On Christmas Eve, you and your loved ones gather indoors while the snow softly falls outside. You gift and receive books and then sit down to read them over a mug of hot chocolate. It may sound like a romanticised dream, but Jólabókaflóðið, the Yule Book Flood, is a beloved annual ritual for many Icelanders.
Although contemporary Iceland has one of the world’s greatest rates of book reading, the country’s literary heritage dates back to the Great Icelandic Sagas. Among Icelanders, one-third read a book every day. Ninety-three percent of the population reads a book annually, and fifty percent read an astounding eight novels per year. However, it’s not all reading; in fact, one study found that ten percent of Icelanders will go on to write a book!
How exactly does the country’s robust literary landscape translate into to this joyous reading festival?
The concept of the Book Flood began in more troubled times. World War Two restrictions saw limited imports of potential Christmas gifts to the country. Neutrality during the War had protected the Icelandic economy to some extent, and, as the rest of Europe began to rebuild their economies, Icelanders found they had relatively high levels of income to buy Christmas gifts with, though import restrictions saw limited options on what to buy.
Books became the gift of choice and with the first publication of the Journal of Books catalogue (Bókatíðindi) in 1944 readers were spoilt for choice. To this day, every Icelandic household still receives a copy of the annual book catalogue in which publishers announce upcoming books.
Some may think the long Icelandic winter nights are the reason the nation’s reading culture flourishes, but there are plenty of other diversions in today’s modern world. Nonetheless, Icelandic society has stuck to its traditional values, even as other nations have embraced more interactive forms of entertainment.
TV is still a relative newcomer into Icelandic society – there were no TV programmes in July until 1983 and Thursdays remained a TV free zone until 1986! Books became the natural choice to entertain, especially during those long winter nights, and it’s a tradition that still holds firm against modern competition today.
Of course, for the tradition to continue nearly 80 years on from its inception, there needs to be a market for book sales to make it commercially viable. There is no indication that the market is diminishing. Book sales in Iceland rose by 30% during the pandemic and now publishers time their releases to maximise sales in the Book Flood period.
Icelanders buy an average of 2.1 books per person to gift at Christmas, with November and December giving publishers their highest sales of the year. Over eighty percent of annual book sales are made in just those two months.
Rooted in literary tradition though it is, Book Flood is far from the stereotypical image of a solo reader sat at home like it may suggest. There is a jam-packed schedule of events leading up to Christmas, including readings in bookstores, cafe book groups, and author talks. The act of exchanging books is highly prized, and the entire “flood” has a festival atmosphere.
While international audiences are becoming more familiar with Icelandic literature, with writers such as Ragnar Jónasson, Arnaldur Indridason and Yrsa Sigurðardóttir becoming internationally known for their works in translation, home audiences are clamouring for own-language works. A recent survey shows sixty-five percent of Icelanders prefer to read material in their native language.
An old Icelandic proverb states; “It’s better to be barefoot than bookless”, a reflection of the country’s staunch devotion to literature.
Readers across the world have already fallen in love with Icelandic novels, perhaps it is also time for us to grab that mug of hot chocolate on Christmas Eve and embrace the tradition of Jólabókaflóðið!
Feature by Glen Pearce for Nordic Watchlist.
