Pedro Gunnlaugur Garcia
was born in Lisbon in 1983 – to an Icelandic mother and Portuguese father. Raised mostly in Reykjavík, he graduated from the University of Iceland with a Bachelor´s degree in Sociology and a Master’s in Culture and Communication. He is known for his poignant and introspective works, use of magical realism and exploration of the complexities of human relationships and the challenges of intimacy and communication.
His first novel, Languageless (Málleysingjarnir, 2019), won him the New Voices grant from the Icelandic Literature Center and was well received by readers and reviewers alike for being powerful and written with uncommon assuredness for a debut. It‘s a surreal examination of the limits of humanity and language.
His second novel, Lungs (Lungu, 2022) was an immediate success and received the prestigious Icelandic Literary Prize 2022. Featuring life-saving olives, flying women, gigantic roosters, psychic sex and forbidden love, the story is propelled imaginatively from one generation to the next – encompassing many of life’s tragedies and fleeting moments of happiness.