Cow Seal relates the hard battle to stay alive at the edge of the world in a few formidable words.

Gerdur Kristny has long been one of Iceland’s most popular poets, with a unique feeling of her own for the nuance of the language. Her poetry volumes Bloodhoof, Drápa – A Reykjavik Murder Mystery and Reykjavik Requiem were received with admiration and interest, not least for their compelling subject matter and innovative presentation, and a new volume of Gerdur Kristny’s verse never fails to be the best kind of news.

• The Icelandic Women’s Literature Prize 2023
• Nominated for the May Star Poetry Prize 2023
• The Icelandic Booksellers‘ Prize for Best Poetry Book of 2022 (3rd place)

R E V I E W S

“A powerful book.”
EGILL HELGASON, KILJAN/NATIONAL TV

“…an original book, the reader is spellbound, and this critic found it difficult to stop reading.”
INGIBJORG I. AUDUNARDOTTIR, MORGUNBLADID DAILY

“Everything here bears witness to a mastery of the written word, clear and simple pictures are drawn with a few words, opening vistas.
Gerdur is a remarkable poet, weaving her poetry with discipline and an unwavering acuteness.”
PALL BALDVIN BALDVINSSON, STUNDIN

“Grabbing this book and reading it is sheer pleasure.
Every word is in its place, each one so strong, and everyone exactly where it should be.”
STEINGERDUR.BLOG.IS

“In a way, the poetry collection Cow Seal can be read as an ode of gratitude to the foremothers, those who were here before us; despite endless catastrophe, loss, cold, and treacherous summers, they trudged onward, not giving up, they kept going so that we, the Icelandic readers of this work, could be born here and live here.
Let us keep that in mind when yet another yellow, red or pink weather warning hovers over our island during winter, and we keep ourselves warm under our cosy duvets, watching Netflix.”
VERA KNUTSDOTTIR, BOKMENNTIR.IS