LoveStar has been published in German by Lubbe. Andri Snær Magnason is participating in the Leipziger Buchmesse from the 18th – 21st of March.

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February 28. 2010. Andri Snær Magnason’s Acceptance speech – at the Kairos Award Ceremony of the Alfred Toepfer Stiftung F.V.S in Hamburg. 

Dear Ladies and Gentlemen, my Dear Friends, Colleagues and my Dear Family og hæ – krakkar!

I would like to thank Mr. Christoph Stolzl and Mr. Halldór Guðmundsson for their kind words and all of you for this great honour.

I you ask an Icelandic child about Hamburg the first thing that will come to it’s mind is the word game that is often played when travelling in a car: “What are you doing with the money the lady from Hamburg gave to you?”. You must answer but you may not say “yes”, “no”, “black” or “white”. So you say: I bought a car. Was it red? Indeed – it was read? Not blue ?- No… Then you are out.  So it was funny when I told my children we would actually meet the lady from Hamburg. But we had to use the money on something very special – something between yes and no, black and white. Maybe that is the real space where art lives.

But why did I take this path in life? If you ask my psychologist he would say that it is because I have two mothers – they are identical twins – that creates a very good ground for a strange mind and some complexes – a douple öedipus to deal with for example. Despite sharing the same genes and upbringing – they have opposite veiws on everything. That I might have from my mothers, the ability to see things from two correct perspectives and never quite agree with myself. 

If you would ask my brother he would blame it on Lego – I hoped I would never grow up from Lego. But later I found out that Lego is quite like language – you have prefabricated parts but can build a whole world from them. But the cool thing is that language is bigger, more bricks – and endless colors. Even an old language spoken by very few people – like Icelandic, can be used to create almost anything. And then it can be translated to German or Chinese.

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The Award ceremony  for Andri Magnason recieving the Kairos Award took place in Deutches Shauspielhaus in Hamburg the 28th of February. Here you can read speeches by Christoph Stölzl, Halldor Gudmundsson, Andri Magnason and see pictures from the ceremony on the website of the Alfred Toepfer Stiftung F.V.S. Here is more information about the Award and the people awarded by the Alfred Toepfer Stiftung:

The KAIROS Prize which was first awarded in 2007 represents an innovation within a rather distinguished post-war history of price giving through the foundation. Previous winners of prices initiated by the Alfred Toepfer Stiftung F.V.S. have been, among others, Harold Pinter, Pina Bausch, Samuel Mendes, Imre Kertesz, David Hockney, Cees Nooteboom or, more recently, Olafur Eliasson. 

The KAIROS Prize is honouring European artists and academics from the fields of the fine and the performing arts, music, architecture, film, photography, literature and journalism. The award is designed to be given above all to individuals for artistic achievements, but also to producers, festival directors, publishers or gallery owners whose activities take place outside of the public limelight – in short, to creative personalities who give important impulses to art and culture in Europe.

The KAIROS Prize is endowed with the amount of 75.000 € and aims to honour outstanding individuals working with entrepreneurial spirit, persistence and creativity in the field of European culture and intercultural understanding. The prize is named after the Greek god KAIROS –  the god for “the right moment” –  as it seeks to encourage and promote younger artists, curators, managers in the field of culture or science at “the right time in their career”. It is neither an award for life time achievement nor a singular project, but rather seeks to identify early achievement, special work in progress as well as potential for future sucess.

The KAIROS Prize is awarded annually in Hamburg by the Alfred Toepfer Stiftung F.V.S. An independent committtee decides on the awarding.

 Committee of the KAIROS Prize

Christoph Stölzl, (chairman) historian, politician and senator retd

Christine Eichel, author and journalist

Nike Wagner, art director of the Weimar Arts Festival “pèlerinages”

Armin Conrad, editor-in-chief at 3sat kulturzeit

Rainer M. Schaper, director of the culture department of Swiss television and member of the executive board 

Andri Snær Magnason at the Leipziger Buchmesse – March 19th – 21st 2010.

March 19: Crisis – what crisis? 

The Leipzig Book Fair has traditionally focused its attention on the presentation of central and eastern European countries. For this year’s “Authorial Special”, organised by the Book Fair in cooperation with the Berlin Literary Colloquium, the headline title is “Crisis! What Crisis?”. All over the world, the much-quoted financial and economic crisis has led to high unemployment, company and national bank bankruptcies and above all, to great uncertainty. Six European writers – Friedrich Christian Delius (Germany), Andri Snær Magnason (Iceland), László Földényi (Hungary), Eugenijus Ališanka (Lithuania), Georgi Gospodinov (Bulgaria) and Natalja Kljuetscharowa (Russia) – have been invited to write an essay on their own experiences in this crisis and to read it in public for the first time at the Book Fair. They will be describing entirely personal impacts, but also the social effects.

Venue: Café Europa, Hall 4 Stand D505. Germany’s Federal Foreign Office is again providing funding in 2010 for the “Authorial Special”.

