Ottar Nordfjord interview is an article by Jordi Pujolá, Spanish writer in Iceland, with the support of Icelandic Mountain Guides and Iceland Rovers
Read the full article in Spanish
Article on Morgunblaðið about the project on this blog
Óttar: «I think I´m no coming back to Iceland to live»
Author Ottar Nordfjord Interview
Óttar Norðfjörð (the meaning is fiord in the North) is an author born in Iceland (Reykjavik, 1980) who grew up in Norðurmýri and now he lives in Barcelona. He studied Philosophy and writes crime novels and poetry. He is the Icelandic Stieg Larsson. His books are translated in Spanish, German, French, Dutch and Macedonian. He likes chess and visual arts
La Contra Islandia is project that puts in contact Icelandic and Spanish cultures. Read some other interviews
Interview in La Central
I interviewed him in La Central bookstore in L´Eixample, his lovely neighbourhood in Barcelona. I brought him a little gift from Iceland, but what he liked the most was the yellow plastic bag of the supermarket Bonus where it was wrapped, the one with the stamp of a pink pig
Don´t miss:
- The 10 tips to go to Barcelona
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- Interview in Morgunblaðið
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- The Interview to Árni Þórarinsson
- Interview to Andri Snær Magnason
- The Interview to Hallgrímur Helgason
- Interview to Sjón
- The interview to Blaz Roca
- An Interview to Vök (band music)
- Interview to Halldór Már (guitar and showman in TV3)
- The interview to HAM
- Interview Agent Fresco
- An Interview to Pink Street Boys
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- The interview to JóiPé x Króli
- Úa publisher of Forlagið
Do you miss Iceland?
«Yes, I miss Reykjavik a bit, but I think I´m not coming back to Iceland to live. May be for a time to teach my son the Icelandic»
Why?
«Because I am happy in Barcelona (he moved in 2007), I like the city, the weather, the food, the sea, the atmosphere, the culture, the shows, the restaurants, the clubs, the mountains, the breeze…»
Óttar is a quiet man, blue eyes, glasses and hipster beard. No one would say he writes so Machiavellian novels of crimes and Nazis
Novels by Ottar Nordfjord
- Barnagælur, 2005
- Hnífur Abrahams, 2007
- Sólkross, 2008 (español: La Cruz Solar. Duomo Ediciones), 2011
- Áttablaðarósin, 2010
- Lygarinn, 2011
Icelandic writer in Spain
Óttar is a case similar to me but conversely. He is an Icelandic writer in Spain, lives in Barcelona and his wife (Elo Vazquez) is Spanish and I am a Spanish writer in Iceland with Icelandic wife (and I am not coming back to live in Barcelona)
Ottar Nordfjordur interview
Elo Vazquez and Óttar are the authors of a serial of cartoons on the magazine Reykjavik Grapevine; she is also the director of the video Mount Eerv by the band I am Dive (2013)
What don´t you like from Spain?
«I don´t like the traffic, the noise and having political prisoners (even though they did something illegal)»
What do you think about the independence of Catalonia?
«With all my respects and from a neutral point of view, I think we should pay attention to the inhabitants of Catalonia against the independence as well because they are almost the 50%»
You said publicly the Icelandic media were mislead about the conflict in Catalonia
«Yes, because according to the Icelandic media everyone in Catalonia wanted the independence and the rest of Spain didin´t allowed them to get it and that´s not true. People in Iceland were very mislead»
Other opinions of Icelanders about the independence of Catalonia
- Author and poet Sjón
- Actor and director Baltasar Kormákur
Óttar lived 4 years in Andalucía (2011-2015) as well:
«My wife is from Sevilla (Óttar spells it correctly, the most of Icelanders say Sevila), but I missed the sea and the nature»
How did you meet her?
«She is a Spanish teacher for foreigners, but we met in Scotland when taking ERASMUS (2004)»
How do you like Sevilla?
«It´s a pretty city, small as Reykjavik, with orange trees, astonishing architecture, good tapas, happy people… a huge contrast for an Icelander»
Do you keep any Icelandic tradition living in Spain?
Yes, we are not going to say the name of our son to anyone until the day of baptism. My parents in law are a bit shocked
Do you make a living only with books?
«No, I have been screenwriting for 4 years, but I miss writing novels. You know, to be the boss of the whole process, touch the book and so, but the cinema industry pays much more»
By the way, the author Hallgrimur Helgason also told me he earns more money painting rather than writing (read the interview, it includes English link), he has the record of the painting more expensive in Iceland
Ottar Nordfjordur interview is an article by Jordi Pujolá, Spanish writer in Iceland
