Christmas in Iceland Means a “Flood” of Books Under the Tree
冰岛圣诞习俗：圣诞树下涌“书潮”
In the land of the Sagas， it isn't Christmas if there isn't a deluge of books under the tree —literally.
The Jolabokaflod， or Christmas Book Flood， is a much-loved tradition that has been celebrated in Iceland since 1945.
It's a bit like Britain's “Super Thursday”， when hundreds of hardback hit the shelves on the first Thursday of October， but much bigger: two-thirds of books in Iceland are published in November and December.
Hundreds of new titles go on sale in bookshops and supermarkets at reduced prices， a yuletide custom that has also become vital for the publishing industry's survival.
On Christmas Eve， Icelanders traditionally exchange books and spend the evening reading — perhaps curling up by the fireside with the latest crime novel by Arnaldur Indridason， who's topped bestseller lists for the past two decades in his native country of 360，000 people.
“Literature is very important in Iceland and it is，
I guess， the art form that is something the whole public can relate to，” artist and mother-of-two Sigrun Hrolfsdottir， who lives in Seltjarnarnes， a small district in the Reykjavik area， told AFP.
Her daughter and son， Duna and Gudmundur， have already picked the books they want out of the “Bokatidindi”， an 80-page catalogue of novels， poetry and children's books distributed free of charge to all households.
Almost seven out of 10 Icelanders buy at least one book as a Christmas gift， according to the Icelandic Publishers Association.
Iceland's literary tradition was born about 900 years ago with the Sagas， widely seen as a gem in world literature and still studied in school by Icelandic children today.
The Icelandic Sagas describe events among inhabitants of Iceland in the 10th and 11th centuries. Written in the 13th century， they focus on history， especially genealogical and family history， reflecting the settlers' struggles and conflicts.
The Jolabokaflod dates back to the end of World War II， when Iceland， a poor country， imposed strict currency restrictions that limited imports.
But paper remained affordable， so books became the Christmas gift of choice. Iceland had also just gained independence after seven centuries of Norwegian and Danish rule.
The custom “has something to do with the importance of literature during the Icelandic fight for independence and the Icelandic search for identity: part of being an Icelander was to read books，” said Halldor Gudmundsson， an author and the former head of Iceland's biggest publisher， Forlagid.
While books are increasingly being published at other times of the year， the Jolabokaflod remains crucial for the publishing industry， accounting for 40 percent of book sales in 2018， according to Statistics Iceland.
Iceland may be the most sparsely populated country in Europe， but it publishes the most titles per capita behind Britain， according to the International Publishers Association.
Around one in 10 Icelanders publishes a book in their lifetime.
And they're big readers. The country counts more than 83 libraries — one for every 4，300 inhabitants.
More than 90 percent of Icelanders read at least one book a year， and half read more than eight a year， according to a 2013 study from Bifrost University. In particular， the country has a thriving appetite for crime fiction and boasts a host of crime writers， who over the last couple of decades have placed it on the world map of police detective novels alongside their Swedish， Norwegian or Danish counterparts.
在萨迦之乡，圣诞树下要是没有不折不扣的书潮涌动，圣诞节就不是圣诞节了。
“圣诞书潮”是冰岛钟爱的一项传统，发端于1945年。
它有几分像英国的“超级星期四”，每年10月里的第一个星期四，数百种精装书一股脑地在英国上架开售。不过，冰岛“圣诞书潮”的规模要大多了，全国2/3的图书都集中在十一二月份发售。
各地书店里、超市中，数百种新书齐齐折价促销，这一圣诞节惯例如今还关系到出版业的生死存亡。
在平安夜，冰岛人一般互赠图书，然后在阅读中度过那一夜——或许会捧上奥纳尔德迪尔·因德里达松新出炉的犯罪小说，窝在壁炉前津津有味地读起来。在36万人口的冰岛，本土作家因德里达松雄霸畅销书排行榜之首已有二十年了。
艺术家西格伦·赫罗尔夫斯多蒂尔对法新社记者说：“文学在冰岛举足轻重，而且我觉得也是能够唤起全珉共鸣的艺术形式。”赫罗尔夫斯多蒂尔住在雷克雅未克大区小镇塞尔蒂亚纳半岛，育有一子一女。
女儿杜娜、儿子格维兹门迪尔已经从《书讯》上挑好想要的图书。《书讯》是一本80页的图书目录，里面涵盖小说、诗歌和童书，免费派送到家家户户。
根据冰岛出版商协会统计，每10名冰岛人中差不多有7人置办圣诞礼物时购买至少一本书。
冰岛的文学传统在大约900年前伴随着萨迦这种文学形式兴起而诞生，萨迦被公认为世界文学瑰宝，至今仍然被收入冰岛的中小学教材。
冰岛萨迦讲述10到11世纪这片土地上居珉的事件。它们成文于13世纪，主要内容为历史，特别是宗谱和家族史，反映定居者们的艰苦抗争、刀光剑影。
“圣诞书潮”可以上溯到二战末期，彼时，冰岛国困珉艰，严格管制货币来限制进口。
不过，纸张的价格尚可承受，于是书籍便成为圣诞节馈赠亲友的首选礼物。
另外，冰岛刚刚摆脱挪威与丹麦700年的统治，独立不久。
冰岛头号出版社福拉吉兹出版社前董事长、作家哈尔多尔·格维兹门松说，圣诞节以书为礼这一习俗“跟文学在冰岛争取独立的过程中和在冰岛人寻找身份认同的过程中具有的重要意义有关：身为冰岛人的特点之一就是爱读书”。
虽然现在一年当中其他时候发售的图书越来越多，但“圣诞书潮”对于出版业仍然至关重要，冰岛统计局的数据显示，2018年“圣诞书潮”为全年贡献了40%的图书销量。
冰岛大概是欧洲人口最稀疏的国家，然而国际出版商协会的数据显示，冰岛人均出书量仅次于英国。
冰岛每十人中大约就有一人一生中总会出上一次书。
冰岛人还是阅读狂人。整个国家有不止83家图书馆——相当于每4300人拥有一座图书馆。
比弗勒斯特大学2013年的调查显示，超过90%的冰岛人平均每年阅读至少一本书，一半人年均读书量超过8本。冰岛对犯罪小说尤为痴狂，创作者人才济济，经过数十年薪火相传，冰岛犯罪小说已经登上世界侦探小说版图，与瑞典、挪威和丹麦的侦探小说分庭抗礼。（于晓华译自法新社12月10日文章）
