Works by renowned authors such as  Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Colson Whitehead, Virginia Woolf, Rachel Cusk, Primo Levi, Sally Rooney og Mariana Enriquez will be published in Iceland in the coming year.

Warm holiday wishes from Icelandic Literature Center and a happy new year, filled with books! 

The numbers show that Icelanders still read quite a lot and people are interested in reading. However the number of people who do not read at all is increasing. 

The Icelandic Literature Center recently allocated 50 grants to foreign publishers to translate Icelandic literature. The grants were handed out for translations into 24 languages, among them English, Russian, French, Japanese, Finnish, Norwegian, Slovakian and Spanish. 

The Frankfurt Book Fair took place 20 - 24 October but this year marks the ten years anniversary of Iceland being the Guest of Honour at the Fair. To this occasion The Icelandic Literature Center took part in a panel discussion in Frankfurt to discuss the Icelandic participation in 2011, Icelandic literature abroad today and the importance of translations. 

Tone Myklebost has translated Icelandic literature into Norwegian for decades. Among the authors she's translated are such luminaries as Einar Kárason, Einar Már Guðmundsson, Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir, Jón Kalman Stefánsson, Gerður Kristný, Sjón, Gyrðir Elíasson, and even Nobel Prize winner Halldór Laxness. All told, Tone has translated more than 50 books, including every one of the Icelandic recipients of the Nordic Council's Literature Prize for the last 25 years.

Compared to a decade ago, there are now three times as many Icelandic books translated into upwards of 50 foreign languages. Good translators make all the difference in ensuring that Icelandic books reach foreign readers while still maintaining their essential artistic value.

The award Orðstír, an honorary award for translations of Icelandic literature to a foreign language, is presented biannually, in conjunction with the Reykjavik International Literary Festival. The award is presented for an excellent translation of a work of Icelandic literature into another language, resulting in the increased renown of Icelandic literature abroad.

The Göteborg Book Fair will be held September 23-26 and now authors and book lovers will get a chance to meet although the fair will be smaller than before.