Killing Tourists published in September

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Killing Tourists is a sharp and witty crime novel set in the madness of mass tourism. It offers a peek behind the scenes of Iceland’s most bizarre industry just before the Coronavirus forced the world into lockdown. Be prepared to embark on a journey with unexpected twists at every turn. You can read more about it here.

Forlagið handles foreign rights. Please contact them if you are a translator or book agent. Here is Forlagið Rights Agency homepage.

The Bench – a diary from the Golden Circle

The Bench – a diary from the Golden Circle gives an insider’s view of the Icelandic tourist boom when it peaked in 2019, just before the covid 19 pandemic. Seventy-six photos document the ever-changing weather in a twelve months period while the text describes a diverse group of international visitors as well as a man on crossroads – caught in a gold rush without an end.

During a one-year period, Thorarinn went on 76 Golden circle tours with international tourists. Each time he stopped at Geysir he took a picture of a bench in the middle of the park. He also kept a diary of whatever took place on each tour and gave the day a rating in TripAdvisor style.

Iceland evacuated!

The Evacuation of Iceland came out in November 2017. The entire population of Iceland (340.000) is transported to a former airfield in the middle of Berlin. It is a somewhat political tale, critical of modern Iceland were a handful of investment enterprises are accumulating most of the wealth while the public is blinded by consumerism that may eventually lead to its downfall. The novel harvested excellent reviews and was praised for its black humor and creative vision. You can read more about that on the book’s homepage or just go straight ahead and read the first chapter.

Readings and workshops in Berlin

Within the frames of a Nordic Book festival named „Into-the-wind“ I have now finished two readings and workshops in Berlin for young students and must say that I was very pleasantly surprised by how smart and open the educators in my home city turned out to be – Experiences in other parts of Germany such as Cologne had led me to believe that German teachers and librarians were conservative and far to easily shocked. Continue reading “Readings and workshops in Berlin”

Interview in Politiken, Denmarks main newspaper

Thórarinn Leifsson gained impressive coverage in the Danish newspaper Politiken in the middle of december 2009 on account of Father’s Big Secret. Not only was there a two-page interview in the paper’s literary supplement, but Leifsson’s drawings also graced the front pages of both the main paper and the literary supplement. 

> You can read it in danish here.

Continue reading “Interview in Politiken, Denmarks main newspaper”