I was fortunate to have the opportunity to chat with Alda Sigmundsdóttir, an Icelandic author and journalist that has her thumb on the pulse of Icelandic society. Even though Alda was born in Iceland, she grew up in Canada and lived in a few different countries. The insight that she shared with me about Iceland and its people was enlightening and sometimes surprising. We had such a great time chatting, that we ended up talking for an hour. In order to keep these episodes relatively short, I have broken this interview up into two parts. During this episode, which is part 1, you will hear about the challenges Alda faced when she moved back to Iceland, how insular Icelandic society is, how she decides what to write about, what the most important thing tourists should keep in mind when they visit Iceland and what Icelandic people really think of visitors to their country.
Questions I asked Alda during this interview:
- Even though you were born in Iceland, you lived in Canada and some other countries for many years. What was it like moving back to Iceland?
- The topics of your books include giving advice to visitors of Iceland, gripping fiction, mythology, culture and issues in Icelandic society. With so many changes happening in Iceland, how do you decide what to write about?
- It has been a little over a year since you published “The Little Book of Tourists in Iceland: Tips, tricks and what Icelanders really think of you.” What do you think are still the most important things tourists should keep in mind when they visit Iceland? Have Icelandic people’s views about tourists changed since writing that book?
Alda’s Books Mentioned in the Interview:
The Little Book of the Icelanders: 50 Miniature Essays on the Quirks and Foibles of the Icelandic People
The Little Book of Tourists in Iceland: Tips, tricks, and What the Icelanders Really Think of You
Living Inside the Meltdown: Ten People Share Their Experience of the Icelandic Economic Collapse
Connect with Alda Sigmundsdóttir:
I hope you enjoyed listening to part 1 of this interview. Part 2 will be released next week, so make sure you are subscribed to the All Things Iceland podcast so you don’t miss it. If the platform you are listening to this podcast on allows you to leave a review, please do so, if you haven’t already.
Þakka þér kærlega fyrir að hlusta og sjáumst fljótlega (Thank you kindly for listening and see you soon)!
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