Lee Child headlines Iceland Noir as festival honours Agatha Christie

Bestselling thriller writer Lee Child will headline Iceland Noir next week, mbl.is reports. The festival runs from Wednesday to Saturday and features a packed programme.

“He is a good friend of mine. I have been nagging him for years to come, and now he was finally available. It is very pleasing to have him,” said Yrsa Sigurðardóttir, one of the festival’s organisers.

Child is best known for his books about Jack Reacher. His books have sold more than 200 million copies worldwide and been translated into more than 50 languages. A television series based on the stories has aired on Amazon Prime in recent years. In Iceland, 18 Reacher titles have been translated, with nearly 70,000 copies sold, according to publisher Forlagið.

Child received the Diamond Dagger, the highest honour from the British crime writers’ association, in 2013. He has written his most recent books with his brother, Andrew. “He has passed the books on to his brother,” Yrsa said.

Thursday at Iceland Noir will focus on Agatha Christie and her work, marking 50 years since her death and 100 years since the publication of The Murder of Roger Ackroyd. James Prichard, Christie’s great-grandson and head of the family company that manages her work, will take part alongside several scholars. Author Lucy Foley, who was commissioned to write a new Miss Marple book, will also appear. Her book, Murder at the Grand Alpine Hotel, is the first Miss Marple novel in 50 years. A quiz about Christie’s life and work, hosted by Dr Mark Aldridge, is scheduled for Friday evening.

Other international guests include Finnish author Sofi Oksanen, a recipient of the Nordic Council Literature Prize; British rapper Tinie Tempah, who recently published a book about his life and rise from poverty; and science fiction writer Kim Stanley Robinson. Andri Snær Magnason will speak with Robinson at Fríkirkjan.

Icelandic authors on the programme include Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir, children’s authors Halla Oddný Magnúsdóttir and Gunnar Helgason, and crime writers Katrín Jakobsdóttir, Anna Rún Frímannsdóttir and Jón Atli Jónasson. Crime writer Arnaldur Indriðason will also attend for the first time in 10 years. Yrsa and Ragnar Jónasson will speak with him.

Festival events will take place at Vinnustofa Kjarvals, Iðnó, Fríkirkjan, the Edition hotel and Harpa.