In 1939, the Icelandic author Gunnar Gunnarsson built a German farm in North East Iceland, next door to the farm on which he was born. In 1940, he went on a politically complex speaking tour in wartime Germany. In 2013, the Canadian author Harold Rhenisch (That’s me, hi!) who was raised on a German farm in Canada built on similar principles to Gunnarsson’s, will stay in Gunnarsson’s house. It will be a homecoming, of language, land, and an old agricultural dream. While there, I (Hi! That’s me, too) will demonstrate that Gunnarsson’s novels and his German speech were a form of nonfiction writing ahead of their time. This is their time.
Over the past 31 years I have published 27 books, including poetry, fiction, memoir, translation, innovative-form nonfiction, and photographic books on environmental themes. I live in the volcanic Columbia River Plateau in British Columbia, Canada, where I write the environmental blog okanaganokanogan, which I am using as an exploration of the unity of science and literature. For stories, photos, and more information, please click an image below.
Gunnar Gunnarsson found his way home. I am walking with him to see where he went. I hope you can come along.
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Casseroles for the neighbours are optional in Hellissandur.
A Farm in Iceland 
wait… what? 🙂 love posts that make me put my nose right to the screen.
Well, a school or a playground or a sports field, perhaps, but, really, when the elves are living in the rocks on a house lot, you can’t build a house on top, because that would just be weird and unneighbourly, right? A little respect goes a long way.