PhDing, Ballading and January Living in the Faroe Islands: Sjúrðar kvæði deluxe edition
An update from Institute for Northern Studies PhD student Anthony Olsson.
At the beginning of my PhD in Faroese poetry and literature, I joked to a friend ‘you’ll find me somewhere windy and expensive in the North Atlantic’. True to form, off I flew to Tórshavn at the beginning of the year. I travelled for a combination of reasons, the usual researcher necessity of going to source by arranging a departmental library visit at the Faculty of Faroese Language and Literature – Føroyamálsdeildin (FMD) at the University of the Faroe Islands – Fróðskaparsetur Føroya. My plan was also to track down a manuscript at the National Library of the Faroe Islands – Landsbókasavnið and to catch up with friends and colleagues. I was kindly given an office for the time I was there at the department which made my library visits more efficient. Whilst in Faroe I attended the Jazz festival, saw a performance at the Nordic House – Norðurlandahúsið í Føroyum, surprisingly I was also present at a baptism conducted by Anne Mette Greve Klemensen, the parish chaplain for Nólsoy at Tórshavn Cathedral – Dómkirkjan and sang Faroese psalms. The primary reason for my visit was to attend a very special evening of ballad singing and dancing.
This trip would not have been possible without the welcome and support of Gunnar Restoff, Sláið ring and Brynhild Kamban, PhD scholar and fellow CAS project member at the University of the Faroe Islands. Thanks also to Tóta Árnadóttir PhD candidate and fellow CAS project member and Helgi.