Dissecting the psyche of a nation is a daunting task. It is also doomed to failure. It’s absolutely impossible to make a claim about “the Icelanders” without someone popping up and saying, “Yes, but … but … but … I’m not like that!”

This book is stuffed with sweeping generalizations and subjective opinions, armchair philosophies and random musings. No special studies were carried out in the writing of this book. And when I refer to “the Icelanders” I do so completely generically – though I do like to think those statements will apply to at least a handful of Icelanders. Ideally the majority.

Alda Sigmundsdóttir is a writer, journalist and a blogger. Alda grew up abroad but moved to Iceland when she was in her early twenties. She felt like a foreigner in her own country and therefore could see her fellow Icelanders in a new light. She has been writing about Iceland and Icelanders for awhile, most prominently through her own blog .