Iceland is experiencing a book boom. This island nation of just over 300,000 people has more writers, more books published and more books read per head, than anywhere else in the world.
Around the globe, more and more people are publishing books. If a publishing house won't accept them, they self-publish. But the writers in Reykjavik differ because they sell to a demanding population.
The novels often depict events known from the early years of Icelandic history, although there is much debate as to how much of their content is factual.
Around the globe, more and more people are publishing books. If a publishing house won't accept them, they self-publish. But the writers in Reykjavik differ because they sell to a demanding population.
The novels often depict events known from the early years of Icelandic history, although there is much debate as to how much of their content is factual.
en.wikipedia.org Old Icelandic sagas tell the stories of the country's Norse settlers, who began to arrive on the island in the late 9th Century. First written down in the 13th century, the sagas contain some of the richest and most extraordinary writing of the Middle Ages.
The people of Iceland are a nation of storytellers. When it was dark and cold, they had nothing else to do. They have always been surrounded by stories. Full of heroes, feuds and outlaws, with a smattering of ghosts and trolls, the sagas inspired writers including Sir Walter Scott, William Morris and WH Auden. When Laxness won the Nobel prize in 1955 he put modern Icelandic literature on the map. Read more here.
The people of Iceland are a nation of storytellers. When it was dark and cold, they had nothing else to do. They have always been surrounded by stories. Full of heroes, feuds and outlaws, with a smattering of ghosts and trolls, the sagas inspired writers including Sir Walter Scott, William Morris and WH Auden. When Laxness won the Nobel prize in 1955 he put modern Icelandic literature on the map. Read more here.
www.britishmuseum.org Doom-sayers predict the printed book risks going the way of the cuneiform tablet, papyrus scroll or vellum parchment. Yet, the rapid changes in technology are proving a boon to many struggling authors, disappointed by a growing pile of publishers' rejection letters.
I was lucky enough to have my work accepted by two different publishers. Solstice Publishing took on the Moonstone Series, and Double Dragon Publishing agreed to the Higher Ground futuristic series co-written with Edith Parzefall.
However, I've been disappointed by the free books I've sampled from struggling authors although I wouldn't dream of leaving a disparaging review. These writers have given every effort to produce their novel. But this raises the question of the e-book's future.
What do you think of books you've read by unknown authors?
I was lucky enough to have my work accepted by two different publishers. Solstice Publishing took on the Moonstone Series, and Double Dragon Publishing agreed to the Higher Ground futuristic series co-written with Edith Parzefall.
However, I've been disappointed by the free books I've sampled from struggling authors although I wouldn't dream of leaving a disparaging review. These writers have given every effort to produce their novel. But this raises the question of the e-book's future.
What do you think of books you've read by unknown authors?
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