Drápa
Drápa by Gerður Kristný, published by Arc Publications in 2018, is an illustrated work that delves into a tragic event in Reykjavik, Iceland. The narrative recounts the murder of Gréta Birgisdóttir by her husband, Bragi Álafsson, who claimed the act was accidental. Through a blend of Old Norse shield poetry and modern Nordic crime influences, this book presents a poignant exploration of violence against women, framed within the context of a chilling interview conducted ten years after the crime.
Readers will find a unique narrative structure that intertwines poetic form with a haunting story. The work reflects on the events surrounding Gréta’s death, offering a voice to the victim through a narrative that was previously denied to her. The Devil, in various animal forms, guides the reader through the harrowing moments leading up to and following the act of violence. This edition, comprising 118 pages, invites contemplation on themes of murder and the broader implications of gendered violence, making it a significant contribution to contemporary poetry and discussions surrounding true crime.
Official synopsis Publisher
In the frozen January of 1988, Gr ta Birgisd ttir, 26-year-old resident of Reykjav k, Iceland, was murdered by her husband, the boxer Bragi lafsson. Bragi claimed the murder was an accident. The couple had been drinking for four days when a physical argument broke out. In the end Bragi strangled Gr ta with ropes before going to sleep again.
Ten years later, celebrated Icelandic writer Ger ur Kristný interviewed Bragi in the very apartment where the crime had taken place. This novel-poem, which takes its form from Old Norse shield poetry and its mood from modern Nordic crime, is the product of that interview: a commemoration of one woman’s death and, through this lens, of all women’s deaths at the hands of violent men.
In an epic poem whose conciseness belies a mysterious and deeply powerful narrative, the Devil, in shapeshifting animal form, takes us through the events before, during and after the moment of ultimate violence, offering the victim a narrative she was denied until now.
This is Viking poetry at its most contemporary.
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