Iceland entered modernity with a group of artists who did nothing more or less than express their pre-modern selves in modern forms.
Sker and Stampur (?), off Dyrhólaey
Ásmundur Sveinsson’s “Music of the Ocean, Magnifier”
Icelanders did it themselves, with nothing but their rock in the ocean, in other words with everything that they had. Inspiring.
A Farm in Iceland 
Beautiful land, peaceful egalitarian people!
When you live on rock erupting from a mid-oceanic rift, it’s always very clear that all you have is each other and all you have for the future is your children. Plus horses.
Have you ever thought of immigrating there full time? Seems like a excellent place to spend the rest of your life.
Oh, indeed. But it’s not in the cards. For one, I’m not a wealthy man. For another, I don’t have an EU passport. But I can visit, right? For sure!
Well, on the bright side, Canada is close enough for frequent travel. However, you are accomplished as an academic, is it not possible for you to apply for some sort of scholarly post in one of Iceland’s universities. Even if they tell you there is no opening, it doesn’t hurt to do so repeatedly, or perhaps indirectly by fostering some sort of contact through exchange of papers or networking. I’m sure you have considered all avenues, but I feel you are so close it would be a shame not to go all in. Sometimes, I am amazed at how fast remote things can happen when they do happen.