: Iceland Review, 1980).<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTQaYHIyh83ZJlqFeFWHPIUa4jSmvRIwDYrTCa6-WT6LCIqhf34IW1eFlMzQu3Bcm4y8NyNvgZu1afOJW_97lisKiyT_uxhH5blRypscpxNkJHbntkyY4glHQXGudFvi7nF97kRIDgJmes/s1600/Steingr%25C3%25ADmsfjar%25C3%25B0arhei%25C3%25B0i+%25288%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTQaYHIyh83ZJlqFeFWHPIUa4jSmvRIwDYrTCa6-WT6LCIqhf34IW1eFlMzQu3Bcm4y8NyNvgZu1afOJW_97lisKiyT_uxhH5blRypscpxNkJHbntkyY4glHQXGudFvi7nF97kRIDgJmes/s400/Steingr%25C3%25ADmsfjar%25C3%25B0arhei%25C3%25B0i+%25288%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: xx-small;">Steingrímsfjarðarheiði - Photograph by Stefan M. Jonasson (2005)</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></span></div>Lestrarfélagið Gleym-mér-eihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04617043874681312284noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8336161663304770909.post-9587685086689898142011-01-31T18:52:00.000-08:002011-01-31T19:02:13.023-08:00See For Yourself: Through the Windows of Brimnes<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">You can see the world as Bill Holm saw it</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;">—</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">through the windows of Brimnes</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;">—<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">in this captivating 26-minute PBS documentary, available for viewing at YouTube:</span></span><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iICEgnvUr1Q"><b>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iICEgnvUr1Q</b></a></span></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdSXNMUEyWcwa-pSCRz_R-eaWyBGs7uCcOM462gnmkN8k6YIYii6xArTcjOkW_FdTy-kU0MhOfppgFixhd_QgxakIoqx8obdVDk4u4EP_pIaPMSznIa0a6-xYHKZU8IE_UWJ42EIkV4sXX/s1600/Hofs%25C3%25B3s+%25287%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdSXNMUEyWcwa-pSCRz_R-eaWyBGs7uCcOM462gnmkN8k6YIYii6xArTcjOkW_FdTy-kU0MhOfppgFixhd_QgxakIoqx8obdVDk4u4EP_pIaPMSznIa0a6-xYHKZU8IE_UWJ42EIkV4sXX/s400/Hofs%25C3%25B3s+%25287%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">Brimnes — </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">Photograph by Stefan M. Jonasson (2009)</span></div>Lestrarfélagið Gleym-mér-eihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04617043874681312284noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8336161663304770909.post-79597894689428349342011-01-31T18:28:00.000-08:002011-01-31T18:28:01.664-08:00Bill Holm's Toast to Lestrarfélagið<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>Bill Holm was the featured author at the inaugural meeting of </i>Lestrarfélagið <i>in 1996. When the society gathered for its 100th evening, Bill graciously sent a toast to commemorate the milestone:</i></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Skál to the Lestrarfélag for 100 nights of vinarterta and poetry to warm the soul of frosty Winnipeg.<br />
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That century of books follows you all like a bride's train<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">—</span>an emblem of honor. An Icelander is made and revealed not by DNA nor by fish products, aluminum or investment schemes, but by the love of sentences<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">—</span>tales, poems, dramas, essays, whatever can be made with words on long winter nights. The Lestrarfelag has honored all Icelanders<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">—</span>indeed all humans<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">—</span>by performing the greatest act of homage: reading. So on this cold Minneota night, Marcy and Bill lift a glass to skál and congratulate you on your hundred nights. Enjoy 100 more.<br />
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<div style="text-align: right;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px;">— </span>Bill Holm</span></div><div style="text-align: right;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQVH7-FjiURE_oOFo5UBvRBJo_Hi3WBtwhPgmQce3LZQz4o1OlM6TAMalNkOGlO-JK3OMF94kJ8HUtdNL37QDcBlq5aBK5gCkbS8mRuuZ4PYKHg4pxmR2VS92ISFmQIvQiVRn-Pd45BnTs/s1600/Bill+Holm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQVH7-FjiURE_oOFo5UBvRBJo_Hi3WBtwhPgmQce3LZQz4o1OlM6TAMalNkOGlO-JK3OMF94kJ8HUtdNL37QDcBlq5aBK5gCkbS8mRuuZ4PYKHg4pxmR2VS92ISFmQIvQiVRn-Pd45BnTs/s1600/Bill+Holm.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div>Lestrarfélagið Gleym-mér-eihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04617043874681312284noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8336161663304770909.post-44116731069021050312011-01-31T16:11:00.000-08:002011-01-31T18:54:45.288-08:00The Windows of Brimnes<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>Thursday, February 24, 2011 at 7:00 p.m.</b> - We will meet at the Icelandic Collection to discuss the late Bill Holm's masterful book, <i>The Windows of Brimnes. </i>Bill Holm was one of a kind. A Minnesotan of Icelandic ancestry, his travels took him all over the world, providing the material for a number of rich and memorable books. In <i>The Windows of Brimnes,</i> Holm views the world from Brimnes, his fisherman’s cottage on the shore Skagafjörður in northern Iceland. From there, he reflected upon the land of his birth — "my home, my citizenship, my burden" — as well as the land of his ancestors, which he adopted for himself as a haven atop the world.</span><br />
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