Taste of Iceland: Iceland’s Crime Fiction Royalty

Speakers

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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.

  Bio
  

  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.

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  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.

  Bio
  

  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.