02/19/2010: Nicht erst seit dem Kinostart der Millenium-Trilogie von Stieg Larsson ist skandinavische Literatur hierzulande beliebter Lesestoff. Die Botschaften und Kulturinstitute der Länder Finnland, Schweden, Norwegen, Dänemark und Island organisieren gemeinsam das “Nordische Forum” (Halle 4, Stand C304) auf der Leipziger Buchmesse. 
In der NaTo wird am 19. März ab 19.00 Uhr die “5. Nordische Literaturnacht” veranstaltet. Der isländische Schriftsteller Andri Snær Magnason liest aus seinem Thriller “LoveStar”. Weitere anwesende Autoren sind unter anderem Åsa Linderborg, Michael Katz Krefeld und Olli Jalonen.

LoveStar – a novel by Andri Snær Magnason has been published by Lubbe in Germany. Here you can see the cover, “retro-sci-fi-flash gordon soft porn style”. It actually fits the book quite well. LoveStar is about a huge corporation based on a north atlantic island and becomes a global giant. You could say that LoveStar is about what would have happened to the world if the crisis had not stopped our global expansion. Here you can read some excerpts in German on the Lubbe website. LoveStar did very well when it was published here in Iceland, it was nominated to the Icelandic literary award and it won the DV literary prize. Now it has been staged by Herranott – the oldest theater group in Iceland. What is LoveStar? When I wrote the book I thought of the books I had loved the most, by Bulgakof, Calvino, Primo Levi, Vonnegut and others, not quite science fiction – but on the edge, twisted reality. 

Andri will participate in the Leipziger Buchmesse 2010 from the 18th – the 21st of march. Andri Snær Magnason just won the Kairos award of the Alfred Toepfer institute in Hamburg. Here is some information in German about Lovestar.

My childrens book – Die Geshichte auf dem blauen planeten – has also been published in German. It won the Icelandic literary prize in the year 2000 and has been published in 20 languages. Here you can read about in on Radio Bremen.

The Alfred Toepfer Stiftung F.V.S has announced that Andri Snær Magnason will be the winner of the Kairos Award of 2010. The Award Ceremony will take place at Deutches Schauspielhaus in Hamburg, february 28th 2010. 

KAIROS — A European Cultural Prize awarded by the Alfred Toepfer Stiftung F.V.S.

Since its establishment the foundation has awarded various cultural prizes of different endowment throughout Europe. Reflecting the changing social, political and cultural conditions of contemporary Europe, most of the previous awards were discontinued in favour of one newly conceived and at the same time higher endowed prize. The KAIROS Prize which was first awarded in 2007 represents an innovation within a rather distinguished post-war history of price giving through the foundation. Previous winners of prices initiated by the Alfred Toepfer Stiftung F.V.S. have been, among others, Harold Pinter, Pina Bausch, Samuel Mendes, Imre Kertesz, David Hockney, Cees Nooteboom or, more recently, Olafur Eliasson.

Our dear uncle, Dr. John Thorbjarnarson died from malaria in India on february the 14th. John was born 1957 and was one of the great roll models in our family. He was almost a mythological idol in the minds of the younger generation, living an extraordinary life traveling around the planet through swamps, rivers and jungles, saving endangered animals from extinction. John was a Conservation Officer for the Wildlife Conservation Society, based in Gainesville, Florida and had spent nineteen years leading in situ conservation efforts of reptiles for WCS. He was a noted expert on the conservation biology of crocodiles worldwide – having led efforts in the recovery of both Orinoco crocodiles in Venezuela and Chinese alligators in Anhui, China. He was also well known for his long term efforts focused on capacity building and conservation of crocodiles in Cuba and Black caiman in Brazil. He was part of the team doing the first large study on the life and habitat of the anaconda in Venezuela.

I am a part of the Icelandic branch of Johns family. John was born 1957, he was the son of Björn Thorbjarnarson and Margaret Thorbjarnarson. Björn was a chief surgeon in the New York Hospital and professor at Cornell, he was born in the west fjords of Iceland and left for America in the late 1940s. Björn and Margaret had four children, John, Kathy, Paul and Lisa, but my mother, or mothers – Bjorns identical twin girls, Kristin and Gudrun were born and raised in Iceland.

It was a great adventure for a young child to get to know this part of the family, afi, Peggy and the cool bunch of teenagers living in the big white house in the suburbs of New Jersey. They had all kinds of animals, a dog and cats but Johns bedroom was a whole universe. He had a small caiman and in a glass cage – a huge boa constrictor. We could handle it and it would even swim with us in the pool. John was a very charming young man, entertaining and funny – John’s path in life was a perfect example of following your childhood dreams. In an interview John was asked when he got interested in crocodiles he answered:

“I remember in the late 60s watching a television program, I think by National Geographic, on the alligators in the Everglades. I was very moved by the whole thing, droughts were affecting the wildlife and hunters were taking alligators and I remember thinking that I wanted to work on alligators when I grew up. ”

Here you can see when his childhood dream had come true – on National Geographic, where he probably inspired other children:

Maybe it should not be called a childhood dream – perhaps something more like a calling. We always knew that his job was not exactly the safest on the planet – but he always said that snakes and crocodiles were not the greatest dangers. Traffic, food or disease was a far bigger risk.

