Drápa

by Gerður Kristný, Alexandra Buhl (Illustrator)

Celebrated Icelandic writer Gerður Kristný's Drápa is a novel-poem which takes its form from Old Norse shield poetry and its mood from modern Nordic crime. But the poem is no it is about a real woman's murder in the city of Reykjavik, and, through this lens, about all women's deaths. This is Viking poetry at its most contemporary.

Genres: Poetry, Crime, Fiction

85 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2014

About the author

Gerður Kristný graduated in French and comparative literature from the University of Iceland in 1992. Her B.A. dissertation was on Baudelaire's Les fleurs du mal. After a course in media studies at the University of Iceland from 1992-1993 she trained at Danish Radio TV. She was editor of the magazine Mannlíf from 1998 - 2004, but is now a full time writer.

Awards for her work include 1st prize in the National Broadcasting Service short story competition 1986, 1st prize in a TV culture programme poetry competition 1992, the Children's Choice Book Prize in 2003 for her book Marta Smarta, the Halldór Laxness Literary Award in 2004, for her novel Bátur með segli og allt (A Boat With a Sail and All) and the Icelandic Journalist's Award for Myndin af pabba - Saga Thelmu (A Picture of Dad - Thelma's Story) in 2005. Her poetry book, Höggstaður, was nominated for The Icelandic Literary Award in 2007. Her poetry and short stories have been included in school textbooks at the elementary- and secondary level, as well as in anthologies published in Iceland and overseas.

Gerður Kristný has published poetry books, short stories, novels and a book for children, as well as a book about the Westman Islands Festival in 2002.

Reviews

[Analis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I met the Icelandic poet Gerdur Kristny at the Jaipur Literature Festival in 2018. During a ride from the venue to the hotel she told this story and I was riveted. At the time, her epic poem of this Reykjavik murder had not been translated into English and so I have had to wait to read it. It was worth the wait. “This is Viking poetry at its most contemporary.” I highly recommend this: Gerdur presents the crime by having the devil tell the story (and the illustration of the devil/bat is perfect).

[Matt Fallaize · Rating 5 out of 5]

Clear, spare, unsettling. Kristny's modern Saga is a startling read.

[Magnús Jochum Pálsson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Þetta er drungalegur hryllingur, sérstaklega ef maður þekkir samhengið.
Hins vegar eru þettar frábærar myndir sem hún dregur upp af bæði andrúmsloftinu og atburðum sögunnar.
Henni tekst vel að blanda saman fornum og nýjum háttum, hendingarnar heppnast vel, sérstaklega ef bókin er lesin upphátt.
Manni finnst það hins vegar alltaf smá skrítið og óþægilegt þegar harmur raunverulegs fólks, hvað þá lifandi fólks (ættingjar og vandamenn), verða að skáldskap annarra.
Vissulega er þetta frekar smekklega gert og opnar sömuleiðis á aukna umfjöllun um mál sem þessi en það er samt sem áður ákveðið exploitation í gangi.

[Johan Thilander]

Samtida mordhistoria skriven genom runor och stavrim.

Bokseren
sover de uretfærdiges
søvn

dyb
og drømmeløs

Sidenote: Träffade Gerđur Kristný för flera år sedan och då berättade hon om denna dikt. Har avvaktat en svensk översättning, men det är väl önsketänkande att våra förlag ska vara lika roliga som exempelvis de danska.

[Danielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Drápa is an epic poem of a murder in Reykjavik in the 1980s from the perspective of the devil. The introduction of the book is an analysis of the poem and gave much more insight than I would have been able to reveal on my own while reading the poem. While the devil is the narrator, it is clear his sympathies lie with Greta, the victim. The boxer, her murderer, exists in the subtext and his eventual murder is the only part of the poem that focuses on him. This is a beautiful memorial to Greta Birgisdottir.

Before leaving for a recent trip to Reykjavik, I looked up newly released books and this caught my attention (the edition translated by Rory McTurk had been released in early 2018). Once in Reykjavik, I asked the bookstore clerk where to find it and she handed me this book as well as Bloodhoof, which she told me to read first. I bought both on the spot. I'm definitely interested in reading more from Gerður Kristný, would love to read more translated by Rory McTurk.

