May 1, 2021
Iceland is small. Journalist Bjarnason recounts making it halfway around the country after biking for just a day. Despite Iceland's low population, compact landmass, and seemingly slight geopolitical significance, Bjarnason advances a book-length argument for the country's importance in world history. Norse mythology would never have survived in texts had it not been for the efforts of an Icelandic storyteller and an Icelandic scholar. The French Revolution was hastened by extreme weather and famine in Europe induced by the eruption of Iceland's Laki volcanic fissure from 1783 to 1784. The conclusion of WWII was expedited by the Allies' strategic occupation of Iceland, saving countless lives. Bjarnason's chronicle is basically a greatest hits album of the past millennium of Icelandic history, which can occasionally feel cursory and prone to trivia. Yet this trivia is often fascinating. For readers who are curious about all things Icelandic, including how a "cultural war" is being waged over Iceland turning purple and why the letter Z was removed from the Icelandic language, this is the go-to book.
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