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Icelandic Novelist Sjón’s Secret Weapon

Icelandic writer Sjón shows the BBC’s Andrea Kidd his secret weapon - an antiquarian bookstore in Reykjavik, before travelling to his other place of inspiration , his writing hut

As well as being one of Iceland’s most popular novelists, Sjón is also a poet, screenwriter and lyricist - he was Oscar nominated for “I’ve seen it all,” the song he created with the singer Björk . He takes his inspiration from the country’s rugged, icy landscape, Icelandic history and myths. He shows the BBC’s Andrea Kidd his secret research weapon, his favourite antiquarian bookstore in central Reykjavik, as he scours its shelves for books to inform and inspire his latest novel, based on the dark history of Icelandic neo-Nazis. We then travel to his small hut on the south coast of the island, a place where he finds the peace and quiet he needs in order to create his works.

Producer: Andrea Kidd

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27 minutes

Last on

Tue 13 Feb 201823:32GMT

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  • Tue 13 Feb 201823:32GMT