[Kjaro · Rating 2 out of 5]

I could not bring myself to care.
Felt like half the book told me how much snow there was in Reykjavik on that dark and stormy night, which... Yeah. No shit.
The premise is... Something? I guess. But at the end of the day, it's just a retelling of a senseless murder. From the perspective of the devil? With clowns, for some fucking reason?
It just felt weird to me that this real (I think) and violent act had to be put into this form, almost romanticizing it.
Maybe I'm too stupid to understand "contemporary Viking poetry", maybe the translation did it a disservice, maybe I should try and read the original version.
But honestly, not the kind of read I wanted to end this year on.

[Clara · Rating 5 out of 5]

This modern take on epic Icelandic poetry was a revelation for me. The translation was beautiful and the essay at the beginning was fascinating. Though I wish I had read the poem first, then the essay, and gone back to the poem. I can’t wait to explore her other works.

[Tuomas Aitonurmi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sivukatujen väkivaltaista elämää talvisen taivaan alla, jossa tähdetkin ovat varisseet pitkin katuja. Islantilaisrunoilija Gerður Kristnýn teos Surmavirsi (suom. Tapio Koivukari) on lyhyiden, tiiviiden runojen kokoelma. Tapahtumat ovat synkkiä, kieli silti kaunista. Suru ja traaginen kohtalo tuntuvat painavilta vähin sanoin piirrettynä. Runojen puhuja seuraa tilannetta etäältä, eikä voi muuta kuin katsoa, kun puhuteltu sinähahmo kokee karun kohtalon: hänet pelastaa kadulta nyrkkeilijä, joka kohtelee häntä väkivalloin, aina loppuun saakka. Kukaan ei auta: "Sinun pienen elämäsi hyväksi / ei tehdä mitään" (s. 59) Enää ei voi kuin viedä nuora kaulan ympärille kuolleen "yksisilmäiselle jumalalle", joka kiemurtelee katumuksesta luotuaan ihmisen kuvakseen. Nyrkkeilijäkin tapaa loppunsa väkivalloin, ja hänen kohtalonsa mustasydämisenä on ettei hänen nimeään mainita enää missään. Taustalla näkyy tuokiokuvina yön lyömä kaupunki, talven viiltävä kylmä ja tuiskuava lumi, kuin myrkyllinen tuhka. Ihmisten tavoin talvi on kokoelmassa julma, kuin sota. Vaikuttava, painostavankin synkkä teos, jonka lukemista karunkaunis kieli helpottaa.

"Panit merkille / vasta / liian myöhään / että talo upposi // Vesi pyörteili / laudoitusten välissä / kohisi koskena / ikkunoista" (s. 40)

[Skuli Saeland · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kunni ákaflega vel við þessa ljóðabók Gerðar Kristnýjar. Hryllingur liggur undir niðri, orðaleikur og skemmtilegt flæði oft á tíðum.

[Birgitta Guðmarsdóttir · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ég er alltaf svolítið efins um verk sem gera sér mat úr nýlegum harmleikjum, jafnvel þó vel sé farið að og fórnarlambið sé veitt tilskilin virðing. Þetta er samt svo ótrúlega grátt.

[Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vivid, unsettling, haunting, heart-softening. The images will be with me a long time.

[Þór Hauksson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Öflug og auðlesin, Drápa grípur mann og flæðir fyrirhafnarlaust gegnum vetur, kynjamyndir og myrkur. Það er stöðug ógn í lofti og fyrirheit dauða, sem heldur manni við efnið og skapar hrollvekjandi spennu. Stíllinn meitlaður og knappur, líkt og hvert orð kosti þyngd sína í gulli og öll óþarfa orð höggvin burt. Sterk tílvísun í forna bragarhætti, hendingar og kenningar - þar sem undirliggjandi merking kann að vera önnur en við fyrstu sýn. En það er líka stutt í ísmeygilega kaldhæðni og leik að orðum, málið þanið og tvíræð tilbrigði, eins og "græska grafarans" og "ég sleiki tungum tveim". Drápa er þétt og vel meitlað söguljóð þó mér finnist flugið dala á köflum.

[Sara Hlín · Rating 4 out of 5]

Virkilega flottur texti. Vildi óska að ég kynni að búa til svona setningar. Köld og myrk eins og fyrri ljóðbækur. Sá sem stjórnar er myrkisstjórinn!

Þú hallaðir
aftur höfði
greipst snjókornin
með tungunni

Við Stjörnubíó
voru þau
sölt og brakandi

Hjá hannyrðabúðinni
stingandi hvöss

[Bryndis Isfold · Rating 5 out of 5]

mögnuð.