My lecture in Reykjavik
This is a summary of my first lecture in Iceland (English spoken) that took place in Hotel Marina Icelandair on the 25th. February 2016.
The event was supported by the Central library, Hola (Spanish spoken association) and Spanish Consulate in Iceland.
The video talking about the lecture
Biography of the author
Jordi Pujolà Negueruela was born in 1972 in Barcelona (Spain), MSc in Economics (UNED) and yogi.
Jordi quit his well paid job as a manager in Barcelona and moved to Iceland (July 2013) to live the adventure of becoming a professional writer.
Jordi has dealt with many changes (country, house, friends, family, weather, schedule, habits, culture…) and combined his writing with other jobs such as waiter and warehouse assistant. The language also became a problem and even though he started learning Icelandic at the University, he almost lost his self-confidence in the process of that deconstruction.
He also changed his car for a bike despite the weather and now he feels happier than ever and inspired by the wild nature and fresh air. His first novel is called: “We Need a Change. The dream of Iceland”, Eds. Camelot.
The most important thinks in life
As a conclusion in the lecture, for the author the most important things in life are these we already have such as:
- health
- love
- family
- freedom
- taking the time«My passion has always been writing, but I didn’t have time to do it. I worked in a Real Estate company in Barcelona and my life was very stressful. We always talked about houses and money».
«Once my mother showed me a video of Suzanne Powell where she said: “If there is something you really want to do, just do it. You are free. Don’t be afraid…”, so I said to myself: “I´m getting off this crazy train”».
«I talked to my wife and children and after a year we were driving through Europe heading to Iceland. On the island of glaciers and volcanos I wrote my first novel».
Synopsis
Is our destiny written or can we change it? Should we plan life carefully or satisfy our wild desires instead? Is it necessary to deal with life like Samurais? Should we try to understand people or just buy them?
The Ministers is a group that controls the most important industries in the world (Energy, Banking, Food, Pharmacy and Armament) without caring about issues such as climate change or the standard of living of their inhabitants. Everybody claims that We Need a Change but no one wants to alter his materialist habits. The time goes by and the rich countries keep a secret: the war for energy. Only Martin Callaghan, singer of The Patricks band, rises up against this and funds a new politic party called: “We Need A Change”.
Martin is a sensitive and talented person who always plan harder challenges than the rest of population.
Bart, the antagonist of Martin is a yuppy who randomly splashes out his money, drives an Aston Martin and lives in the best neighborhood of Barcelona; his vital theory is that everything in life consists on emptying and filling up.
Kristine is a bohemian girl who believes in Karma and dislikes money.
Dan is a frustrated musician who had a serious accident and is still trying to forget it by acting like a bizarre cowboy.
Ernesto is a rude doctor that hates his old patients and meets an Argentinian therapist, by chance, who believes that all the deseases have a psychologic cause.
Bodhi is a yogi who works at MIT (Masachussets Institute Technology) and goes to Barcelona to announce a catastrophe.
Fiction, indy and contemporary novel that criticizes the capitalism and suggests some other points of view. It´s set in Barcelona, Reykjavík, Amsterdam and Hirtshals (Denmark).
Interesting links
http://www.frettatiminn.is/longu-kominn-timi-a-breytingar/
http://bokmenntaborgin.is/vidburdir/vid-thurfum-breytingu-islenski-draumurinn/
http://vefblod.visir.is/index.php?s=9813&p=209296
Some other links in English
http://www.studentabladid.com/my-obsession-with-cranes-has-begun
http://www.studentabladid.com/Sonar
http://www.studentabladid.com/what-is-so-special-about-iceland
