The stories here committed to paper in English are taken from the wide array of tales that Vestfirska forlagið has published in the last 15 years about the Westfjords and the people who live there.

“It may be said that black humour and a degree of sarcasm are evident in the character and manner of the people of the Westfjords, who are not averse to poking fun at themselves or their best friends. A great deal of affection is to be detected in this behaviour and it warms people’s hearts when they have been mercilessly mocked by their friends. Then they know that they are being remembered. The locals of the Westfjords have been toughened by their environment and they have endured rough conditions for hundreds of years. They have lived off fish and other bounty that the sea has brought when other Icelanders starved to death or fell victim to plagues. They are more stubborn than sheep and to this day they believe that their proximity to the fishing grounds will save them as before.”