Sveinbjorn Thordarson

Í anda síðustu færslu, nokkrar tilvitnanir sem skáldið W. H. Auden safnaði saman um Ísland og Íslendinga í bók sinni Letters from Iceland (1937):

Concerning the Capital
Reykjavik is, unquestionably, the worst place in which to spend the winter in Iceland. The tone of society is the lowest that can well be imagined .... It not only presents a lamentable blank to the view of the religious observer, but is totally devoid of every source of intellectual gratification -- Henderson

Concerning their eyes
A very characteristic feature of the race is the eye, dure and cold as a pebble -- the mesmerist would despair at first sight. -- Burton

Concerning their mouths
The oral region is often coarse and unpleasant -- Burton

Concerning their temparament
The Icelander's temparament is nervoso-lymphatic and at best nervoso-sanguineous -- Burton

Concerning their apperance
The Icelanders are of a good, honest disposition, but they are at the same time so serious and sullen that I hardly remember to have seen any of them laugh -- Van Troil

Concerning their sensibility
The Icelanders in general are civil and well-disposed, but they are said not to feel strongly -- Barrow

Concerning their food
It cannot afford any great pleasure to examine the manner in which the Icelanders prepare their food. -- Van Troil

Concerning Hákarl
This had so disagreeable a taste that the small quantity we took of it drove us from the table long before our intention. -- Van Troil

Concerning their habits
If I attempted to describe some of their nauseous habits, I might fill volumes -- Pfeiffer

Concerning their dress
The dress of the women is not calculated to show the person to advantage. -- McKenzie

First sight of Iceland
We were delighted to see some new faces, in spite of their nastiness and stench; and their grotesque appearance afforded us much amusement. -- Hooker

It is very hard for a European, and perhaps especially hard for a graduate of one of the older English Universities to appreciate the squalid culture of these northern peoples -- Annandale