Viking Voyager: An Icelandic Memoir by Sverrir Sigurdsson with Veronica Li
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GENRE: Memoir/Autobiography
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BLURB: This vivacious personal story captures the heart and soul of modern Iceland. Born in Reykjavik on the eve of the Second World War, Sverrir Sigurdsson watched Allied troops invade his country and turn it into a bulwark against Hitler’s advance toward North America. The country’s post-war transformation from an obscure, dirt-poor nation to a prosperous one became every Icelander’s success. Spurred by this favorable wind, Sverrir answered the call of his Viking forefathers, setting off on a voyage that took him around the world.
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Excerpt: I left Iceland to pursue university studies in Finland in August 1958. I was a nineteen-year-old embarking on my quest to see the world. In my youth I had deeply admired the adventures of the Vikings. Even after the Viking Age was over, young Icelanders often did a stint in Norway, serving a king or nobleman and performing heroic feats in battle. In the modern era, this tradition takes the form of studying overseas and competing in international business and professional arenas. Like my forefathers, I needed to travel to distant lands to prove myself, and then I would return home and use my skills to help make my country one of the greatest in the world. I was giddy with optimism in those days. Actually, it wasn’t just me. The whole nation was in a state of euphoria. Everything was going right for our newborn republic. With financial aid from the U.S. Marshall Plan, the country reconstructed the ageing fishing fleet that had been decimated by war and neglect. The World Bank, a United Nations affiliate that would employ me many years later, provided loans to Iceland to build the groundwork for an economic boom. Many more bonuses came our way during the Cold War, when the two superpowers contended for our loyalty. Iceland played hard to get, driving the rival suitors to shower her with gifts.
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AUTHOR Bio and Links: Sverrir Sigurdsson grew up in Iceland and graduated as an architect from Finland in 1966. He pursued an international career that took him to the Middle East, Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, and the U.S. His assignments focused on school construction and improving education in developing countries. He has worked for private companies, as well as UNESCO and the World Bank. He is now retired and lives in Northern Virginia with his wife and coauthor, Veronica. Veronica Li emigrated to the U.S. from Hong Kong as a teenager. She received her Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of California, Berkeley, and her master’s degree in International Affairs from Johns Hopkins University. She has worked as a journalist and for the World Bank, and is currently a writer. Her three previously published titles are: Nightfall in Mogadishu, Journey across the Four Seas: A Chinese Woman’s Search for Home, and Confucius Says: A Novel. Her website is www.veronicali.com.
Amazon author page: https://www.amazon.com/Sverrir-Sigurdsson/e/B08LFYCCPD
https://www.amazon.com/Veronica-Li/e/B001JOSCAQ
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tssigurdsson
https://www.facebook.com/veronica.li.39
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Sverrir_Sigurds
https://twitter.com/VeronicaLi5
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/142534.Veronica_Li
The Book will be $1.99 during the tour.
Amazon.com buy link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08MDMRM66/
Amazon.ca buy link: https://www.amazon.ca/Viking-Voyager-Icelandic-Sverrir-Sigurdsson-ebook/dp/B08MDMRM66/
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One randomly chosen winner via rafflecopter will win a $50 Amazon/BN.com gift card.
Thanks for hosting!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the opportunity to talk about my growing up in Iceland and getting the inspiration to travel the world like my Viking forefathers.
ReplyDeleteI'm looking forward to checking this one out!
ReplyDeleteThanks for your interest in my adventures first in my native Iceland and later in various places in the world
DeleteCaptivating and fascinating feature and giveaway. Thanks for this wonderful introduction to your writing.
ReplyDeleteHi Traveler, we may not be able to travel these days, but a good book can transport us to exciting new places! Thanks for your interest.
DeleteIcelanders wrote the sagas about the lives and loves of their countrymen 800 years ago, and mine is a new chapter. Thanks for stopping by.
ReplyDeleteSounds very interesting.
ReplyDeleteThe book is a rewarding collaboration between my wife and me. She's a people person and I'm into "things," so the two of us together tell a pretty exciting story.
DeleteThe story sounds interesting.
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear that. I try to link my personal experiences with the events of the time. It's a good feeling to be a part of something bigger.
DeleteThank you for a very good day at your site. I'm so glad you started the blog.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading the excerpt! Sounds like a very fascinating read for me! Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteGlad you like the excerpt. Leaving home to study architecture in Finland has changed my life forever.
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ReplyDeleteThank you. Veronica and I had great fun writing it, and I think it shows in our writing.
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