SJÓN — NORTH OF THE SUN
Featuring internationally renowned Icelandic author Sjón in conversation with Politiken journalist Kim Skotte, a celebration of the recent publication of the new anthology Critical Approaches to Sjón will be held in collaboration with the Embassy of Iceland
January 18th 2025 at 15.00
In the new anthology Critical Approaches to Sjón - North of the Sun, several countries' foremost researchers examine the different sides of Sjón's fascinating universe and work. In addition to the fourteen contributions, the book contains a conversation with Sjón about his writing.
The book is published by Routledge, and to celebrate the publication and at the same time learn more about the Icelandic author and poet, we have, in collaboration with the book's editors, invited some of its writers as well as the protagonist himself to an afternoon about and with Sjón.
PRESENTATIONS & CONVERSATION WITH SJÓN
In the first half of the event, you will hear short presentations by Victoria Cribb, Anne Fogarty, Erik Skyum-Nielsen, Gunnþórunn Guðmundsdóttir and Avril Tynan. They have all contributed essays to the book, which willbe introduced by the editors Gitte Mose, Úlfhildur Dagsdóttir and Linda Badley.
After a short break, we get a short reading before we present Sjón in conversation with Politiken's Kim Skotte.
BOOK CELEBRATION
The event lasts 150 minutes (incl. break). Afterwards, the Embassy of Iceland offers refreshments on the occasion of the publication of Critical Approaches to Sjón: North of the Sun.
NOTE: The event takes place in English.
Sigurjón Birgir Sigurðsson, known as Sjón (born 27 August 1962 in Reykjavik), is an Icelandic poet, novelist, lyricist, and screenwriter. His works have been translated into 35 languages.
THE BOOK
Critical Approaches to Sjón: North of the Sun is the first English-language book-length study of the works of the Icelandic contemporary poet Sjón (Sigurjón Birgir Sigurðsson, b. 1962), who is considered by some to be Iceland’s most distinctive and multifaceted contemporary author. This collection of essays introduces readers to Sjón’s rich body of writing and its transmedial and stylistic range, cultural breadth, thematic diversity, and intellectual depth. Essays in the volume have been brought together from around the world and cover Sjóns's beginnings as a neo-surrealist performance artist and poet (translated into over 20 languages), his career as a novelist (translated into over 30 languages), and his collaborations with translators, singer-songwriters, film directors, and other writers. Approaches range from the narratological, historical, ethical, epistemological, and mythological to theoretical methodologies such as thing theory, queer theory, disability studies, and ecocriticism.
Read more about the book here (routledge.com).
The event is presented in collaboration with the Embassy of Iceland
