Description

Buy a Special Reprint of

Betty Jane Wylie’s

Letters to Icelanders

an ICCT signature fundraiser

Single book sale $23

Buy 4 or more books for $17.50 per book

Pick up your orders in person, or buy at an event. Otherwise, $3 per book shipping in Canada and $5 to the USA

Author and playwright Betty Jane Wylie spent her childhood summers in Gimli, often mesmerized listening to her mother’s and aunts lilting voices as they gossiped in Icelandic, a language she did not speak or understand. Betty Jane tells us that her mother wanted to be able to converse with her sisters freely so was not so interested in teaching her children her own mother tongue. There was also the pull of wanting to assimilate to their  chosen land. But, still, even without the language, and even with assimilation, Betty Jane marvelled at her deep fascination for her Icelandic heritage with its “astonishing, harsh, frozen and shining culture.” In Letters to Icelanders Betty Jane explores what she calls ‘the inherent memories of an invisible land and culture’ which have shaped our hopes, fears and longings. Letters to Icelanders is an exploration of our roots and heritage from the unique perspective of a Western Icelander. When we look deeply at our heritage, what of the northern soul lives on?

I love how Betty Jane summarizes her reasons for writing this book: “I want to share with you my discoveries about our heritage, if only to enable you to tell better bedtime stories to your children and grandchildren.”

The ICCT was delighted when Betty Jane offered the copyright of her book to the club as a lasting contribution to the ICCT. Sales of Letters to Icelanders will support our youth grants, the Gimli camp and the Snorri cultural exchange programs. So, when you purchase your new up-to-date copy of Letters to Icelanders you are strengthening the bond with our Icelandic heritage in many ways.