We were proud to see John in a National Geographic show or in a New York Times interview and it was great to hear that his work was actually effective. He was a scientist, specialized in cold blooded animals but himself full of warmth with a strong human touch – he could act as a peacekeeper between people and the creatures they feared the most, he could eliminate prejudice and create understanding for the graceful but unpopular creatures in the crocodile family. He could get people to understand that a crocodile is a healthy sign in an ecosystem – not some kind of a pest to be exterminated. By destroying the habitat of the crocodile, the wetlands, swamps and rivers, people would eventually harm their own existence. He was realistic and understood that people needed a source of living – and by promoting sustainable hunting the long term benefit of a species could be secured.

John came to Iceland a few times for a visit – Iceland is one of few places in the world without any reptiles, no snakes, frogs or lizards. He came with his father to visit his birthplace – Bildudalur in the west fjords. John was a distant roll model for us – it is hard to catch up with somebody that spends his time in Asia, South – America and Africa – but his traveling around the world became a part of our identity. Our own life was not always an interesting subject at a dinner party, but we could always impress people by saying that some day – in the future, (when the kids become a bit older) – we would go as volunteers and catch anacondas or caimans with uncle John for a few weeks. Those plans have changed – but his memory will still inspire us and we will tell our children about his work. Thanks to John and people like him – the animals will be there to be researched.

John was in India to give a course at the Wildlife Institute when he succumbed to a severe case of falciparum malaria. He will be sadly missed by his colleagues and friends. The loss is even greater for the family as his brother, Paul died in 1996. John has two sisters in the United states and two in Iceland and a big family on both sides that misses him. It is because of men like John that many endangered species still exist on this planet. It is because of men like him that we know that childhood dreams are something you can follow. Our thoughts and prayers are with afi and Peggy.

Dreamland will participate in a few nordic film festivals next week and author Andri Snær Magnason will participate in readings, debates and q&a’s after the film.

READING IN HELSINKI THURSDAY

On thursday Andri is having a reading in Helsinki in Nifin. 

DOCPOINT HELSINKI

Dreamland is the opening film of DocPoint Helsinki and is proud to be the opening film of the first DocPoint festival in Tallinn.On Friday Andri Snær Magnason, one of the directors will attend a screening of Dreamland in Helsinki and answer questions from the audience.

GÖTEBORG FILM FESTIVAL

Dreamland has been invited to the Göteborg film festival. Here is some information about the screenings, saturday the 30th of january – (sold out), sunday and monday.

PANEL DISCUSSION GÖTEBORG

On sunday, january 31 at 17:00 there will be a panel discussion based on Dreamland and the film festivals concept, Sharing. Among participants in the panel is mr. K-G Hammar – former Arch Bishop. Here is some information:

Sunday. 31. January. 17.00 Atalante. Sharing: The Resources of nature

The environment is what we all share. The question is how we share it. In his documentary Dreamland, Andri Snær Magnason focuses on the crossroads at which the Icelandic nation stands: should they put their money in the aluminum industry or concentrate on preserving the Icelandic nature? What is the value of a mountain? Snær Magnason´s film serves as a starting point for a panel discussion about the good and bad consequences of globalization, and about the role film and art at large can play in relation to environmental issues. 

Moderator: Anders Johansson, PhD in Literature Panel: Andri Snær Magnason, director, K-G Hammar, Visiting Professor in Theology, Caroline Peterson from the magazine Camino, and Tyrone Martinsson, photographer and researcher. The seminar will be held in English. A co-operation between Göteborg International Filmfestival, Glänta, Göteborgs Fria Tidning and Svenska Kyrkan

In Oslo there is a Human wrongs film festival 3rd – 7th of february 2010 where you can see Dreamland. In Copenhagen there will be a screening the 4th of February 2010 in Nordatlantens brygge. Andri Magnason will attend the screening. 

CINEMA POLITICA

Last but not least – if you are in Canada – screenings by Cinema Politica in University Campuses are going on. Toronto tomorrow. More info here.

Full house in Concordia the 25th, more than 500 people. Thursday screening in Toronto and more to come in Canada. Here is a very good review about Dreamland from the website www.artthreat.net. Dreamland loves Cinema Politica – what a great partner to show the film:

One of the best environmental films ever made, Dreamland shakes the soul

by EZRA WINTON on JANUARY 24, 2010

Here is the review on www.artthreat.net

There is one reason, above all the others, that the Academy Awards are not worth paying any attention to this year: the documentary Dreamland is not up for best picture, best documentary, or best anything.

Once every five to ten years a film comes along that shakes your soul, rattles the cage of your conscience, and awakes you from a media-immersed cryogenic dream state. The technical perfection and power of the message rearrange the synopsis in your circuitry and leaves you feeling like a wave of clarity and inspiration has washed over you. This sermon on the mount, the audiovisual awakening that has knocked me from safe and comfortable passage into a world I had temporarily forgotten was there, is the magnificent breathtaking political documentary Dreamland.

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Cinema Politica.

Dreamland is being screened in various universities in Canada by Cinema Politica. The film has been very well received by the people of Cinema Politica and call Dreamland, “One of the best environmental films ever made.” - Here is a film review from The Concordian.