Iceland’s Crime Fiction Royalty

Join global best-selling Icelandic authors Ragnar Jónasson and Yrsa Sigurðardóttir for a conversation about their novels and the literature festival they run as a side hustle.

Join the chart-topping Icelandic authors known as the Queen and King of Icelandic crime fiction for a conversation about their recent novels, literature, and life. Ragnar Jónasson will be discussing "Reykjavík" a crime novel he co-authored with former Icelandic Prime Minister Katrín Jakobsdóttir. "Reykjavík" is an atmospheric novel involving the disappearance of a young woman from picturesque Viðey island and the ensuing investigation spanning decades.

The story is set in part during the two-hundredth anniversary of the city of Reykjavík in 1986, allowing the reader a glimpse into a world gone by.  Ragnar Jónasson will also discuss his latest book, “Death at the Sanatorium,” which was released in the U.S. on September 10.

Yrsa Sigurðardóttir will discuss "The Legacy," the first book in the Huldar and Freyja series. "The Legacy" introduces child psychologist Freyja and policeman Huldar, who must set aside their differences to solve a highly oddly executed murder of a young mother, witnessed only by her silent young daughter. The Legacy was awarded the Blooddrop award for best crime novel in Iceland the year it came out. It contains one of the most innovative murder methods in recent crime novel publications. 

"Reykjavík" and "The Legacy" books will be available for sale, as well as Ragnar´s upcoming new novel "Death at the Sanatorium" and signing at the event.

National Nordic Museum

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Ragnar Jónasson

Ragnar Jónasson is an international number-one bestselling author who has sold 4.5 million books in thirty-six countries worldwide. Ragnar was born in Reykjavík and entered the world of crime fiction publication at the tender age of seventeen when he began translating Agatha Christie's novels for the Icelandic market. Ragnar has written fifteen novels and won numerous international awards for his crime writing. He has recently received special recognition for his poetry writing from the jury of Iceland's leading poetry award. Ragnar has also worked as a reporter and teaches copyright law at Reykjavik University. He has recently written a novel with the Icelandic Prime Minister, Katrín Jakobsdóttir, and his international bestseller The Darkness is currently being filmed for television by CBS, featuring Academy Award nominee Lena Olin in the leading role, directed by Academy Award nominee Lasse Hallstrom. Ridley Scott's production company is developing his standalone novel Outside as a feature film.

Ragnar Jónasson

Yrsa Sigurðardóttir

Yrsa Sigurðardóttir is the author of the internationally bestselling Thora Guðmundsdóttir crime series, the Huldar and Freyja series, several stand-alone horror novels and humorous children’s books. Born and raised in Reykjavík, Yrsa is an engineer and works as a senior partner in one of the country's largest engineering consultancies alongside her writing career. Yrsa was the technical manager for supervising the largest project ever undertaken in Iceland, the Kárahnjúkar Hydroelectric Power Plant, in the Icelandic highlands. Yrsa’s work has been translated into over thirty languages, sold millions of copies, and won numerous awards, including the Icelandic Children's Literature Award and three times the Icelandic Crime Fiction Award. Her stand-alone horror novels “I Remember You” and “The Undesired'' have been adapted for the big screen. Yrsa collects beautiful shoes and is currently trying to get over the fact that she does not own the most Christmas tree ornaments in the world as she had been led to believe.

Yrsa Sigurðardóttir