On the square in front of the Parliament Building, Austurvöllur, you can listen to a reading from the historical novel The Blue Tower by Thórarinn Eldjárn (b. 1949).
The novel is based on the strange life of Guðmundur Andrésson who lived in the 17th century and was imprisoned in Copenhagen's infamous Blue Tower for demonstrating against Stóridómur (The Great Edict, a strict morality law set by the Danish colonial authorities in Iceland). In prison, he reflects back on his life and tries to make sense of his fate.
The Blue Tower was published in an English translation in 1999 by Mare's Nest and has received nominations for several prestigious literary awards. It was nominated for the European Prize for Literature as well as being short listed for the Aristeion Literary Prize.
You can listen to Thórarinn Eldjárn read the same excerpt in Icelandic on the Icelandic version of this website.
Read by Darren Foreman
Translation: Bernard Scudder. Published by Mare's Nest in 1999
Recorded by Jórunn Sigurðardóttir, the Icelandic National Broadcasting