Icelanders became known for their literary skills as long ago as the Middle Ages. They composed tributes to Norwegian kings in intricate verse, and they penned the unique sagas on vellum.

In this volume we visit the former homes of some of Iceland’s literary giants, and museums that commemorate them, from the medieval geothermal pool of Snorri Sturluson at Reykholt to the swimming pool at Gljúfrasteinn, home of Nobel prize-winner Halldór Laxness. In the north we visit the birthplace of Jónas Hallgrímsson, and in Akureyri the homes of three writers: Jón Sveinsson, Davíð Stefánsson and Matthías Jochumsson. Gunnar Gunnarsson’s home at Skriðuklaustur is unique and impressive, and at Hali in the south we learn about Þórbergur Þórðarson.

But our journey begins at the Culture House in Reykjavík, where Iceland’s priceless medieval manuscripts are on display – the nation’s literary heritage.