Translator in the spotlight: Hallfríður Maria Pálsdóttir

The next translator in the series is Icelandic Hallfríður Maria Pálsdóttir. We asked Halla to answer a few questions about herself:

Who are you?

I‘m a retired old lady.

What have you translated?

Three books in english and  the fourth is in translation. Six books in Icelandic and the 7th is in process. All by Jógvan Isaksen.

Why do you love Faroese literature?

I just love the Faroese language! I liked the first crime books By Jógvan Isaksen when they were published in Iceland in the nineties. His books had not been translated since  2006, and I bought some in Faroese when visiting the Faroe Islands. Then I saw that you could only buy one book at that time in english by Jógvan, and that  was Walpurgis Tide. The other book we found in english was the Tower at the Edge of the World by William Heinesen. We bought both for our British friends, who were with us.  Isaksen is my favorite. I like his Nordic Noir and how he blends history, geography  and current affairs in Faroese society into his crime stories.

Provide a short translated excerpt of your choosing.

Nú nemur nóttin við smærur.

Nú dimmir í blánandi hlíðum.

Nú heyrist svo næturvær

ymur af hljóðlátum iðum.

- Christian Matras

          Pg. 7 in  Dauðir dansa á Sandi (currently in translation into Icelandic).

Blood leaked from the neck of the headless man. The burgundy coloured carpet in front of the bed was soaked with blood, which had also sprayed onto the wall opposite. Aside from that, the hotel room in the city center just looked peaceful. There had clearly been no struggle here. Just a pure execution.

Pg. 23 in Adventus Domini (currently in translation into English)