The Living Room Reading – The Episode of Hrut and Mord Fiddle
We hired Riaz Ahmed Khan, an Afghan asylum seeker in Iceland, to read the first episode of Njal’s Saga – The Episode of Hrut and Mord Fiddle. Njal’s Saga is written in the last quarter of the 13th century by an unknown author and is widely considered the best written book of the Sagas as well as the best book ever written in Iceland. As such it holds a special place within the culture and amongst the population. Riaz Ahmed reads with a strong Afghan accent an English translation of the Saga made in 1961 by Magnus Magnusson and Hermann Pálsson.
The title refers to the old Icelandic tradition where during the long winter evenings one of the farm’s household members would read stories for the others while they, seated together in the living room, attended the winter work such as spinning wool, knitting, repairing clothes, etc.