Overview
Birkir Blær, (Þjóðar)sálin hans Jóns míns (Partus, 2017). 64-page paperback.
Cover Design
The title of this book (National Spirit of My John) refers to an Icelandic folktale in which a widow carries her husband's soul up to heaven and demands it be let in, despite his lifetime of misdeeds. The essay is a commentary on the narcissim and self-rightousness of modern Icelandic culture and politics. The boldness of the cover is a nod to the book’s theme, while the letterforms themselves, which were digitally altered to look like woodcuts, have a homely, vernacular feel that articulates the counterpoint: the forms exceed their bounds, yet their mood is at heart parochial. The image of the mountaintop inside the ‘O’ references the widow’s ascent.
