Introduction Iceland is often referred to as the Saga Island, and Icelanders have long defined themselves as a literary nation. Literature is without a doubt the strongest aspect of the cultural history of the people that settled this northerly island in the ninth century and immediately started recounting its story and committing it to calfskin two centuries later. This great emphasis on the art of articulation has followed the nation ever since and is one of the cornerstones of its identity and history, not least because of the status of Icelandic medieval literature at home and abroad.
Reykjavík has a lot to offer as a UNESCO City of Literature. The city is the capital, and in fact Iceland's only city, and as such, it plays a vital role in all cultural life in the country. The city is home to Iceland's main cultural institutions, boasts a flourishing arts scene and is renowned as a creative city with a diverse range of cultural happenings and dynamic grassroots activities. Most of the country's writers live in the city, and it also provides the setting for the majority of contemporary Icelandic literature – a development that has gone hand in hand with the rapid expansion of the city in the past 100 years or so. Book publishing is going strong, with more titles published per capita in Iceland than in any other country, and public participation in literary events and life is also considerable compared to other countries. The city has a number of cultural institutions, such as the National Theatre of Iceland and the Reykjavík City Theatre as well as the Icelandic Opera, the Iceland Symphony Orchestra, Reykjavík Art Museum, the National Gallery, the National Museum of Iceland, Reykjavík City Museum and the National Centre for Cultural Heritage. Reykjavík has a robust public library, and statistics show that Reykjavík City Library is extremely well-utilized by the public. Circulation has steadily increased in recent years, with Reykjavík inhabitants frequenting the library and actively using its diverse services. Reykjavík is home to the Árni Magnússon Institute for Icelandic Studies, the centre of the Icelandic Sagas, the Eddas and other medieval literature that established Iceland as one of the most renowned literary nations of the world. The institute preserves manuscripts, conducts research and publishes texts for the public, in addition to providing research facilities and tutoring to foreign scholars and students. The Arnamagnean Manuscript Collection was added to the UNESCO Memory of the World Register on July 31, 2009. Reykjavík is also home to numerous other institutions and organizations operating in the literary sector, such as the University of Iceland – which has the country's most extensive academic literature programs, the country's principal publishing houses, writers' associations, and the National Library of Iceland.
July 31, 2009
The Arnamagnean Manuscript Collection was added to the UNESCO Memory of the World Register
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Reykjavík
UNESCO City of Literature