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This year, Iceland Naturally welcomes Author Andri Snær Magnason to Taste of Iceland in Minneapolis - with a special event on time at water at Water Bar & Public Studio.

About Author Andri Snær Magnason:

Andri Snær Magnason is an Icelandic writer, born in Reykjavik on July 14, 1973. Andri has written novels, poetry, plays, short stories, essays, and films. He studied Icelandic literature at the University of Iceland. His 2002 novel LoveStar received a Philip K. Dick Award special citation and won the Grand prix de l’Imaginaire in France and Novel of the Year in Iceland.The Story of the Blue Planet was the first children’s book to receive the Icelandic Literary Prize and has been published or performed in thirty-five countries. It also received the 2000 Janusz Korczak Honorary Award in Poland. Andri has collaborated with various artists. He has been active in the fight for preserving the nature of Iceland. His book Dreamland: A Self-Help Manual for a Frightened Nation takes on these issues and has sold more than 20,000 copies in Iceland. He co-directed Dreamland, a feature-length documentary film based on the book. Footage from and an interview with Andri can be seen in Charles Ferguson’s Oscar-winning documentary Inside Job. His most recent book, The Casket of Time, has now been published in about ten languages and was nominated in 2016 as the best fantasy book in Finland, along with books by Ursula K. Le Guin and David Mitchell. Andri Snær lives in Reykjavik with his wife Margrét and four children.

On Time and Water:

During the next 100 years we can expect to see a fundamental change in all the elements of water on our planet. Many glaciers will melt and sea levels will rise at a faster rate than has been seen before. Acidification will bring the oceans to a pH level not seen in 30 million years. Patterns of rain and snow will change dramatically in most areas. We could say that nature is not changing in geological speed anymore, but entering human speed. This extreme shift is larger than any metaphor or any words or language we are used to. Just like the huge gravity of a black hole makes it invisible, you could say that this issue is so large that it swallows all words and meaning. We hear words like “climate change,” but for most people they are just white noise - 99% of the real meaning is not included in our imagination. To describe a black hole you look at the surrounding galaxies and to understand these issues. Andri weaves a web of stories from mythology, to his grandmother’s honeymoon on Europe’s largest glacier, to our understanding of our intimate time.

We’re faced with the almost impossible task of cutting carbon emissions to zero in 2050 according to newest studies. The question is – are we too late to do something? What can actually be done in 30 years? This calls for nothing less than a new scientific revolution, projects on the scale of the Manhattan project, new paradigms and a new approach to almost everything done in the 20th century. This huge narrative should be a source of motivation for all science studies in the next decades.

About This Event / Taste of Iceland:

Taste of Iceland returns to Minneapolis from May 2-5 for a weekend packed with cultural fun. Presented by Iceland Naturally, the festival will host a variety of fun, free events throughout Minneapolis that highlight Iceland’s cuisine, music, literature and film. Admission to the events is granted on a first-come, first-served basis, so be sure to get there early! Find more information on Taste of Iceland Minneapolis at http://bit.ly/TOIMinneapolis2019.

Event Partners include Global Minnesota, Honorary Consulate of Iceland in Minnesota, Water Bar & Public Studio, University of Minnesota Water Council, University of Minnesota Institute on the Environment (IonE), Minnesota Trade Office, About Taste of Iceland in Minneapolis.

Where: Water Bar and Public Studio

When: May 3rd at 4:00 p.m.