Living in the Language

Icelandic printers and publishers in Manitoba produced more than just Icelandic newspapers, magazines, and books. Other kinds of printed material show the crucial role the Icelandic language.

Vintage 1936 Icelandic-language theatre program for Stoðir Samfélagsins (Pillars of Society) by Henrik Ibsen, performed by Leikfélag Sambandssafnaðar in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The program lists cast members and their roles, with a note that furniture was provided by Wilson’s Furniture Co.

Henrik Ibsen’s Pillars of Society was performed in Icelandic by Leikfélag Sambandssafnaðar.

By the early 1880s, Icelandic migrants in New Iceland were already staging community theatre productions and musical performances. As the Icelandic community in Winnipeg grew over the next few decades, bustling Icelandic theatre and music scenes also developed in the city. Icelandic-language theatre bills, musical scores, and lyric sheets were vital to the staging of these community events.

Thora Arnason recalling her involvement in amateur Icelandic theatre in Winnipeg. Enjoy this audio clip with an English transcript.

Cover of Sönglög by Gunnstein Eyjólfsson

The organizers of Icelandic community festivals and other cultural events also enlisted Icelandic printers in the province to prepare materials such as event programs and posters. On the other hand, when mourning the loss of a loved one, a local Icelandic printer could also be called upon to prepare an Icelandic funeral program.

An image of three printed event programs worn with age. The leftmost program features an illustration of Iceland's flag with blue text above and below the flag. The middle program features an illustration of the British, Icelandic, and American Flags with blue text above and below. The top half of the rightmost program features an illustration of the prow of a Viking ship with fish swimming beneath and trees in the background with red and blue text below the illustration. The lower half features white text against a red background.

Three programs for the annual Íslendingadagurinn festival

Cover of the 1897 Icelandic edition of Home Butter Making, Dairy Bulletin No. 5 from the Department of Agriculture Dairy Branch, authored by C. C. Macdonald and published in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The cover is stained and worn.

Cover of Home Butter Making, Icelandic Edition

Icelandic printers in Manitoba provided a valuable service for the provincial and federal governments too. Both Icelandic community leaders and the governments knew how important it was to make certain official documents available to Icelandic migrants in their own language. These documents helped Icelandic migrants adapt to the customs, laws, and environments of their new home.

Community Lending Libraries Transitioning to English