Embroidery (2019)

A riveting story of a young woman who takes fate into her own hands. A genuinely entertaining story, rich in thrilling plot twists and incredible events!

How do you turn old gold into priceless treasure?

At the turn of the 20th century, Sigurlina finds herself in a hopeless situation. She is the motherless daughter of an eccentric father, who expects her to spend her life helping him catalogue Icelandic archaeological artifacts.

But Sigurlina has her own ambitions of education and excitement and after a harrowing experience, takes fate into her own hands. She disappears from Reykjavik, along with a historical relic from her father's collection. Through a series of incredible events, the artifact is unveiled at The Metropolitan Museum of New York. Meanwhile, officials in Iceland launch their own investigation into the theft of the artifact.

A tragicomic tale about the preservation of cultural treasure, an intriguing perspective on the coincidences that have determined their place in history and a thrilling and winding story of the human fates that underpin it all.

• Icelandic Winner of The European Union Prize for Literature (EUPL) 2021

“Embroidery is written by an author with a clear artistic vision and a strong command of form and style. The story is by no means a traditional coming-of-age story, but rather a merciless twisting and turning of every tradition. The narrative is concise and free of verbosity. Subtle suggestions excite in the reader a desire to keep up with the story as it steams ahead, providing surprises at every turn and finally cutting short all expectations of a traditional ending. The story also explores how the cultural identity of a nation is being shaped, a nation which at the turn of the 20th century was one of Europe’s poorest and least developed. How do events acquire historical significance? How are cultural values created? Every aspect comes into play: the nation’s heritage and the shaky foundations on which the historical perspective of each society is built, but also class divisions, the position of women in society, Iceland’s position in the world, the position of foreign labour in New York at the end of the 19th century, and last but not least the narrative form. Embroidery is a work of fiction that is both original and modern, but at the same time extremely accessible and entertaining.” JURY REPORT, EUROPEAN UNION PRIZE FOR LITERATURE 2021