Live Reading | Memoirs of a Hunter by Ivan Turgenev

How does it sound to sit down at the library in the afternoon, grab a cup of coffee, and listen to a live book reading? 

This spring, cozy reading sessions will be offered at the Reykjavík City Library in Úlfarsárdal. Passages will be read from last year’s most popular books, and guests can settle in and enjoy listening to the reading led by Sunna Dís Másdóttir — writer and former literary critic for Kiljan (RUV). There will also be an opportunity for light conversation after the reading for those interested. 

This time, we will read from Memoirs of a Hunter by Ivan Turgenev, translated into Icelandic by Áslaug Agnarsdóttir. Áslaug received the 2025 Icelandic Translation Prize for her translation of the work. 

About the book: 

One of the masterpieces of world literature. In the book, the narrator travels through the Russian countryside and encounters landowners, stewards, peasants, and peasant women, along with other memorable characters. He depicts these people in a realistic and striking manner, yet the work is no less a tribute to the Russian landscape—the birch forests and the rural countryside. 

The great writer Ivan Turgenev became aware early in life of the harsh conditions faced by Russian peasants and the mercilessness of those who ruled over them. He grew up on his mother’s estate; she was known for being exceptionally harsh and cruel, and she controlled more than five thousand “souls,” as serfs were commonly called. Turgenev’s experiences from his childhood became the inspiration for this book, A Sportsman’s Sketches, which is now being published in Icelandic for the first time. 

When the book was published in 1852, Turgenev was arrested and exiled to his family’s estate. The book is said to have had a significant influence on Tsar Alexander II, who eventually took the momentous step of abolishing serfdom in 1861. Áslaug Agnarsdóttir translated the work into Icelandic and wrote the afterword. 

Guests are encouraged to bring their swimsuits, as it’s possible to take a dip in Dalslaug swimming pool before or after the reading.  

Let’s come together and enjoy a cozy moment at the library.  

All are welcome. 

The reading is in Icelandic.  

Event on Facebook.

For further information, contact: 

Þorgerður Agla Magnúsdóttir, Project Manager | Literature and Reading Promotion 
thorgerdur.agla.magnusdottir@reykjavik.is 

Tinna Birna Björnsdóttir | Events 
Tinna.birna.bjornsdottir@reykjavik.is