The World According to *Garg

… I have this this recurring dream, I keep imagining myself as an equal to all the humans around me, I try to give myself the same pedestal to stand on… ~ *Garg #03

One pleasant and enlightening episode on my recent stay in Reykjavík was a stop in the Garg bookstore on Hofsvallagata.

Helga Dögg Ólafsdóttir and her twin sister Alma opened this shop which focuses on feminist, queer, self-published, and secondhand books as well as supporting a literary scene. Garg periodically publishes broadsides concerning various topics and also hosts reading and other events.

We spoke about several things including ‘The Atom Poets’ as well as her older sister Auður, no stranger to this blog. Most of Garg’s stock is in Icelandic, but that didn’t prevent me from purchasing a slim volume of poetry by Þórbergur Þórðarson (author of The Stones Speak) for my amateur translation efforts. The shop also displays various art works for those seeking a true Icelandic souvenir.

Helga is well-spoken and engaging, definitely worth a visit if you have any interest in modern Icelandic literature.

Image of Helga by Art Bicnick, Reykjavík Grapevine