Summer has been so hot down south, but the Nordic midsummer is so uncharacteristically cold, even for here, that you might be missing real winter already. Time for some Icelandic poetry. Cold Moons by Magnús Sigurðsson, translated by Meg Matich, draws on the bold tradition of the sagas, but, like his compatriot Laxness, brings them right up to date. Black Sea is in memory of fellow poet Jónas Þorbjarnarson, who died in 2012.
Sigurðsson has a wonderfully miniaturist observation of nature, which is both serious and humorous.
The sea is never far away from his work – but nor is the forest, though people are more notable by their absence.
These tiny poems are seed-like in their concentration, so Phoneme Media is the perfect publisher.
If it’s winter in July where you are, if summer is not what you thought it would be, like where I am, or if you just need cooling down – reach for this perfect ice-cube of a book.
To get you in the mood, take a look at some more photographs like this one by Karol Majewski, from his recent tour of Iceland.
Translator, editor, writer, reader
found in translation 
Leave a Reply