Nordic Seattle Festival Wraps Up

To celebrate the grand opening of the Nordic Museum, performers, artists, and writers from the Nordic regions were showcased throughout the city during the month of May.

On Wednesday, May 23, Icelandic author Hallgrímur Helgason (101 Reykjavik and The Hitman's Guide to Housecleaning read from his recently translated book, Woman at 1000 Degrees. He discussed the Icelandic predilection towards silence, the un-anchored character of this relatively new modern nation, and the origins of Herra, Hallgrímur’s anti-heroine  — a real person Hallgrímur met briefly, purely by accident.

It is the the sort of book that crawls under your skin, nestles into your brain, and cannot be easily dislodged. It is heartbreaking and hilarious, epic in scope yet deeply personal. Herra is cantankerous, mischievous, sharp-witted and equally sharp-tongued. His portrait of her  makes her an unforgettable character.

The SRSCA Book Club will discuss Woman at 1000 Degrees on July 22. For more information about time and place, email Alicia.

The following evening, Lowely (DK) and Sóley (ÍS) filled the Museum’s Grand Osberg Hall with their dreamy melodies. Sóley was charming, delighting the audience with her banter and her delicate lullabies suitable for ghosts. The entire audience took to the floor, sitting crossölegged, after she joked, “standing at concerts is hard. Please don’t get up. Sit down and enjoy the show.” She debuted a new song, which she promises will be on her forthcoming album, something she described as an “accordion drone album about the apocalypse.”  

Our thanks to the programming staff at the Nordic Museum and their army of volunteers for making these shows possible.