Arnaldúr Indridason, 2000

 Republic, island, North Atlantic Ocean, Icelandic  318,452 people on 1. January 2011  Reykjavik, capital city, around 120,000 people  Climate: mild, warmed by Gulf Stream  Geological fault line: lava fields, geysers, volcanoes  Few forests, farming along the coast line  Thingvellir – the Althing  Arctic foxes, whales, nesting sea birds, puffins

Iceland

Reykjavik – “Bay of Smokes”

Established by the Norseman Ingolfúr Arnason around AD 870 The city was founded in 1786 as a trading town Greater Reykjavik ~200,000 people Shortest day: 4 hours of daylight, Summer: night almost as bright as the day 1986 Reykjavik Summit – Reagan and Gorbachev Björk, Sigur Rós

Iceland - History

 End of 9 th century – Ingolfúr Arnason  Norwegians, migrants from British Isles  930: the Althing, world’s first parliamentary system  1262 Norwegian control  Kalmar Union 1397 – Denmark, Norway, Sweden  Remained under Danish rule in 1814  1874 Constitution  1904: Home Rule  1918: recognized as sovereign state  Occupied by British and American troops during WW2  June 17 th , 1944: Republic of Iceland  UN 1946, NATO 1949, EU application 2009

 Born in Reykjavik in 1961  Most popular writer in Iceland  History degree from U of Iceland  Journalist, freelancer, film critic  First Detective Erlendur book in 1997, now 11 books  26 countries, 14 languages  Lives in Reykjavik with wife and 3 children

Arnaldúr Indridason

Jar City - Characters

         Erlendur – Detective Inspector, Reykjavik Police, 50, divorced Sigurdur Oli – colleague Elinborg – female colleague Eva Lind – daughter, drug addict, pregnant Sindri Snaer, son, alcoholic, rehab Holberg – murder victim Kolbrun, rape victim # 1 Elin, Kolbrun’s sister Runar, retired police officer – rejected Kolbrun’s case         Ellidi – scumbag friend, in jail now, violent Marion Briem – retired detective Gretar – friend who disappeared Klara – Gretar’s sister Hanna – Head of the University of Iceland’s Faculty of Medicine Katrin – rape victim # 2 Ragnar – head of forensics Einar – youngest son of Katrin, biologist, expert on genetic diseases

Summary

          It RAINS non-stop throughout the novel Holberg is murdered, cryptic note – ”a pathetic Icelandic murder” (7)

Sidestories:

Young man attacks elderly sisters Young woman runs away from her wedding They find the photo of Audur’s grave, find Audur and her mother – both dead Discover Holberg was a rapist Visits Elin, sister of raped woman Kolbrun Visits Runar – he threw out the case, humiliated Kolbrun Eva Lind decides to keep baby Holberg had lots of hard-core porn on his computer           Visit to Ellidi in prison, discover another rape victim in Husavik Visits doctor who diagnosed Audur with brain tumor and was drunk at the time Erlendur keeps dreaming about children, has pains, and smokes too much Gretar disappeared in 1974 – the last of the three, took photographs Erlendur digs up Audur’s coffin, but her brain is missing Visits Marion Briem who was in charge of the police case at the time, mentor 2 men come to collect Eva’s debt – fight, Erlendur pays off a sum Jar City (141) – organs kept in formalin in glass jars, for teaching Klara, Gretar’s sister has his camera The run-away bride is found, was abused by father, returns to husband

        

Summary 2

Erlendur yells at daughter for wasting her life Marion reminds him Holberg’s house was built on marsh land They check the house and notice the smell Forensics tear away the floor It takes a long time, but they finally find Gretar’s body wrapped in plastic Elin calls Erlendur and says she has seen Holberg outside her house Nobody who has disappeared ever comes back (193) Hanna sends Erlendur to doctor who collects organs Elinborg finds the woman from Husavik, rape victim # 2, Katrin           Katrin admits to being raped but says her son was born 2 years later They find rolls of film along with Gretar, one picture shows a man and woman Katrin’s youngest son, Einar, works at the Genetic Research Center Erlendur finds Audur’s brain – she died from a genetic disease The Genetic Research Center is the new Jar City (249) Katrin tells them Einar knows he is Holberg’s son; his daughter died at 7 Einar disappears with Audur’s body Einar wants to re-bury Audur Einar shoots himself, Erlendur buries Audur Erlendur wants Eva Lind to name her daughter Audur

Jar City

 Detective Erlendur and his relationship with his children, esp.:  Daughter Eva Lind  Icelandic Murders  Names  Smoking etc.

 The title of the book 

Themes:

 Iceland today  Rape, abuse of women  Police corruption,  Drug and alcohol abuse,  Police fatigue and despair  The Individual