Iceland — books & literature

The story of Iceland

Iceland's story begins with Norse and Celtic settlers arriving from the 870s CE, traditionally led by Ingólfur Arnarson, who founded Reykjavík around 874. Within decades the settlers established the Althing at Þingvellir in 930, one of the world's oldest parliamentary institutions, and adopted Christianity by law in the year 1000. Iceland lost its independence to the Norwegian crown in the 1260s and later passed to Danish rule, entering centuries of isolation, hardship, and volcanic disaster, including the devastating Laki eruption of 1783-84. A 19th-century nationalist revival won Iceland its own constitution in 1874 and Home Rule with a resident Icelandic minister in 1904, followed by sovereignty in personal union with Denmark in 1918, before Icelanders voted to found a fully independent republic on 17 June 1944. In the decades since, Iceland transformed from one of Europe's poorest nations into a prosperous, highly literate society powered almost entirely by geothermal and hydroelectric energy, weathering a severe banking collapse in 2008 and rebuilding around fishing, renewable energy, and tourism , while keeping the medieval sagas that first recorded its history at the centre of its identity.

Timeline — key moments

1. circa 874

   Ingólfur Arnarson becomes the first permanent Norse settler, founding what becomes Reykjavík.

2. 930

   The Althing is established at Þingvellir, among the oldest parliamentary institutions in the world.

3. 1000

   Iceland adopts Christianity by law at the Althing.

4. 1262-1264

   Icelandic chieftains submit to the Norwegian crown under the Old Covenant.

5. 1380

   Iceland passes under Danish rule following the union of Norway and Denmark.

6. 1783-1784

   The Laki volcanic eruption causes famine and mass livestock death (Móðuharðindin).

7. 1874-1904

   Iceland receives its own constitution (1874), then Home Rule with a resident Icelandic minister (1904).

8. 1918

   The Act of Union makes Iceland a sovereign state in personal union with the Danish king.

9. 1944

   Republic of Iceland founded on 17 June, achieving full independence from Denmark.

10. 2008

    Major Icelandic banks collapse in a severe financial crisis; the country later rebuilds its economy.

Top 10 things to know about Iceland

1. The Althing, founded at Þingvellir in 930, is one of the oldest parliaments in the world.
2. Iceland has no standing army, one of very few countries in this position.
3. Known as the "Land of Fire and Ice", it sits on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge with active volcanoes and vast glaciers.
4. Nearly all of Iceland's electricity and heating comes from renewable geothermal and hydroelectric power.
5. The medieval Sagas of Icelanders are among the great works of world literature.
6. Icelanders traditionally use patronymic or matronymic names rather than inherited family surnames.
7. Vatnajökull is the largest glacier in Europe by volume.
8. Reykjavík is the northernmost capital of a sovereign state.
9. Iceland consistently ranks among the world's most literate nations and publishes more books per capita than almost any other country.
10. The Blue Lagoon geothermal spa, formed from a nearby power plant's runoff, is one of Iceland's best-known sites.

Famous people from Iceland

Say it in Iceland's language

Did you know?

• ★Iceland has no native mosquitoes, one of the only places on Earth without them.
• ★Icelandic phone directories traditionally list people by first name because so few use family surnames.
• ★Reykjavík means "smoky bay", named for the geothermal steam the first settlers saw rising from the ground.

Iceland culture

• Þorrablót, a midwinter festival, celebrates traditional fermented and cured foods.
• Public geothermal swimming pools are central to everyday social life in towns across Iceland.
• Jólabókaflóð, the "Christmas Book Flood", is the tradition of giving and reading books on Christmas Eve.
• The Sagas of Icelanders, written from the 13th century, remain a living part of national storytelling identity.

Why read Iceland's books

Iceland's literary tradition stretches from the medieval sagas and eddas that first shaped Norse storytelling to a modern nation that still gives books as its signature Christmas gift. Reading Iceland's books is a way into that unbroken thread.