The Grassroot Grants of the Icelandic Literature Center for 2025 go to Karólína Rós Ólafsdóttir and Natan Jónsson
Grassroot grants are awarded annually, with the aim of supporting publication of the work of newcomers on the writing scene and encouraging them to further endeavours
Grassroot grants are awarded annually, with the aim of supporting publication of the work of newcomers on the writing scene and encouraging them to further endeavours
Each grant amounts to 500.000 Icelandic krona and the grants were presented at a ceremony held at the home of the Icelandic Literature Center in Reykjavík city center.
This is the eighteenth year that the Icelandic Literature Center awards Grassroot grants. Around 80 writers have benefited from such a grant, since its inception. Among those are Fríða Ísberg, Bergur Ebbi Benediktsson, Pedro Gunnlaugar Garcia, Dagur Hjartarson, Halldór Armand Ásgeirsson, Kristín Ragna Gunnarsdóttir and Sverrir Norland.
This year, we received 55 Grassroot applications. As stated before, the grants awarded this year are for short stories and for a narrative poem. The recipients are selected by literary consultants for the Icelandic Literature Center.
The Grassroot Grants of the Icelandic Literature Center for 2025 go to the following works and authors:
Lífskán
A narrative poem
About the author: Karólína Rós Ólafsdóttir (b. 1997) is a poet from Akureyri. She graduated with a BA in Writing and Literary Studies from Goldsmiths University of London in 2021 and an MA in Writing from the University of Iceland in January 2025. She has published poetry in the Pastel series, Tímarit Máls og menningar and Skírnir as well as in publications in both the UK and Germany. She has been active in the reading scene in Reykjavík as well as in Glasgow where she has worked with SPAM zine&press, both with experimental books and readings.
The consultant's verdict:
"Lífskán by Karólína Rós Ólafsdóttir is a fascinating poetic story about the body, illness, and man in the face of the healthcare system. The text is low-key but disciplined, and the imagery used to describe physical sensations, mental states, and human relationships is powerful. Lífskán is a poetic journey through the power of language to deal with adversity, maintain dignity, and understand the wonder of the human condition."
Sjáðu það brennur
Short stories
About the author: Natan Jónsson (b. 1985) was born in Höfn in Hornafjörður but has lived in Hafnarfjörður, France and Germany. He graduated from the Icelandic Film School in 2012 and has worked on various projects related to filmmaking, mainly directing and screenwriting. He has also written two plays; the play Samfarir Hamfarir which was staged at Tjarnarbíó in 2016 and Igíl Redug which was staged by the Student Theatre in 2019. The same year he staged a stand-up show at the Reykjavík Fringe Festival.
The consultants´ verdict:
"Natan Jónsson manages to create captivating images of Icelandic reality in twelve short stories. In the chiseled, powerful prose that the author has a good command of, irony and playfulness are guarded by unexpected parallels or contradictions of existence. The strength of the stories is found in lively conversations but also in the mystery of the unsaid."
