Writers urge government to strengthen Iceland’s reading culture

The Icelandic Writers’ Association has urged the government to strengthen textbook publishing and support public and school libraries after the latest PISA results, mbl.is reports. The association said children who do not grow up reading books will not become readers themselves.

In a resolution approved on Tuesday, the association said the results showed that Iceland’s response to the reading crisis had failed. About 44% of students at the end of compulsory school were found not to have basic reading comprehension skills, it said.

“Our language is standing on the edge of a cliff,” the resolution said, adding that the measures presented at a government news conference addressed only a small part of the wider problem.

The association said a language could not thrive through exam preparation alone, but needed a living language community in which it was used and developed continuously. A healthy literary culture was a prerequisite for such a community, it said, and required support for local creative work and conditions that allowed artists to make a living from their work.

“Literacy is not a hobby,” the resolution said. “Literacy is the foundation for participating in society and understanding one’s existence, present and past. Literacy is the key to the future.”

The association called for immediate action, including ambitious Icelandic-language textbooks, strong public and school libraries, and access to well-equipped school libraries for all compulsory-school students.

It also called for greater emphasis on creative industries, literature and the arts, as well as improved budgetary support for authors and translators in 2027. The association said a library fund should be secured so that it was not vulnerable to indiscriminate cuts every year.

These measures would show that the government was serious about its concerns over the Icelandic language, reading and Icelandic culture, the association said.