Donna McLuskie

It was Harpa Concert Hall in Reykjavík that first attracted me to Iceland in 2015. I had spent fifteen years detailing high rise, glass façade buildings as an architectural technician but none that I worked on were as superb as Harpa. The more I studied Harpa, the more I appreciated it. And I also became intrigued with Iceland and Icelanders. So I researched (a lot) and soon I was being commissioned around Cambridge to talk about Iceland and Icelanders- about the sagas, Icelandic sheep and knitting, the nation's keen interest in outdoor bathing and about how a building like Harpa can inspire someone to write a novel, which is what I am doing now. My modern saga, this novel-in-progress called Polishing Harpa, was longlisted for the 2015 Bridport Prize and 2016 First Story Teacher's Award. I won research funding to visit Iceland twice this year through the Artists International Development Fund. I share my huge enthusiasm for Iceland wherever and whenever possible so I am thrilled to be a Guide to Iceland contributor. Beware, I think my love of Iceland is contagious!