Stupidity (2015)

She wanted him to see her. To alert him. There were no secrets. There were six webcams in their bedroom, another in the living room, three in the kitchen, even one in the bathroom. There was a security camera in the garden and all the other gardens on the street, not to mention four surveillance drones that cruised around the gravel paths, and satellite images on the internet. No longer could one screw behind a locked door, no longer could one shit in private. And why should they want to do that anyway? There was nothing shameful about shitting or screwing.

At an unspecified point in the future, under the watchful eyes of the surveillance state, authors and former spouses Aki and Lenita do everything they can to move on from one another. Meanwhile, life proceeds as usual. Books are published and either receive awards or don’t. Early in the year, the sun inches its way over the mountain and shines on the residents of Isafjordur, the scent of baked goods wafts out of The Old Bakery, and art students up from Reykjavik hole up in the abandoned shrimp factory. Then the electricity begins to flicker.

A novel about seeing everything and being observed everywhere, about man’s uncontrollable curiosity and his need to be noticed, about worthless literature and art, and—most importantly—about the likelihood of difference, about vanity, love, and betrayal. And last, but not least, about the future.

The Transfug Awards as the best Nordic novel in France 2017

“Stupidity is a grand book. Despite being much shorter than its sister books, Kindness (2009) and Evil (2012), it touches ground near and far and deals fiercely with many of our modern controversies […] Eiríkur’s style is as always direct and concise. He has a unique talent for presenting intricate and complex ideas in a raw and yet clear manner […] In Stupidity Eiríkur creates, with exceeding innovation, a future which is in many ways almost identical to our own. In this future people try to find purpose, the main protagonists look for it in the world of art, in creation and recognition, while the dark history of western civilization and an uncertain future looms over everything. […] Because who can live in splendour while others suffer? How many cat videos on YouTube must an Icelander watch to forget the overloaded boats in the Mediterranean?“ SOLVEIG ASTA SIGURDARDOTTIR, TMM LITERARY MAGAZINE