Karítas Hrundar Pálsdóttir’s First Novella Is Released

 Sögu Ríkari, Karítas Hrundar Pálsdóttir’s First Novella Is Released

By Jenna Grace Sciuto

Karítas Hrundar Pálsdóttir reading from her new novel, Sögu Ríkari

On the eve of June 17th, Icelandic National Day (Gleðilegan þjóðhátíðardag!), a crowd gathered at the Penninn Eymundsson bookstore on Skólavörðustígur in Reykjavík. We had joined together to toast the release of Karítas Hrundar Pálsdóttir’s new book and first novella, Sögu Ríkari (Benedikt, 2026) on the day of its publication.

Sögu Ríkari centers on two friends, Lovísa and Patricia, who travel together to Kyoto, Japan. The air was abuzz with enthusiasm as cups of matcha were passed around the room.

Serving Macha at the reading

As the novella takes place in Kyoto, real Japanese matcha tea from Yuyu Reykjavík was provided for the occasion (as well as a lovely iced green tea!). In addition to the toast, Karítas spoke about the book and read an excerpt for her eager audience, before mingling with the attendees and signing books.

Karítas is the first writer from Iceland to earn a PhD in Creative Writing, which she did in 2024 from the University of East Anglia. She is known for her collections of short stories in easy Icelandic or “sögur á einföldu máli,” such as Árstíðir (Una, 2020), Dagatal (Una, 2022), and Vikuspá (Benedikt, 2025). Her latest collection Vikuspá was released last year, along with her monograph Readaptation Narratives in Sojourner Literature: The Dis- and Re-Orientation of Returning Home (Palgrave Macmillan 2025)—a testament to Karítas’ prolific career.

As a September 2022 INLUS Author’s Corner Alum, many members of the Icelandic National League of the United States (INLUS) know Karítas’s work well. She is particularly beloved among my fellow reading group participants. Árstíðir was one of the group’s first reads (before my time!). We recently completed Dagatal and are eager to begin Vikuspá this fall. We meet on Sunday nights on Zoom at 7pm CST/8pm EST and are always eager for new members!

(L-R) Karítas Hrundar Pálsdóttir and Jenna Grace Sciuto displaying Sögu Ríkari

I am grateful as a US-based writer and professor to be in Reykjavík for this event and to have the opportunity to celebrate Karítas in-person. This summer I am in Iceland to gather research for my next book, but also to follow in the footsteps of many other INLUS members and participate in the Árni Magnússon Institute for Icelandic Studies (Árnastofnun) Summer School in Modern Icelandic Language and Culture. In addition to language courses, students learn about Icelandic culture, history, geology, and literature through lectures and field trips. There is both an on-campus program at the University of Iceland and an entirely online program. More information can be found here: https://arnastofnun.is/en/international-summer-school-modern-icelandic-language-culture

Jenna Grace Sciuto is Professor of Global Anglophone Literature at the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts. She has published extensively on Icelandic, US Southern, and Caribbean literatures, and she is an INLUS Author’s Corner Alum from March 2025.