Winner of the Prix Médicis étranger

Winner of the Icelandic Bookseller's Prize 

Praise for Miss Iceland  "An absorbing, bittersweet tale...this captivating novel's finest component is its endearing heroine who, at her journey's end, has learned to follow her dreams but know her limits." The Economist This quietly moving tale of friendship and artistic fulfillment will appeal to readers of Elena Ferrante and Margaret Atwood, and the unusual setting offers an interesting twist on the portrait of an artist as a young woman." Bookpage As elegantly cold and foreboding as the Icelandic landscape itself, Olafsdottir's languid and melancholy portrait of a writer with a singular passion demonstrates the sacrifices women have always made for their art. Booklist A potent, atmospheric story of creative frustration and fulfilment. I loved the wry, tender voice of Ólafsdóttir's narrator. I'm now going to read all of her other novels.Megan Hunter, author of The End We Start From  Helka, trying to make it in the big city, a woman in 1960's Reykjavik weighed down by expectation and constraint. I so wanted Helka to get away and be free, to slap the hands that felt her up and to ditch the boyfriend. Only a great book can make you feel you're really there, a thousand miles and a generation away. I loved it. Kit de Waal In her sixth novel, award-winning author Olafsdottir paints a vivid portrait of Iceland: cold weather, volcanic eruptions, northern lights, whale hunting, darkness, sexism, and homophobia. . . . In this excellent introduction to her work, Olafsdottir creates a world where either escape or hiding one's true nature are the only choices. Library Journal Ólafsdóttir's graceful and quiet tale of feminism, alienation, and artistic expression centers around Hekla, a young Icelandic woman who wants to become a writer in a male-dominated literary worldÓlafsdóttir tenderly explores how these authentic characters help each other overcome their fears and doubts. This winning tale of friendship and self-fulfillment will inspire readers.Publishers Weekly (starred, boxed review) A beautiful book. It is at once a poetic, light-hearted narrative filled with endearing characters; and yet also a sharply edged social critique that is caustic and righteous in its portrayal of the enduring nature of sexism, misogyny and homophobia. Above all, it leaves the reader feeling buoyed and optimistic, despite the serious and oppressive nature of its subject matter. It's a powerful portrayal of a woman's struggle for freedom in the 1960s, but its true lesson is for the present, as a gorgeously crafted reminder of the tenacious nature of discrimination and hate, and the determination and commitment that is often required to overcome it.Popmatters.com International Praise for Miss Iceland 

Delicate, melancholic and powerful...a luminous portrait of a young woman in search of freedom.Lire

If you have never read Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir, get Miss Iceland immediatelyVanity Fair (France)

Her best work. A work that will live on.Fréttablaðið

Each new novel by Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir is like a meeting with a marvelous friend that immediately makes you feel like you have never parted.Madame Figaro

With Miss Iceland, Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir relishes us with all the best things literature can offer.''Morgunblaðið

A wonderful novel about freedom, creation and accomplishment.**** ****Marie Claire (France) Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir relishes us with all the best things literature can offer. Júlía Margrét Alexandersdóttir, Morgunblaðið
Ólafsdóttir's specialty is the small journeys we take to save ourselves and the ones we care for. She is the heart's finest map-maker.Sjón

Praise for Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir: Olafsdottir's writing is at once profoundly Icelandic focusing the reader on all the particularity of life on that isolated island and universal...her authorial voice is immediate and intimate, yet it feels remote from the Anglophone world.Financial Times
Ólafsdóttir upends expectations.New York Times

Autorentext
Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir is an Icelandic prize-winning novelist, playwright and a poet. She is the author of six novels, a collection of poetry and four plays that have been performed at the National Theatre in Iceland and at the Reykjavik City Theatre. She also writes the lyrics for the Icelandic performance pop band Milkywhale. Auður Ava's novels have been translated into over 25 languages and among them are The Greenhouse and Butterflies in November. Her last novel, Hotel Silence, won the Nordic Council Literature Prize and the Icelandic Literary Prize. Her forthcoming novel Miss Iceland won the Icelandic Bookseller's Prize. Auður Ava lives in Reykjavik.

Klappentext
The extraordinary new novel from Nordic Council Literature Prize-winning Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir, Miss Iceland tells the incisive story of Hekla, a brilliant young woman named after an active volcano who longs to make it as a writer in 1960s Iceland