Reykjavík City of Literature and the city's youth community work program are working together to stencil poetry onto sidewalks in and around the city centre. The poems are all in Icelandic, each accompanied by an English translation. Pedestrians in Reykjavík can expect to run into these painters of poetry downtown in the next few days.

As a result, the streets will be filled with poetry this summer, as it says in the poem by Einar Ólafsson. Quite literally. The aim of this project is to bring Icelandic literature to the attention of the city's denizens and visitors, to liven upp the cityscape and to promote the Reykjavík City of Literature.

Twelve poets are represented all in all, and their poems will adorn the sidewalks of Austurstræti and Laugavegur, the path along the sea by Sæbraut and the bricks of the old harbour. The poems are:

The old harbour
Stefán Hörður Grímsson: Spor (Footprints)
Kristín Ómarsdóttir: Dúfurnar hvítu (The White Doves)
Gerður Kristný: Nótt (Night)

Sæbraut
Jóhann Sigurjónsson: Heimþrá (Homesickness)
Ingibjörg Þrastardóttir: Akrafjall
Ingibjörg Haraldsdóttir: Svar (Answer)

Austurstræti
Halldór Laxness: Bráðum kemur betri tíð (There Soon Will Come a Sweeter Time)
Pétur Gunnarsson: Einn (One)
Vilborg Dagbjartsdóttir: Ættjarðarást (Patriotism)

Laugavegur
Sjón: Söngur steinasafnarans (The Stone Collector's Song)
Einar Már Guðmundsson: Ræðupúlt örlaganna (Fate's Podium)
Linda Vilhjálmsdóttir: Morgunljóð (Poem of Morning)