''Dreamland: A Self-Help Manual for a Frightened Nation'' (in the original is, Draumalandið — Sjálfshjálparbók handa hræddri þjóð, italic=yes) is a book by the Icelandic author
Andri Snær Magnason.
It became the number one best-selling book in Iceland in 2006, and was winner of the
Icelandic Literary Award, and the Icelandic Bookseller Prize the same year.
The English edition of the book has a foreword by the Icelandic artist
Björk
Björk Guðmundsdóttir ( , ; born 21 November 1965), known mononymously as Björk, is an Icelandic singer, songwriter, composer, record producer, and actress. Noted for her distinct three-octave vocal range and eccentric persona, she has de ...
.
Content
''Dreamland'' is Andri Snaer Magnason's critique against the current decision taken by the Icelandic government to dam Iceland's rivers in order to produce energy that can be delivered to
aluminium smelters. Magnason describes how Iceland's government actively have pursued the idea to attract foreign aluminium companies to Iceland with the promise of the "cheapest energy in the world". The government advertisement described Iceland's energy potential as 30 TWh/year (3.4 GW annual mean). Magnason argues in the book that in order to accomplish this, the majority of
Iceland's rivers
On an island like Iceland, the rivers are short in length. None of the rivers are important as a means of navigation due to the impracticality of settlements in the Highlands of Iceland where they originate.
South
* Hvítá
* Krossá
*Kúðaflj ...
would need to be exploited.
It is set up as a series of thoughts on issues in modern
Iceland and the past Iceland and deals heavily with the
Kárahnjúkar Hydropower Plant
Kárahnjúkar Hydropower Plant ( is, Kárahnjúkavirkjun ), officially called Fljótsdalur Power Station ( is, Fljótsdalsstöð ) is a hydroelectric power plant in Fljótsdalshérað municipality in eastern Iceland, designed to produce annually ...
and other similar works being done. It was the best sold book in Iceland in 2006 and raised Icelanders' interest in
environmentalism by a large amount. In the book the Icelandic nation is encouraged to look to more "futuristic" types of business than
aluminium processing and to stop believing that they can't do anything for themselves.
Bibliographical details and translations
* Andri Snær Magnason, ''Draumalandið: Sjálfshjálparbók handa hræddri þjóð'' (Reykjavík: Mál og menning, 2006)
riginal* ''Dreamland: A Self-Help Manual for a Frightened Nation'', trans. by Nicholas Jones (London: Citizen Press, 2008),
nglish translation* ''Draumalandið: sjálfshjálparbók handa hræddri þjóð]'', trans. by Kaoru Moriuchi (Tokyo: s.n., 2009),
apanese translation* ''Drømmeland: selvhjælpsbog til en ængstelig nation, med forord af Björk'', trans. by Kim Lembek (København: Tiderne skifter, 2009)
* ''Traumland: was bleibt, wenn alles verkauft ist?'', trans. from the English by Stefanie Fahrner (Freiburg: Orange Press, 2011),
erman translation* ''El país de los sueños: manual de autoayuda para una nación atemorizada'', trans. by Editorial Aire (s.l.: Aire, 2013),
panish translation
See also
*
''Dreamland'' (2009 film), based on the book
*
Kárahnjúkar Hydropower Plant
Kárahnjúkar Hydropower Plant ( is, Kárahnjúkavirkjun ), officially called Fljótsdalur Power Station ( is, Fljótsdalsstöð ) is a hydroelectric power plant in Fljótsdalshérað municipality in eastern Iceland, designed to produce annually ...
References
{{Reflist
External links
*http://www.draumalandid.is/
Icelandic non-fiction literature
Environmentalism in Iceland
2006 non-fiction books
2006 in the environment
Political books