Svava Jakobsdottir  (1930–2004) was a groundbreaking author in Iceland at a time when the island was a nation in flux. She published, among others, ten collections of short stories that often depict the lives of women, and which hold a special place in Icelandic literature and women’s history. In addition to being acclaimed as a playwright, literary scholar, and novelist, Jakobsdóttir was also a leading figure in the campaign for women’s rights, a vocal Member of Parliament, and a delegate to the United Nations. Her transformative work as both a politician, activist, and writer continues to wield a great deal of influence in Icelandic culture.

Esja Alyssa Matich  is a poet and translator of Icelandic and other Nordic languages. Her translations include Magnús Sigurðsson’s Cold Moons and Ásta Sigurðardóttir‘s Nothing to be Rescued. She’s received support for her work from UNESCO, PEN America, the Fulbright Commission, the National Endowment for the Arts, and others. Matich is a newly minted Icelandic citizen, as well as one of few immigrant members of the Writers Union of Iceland, a step she considers quintessential to her life as an immigrant in Iceland.