Two Icelandic Weeklies

Icelanders in North America did not have to wait long for a new Icelandic-language paper. Within two years of Leifur ending publication, two new weekly North American-Icelandic papers launched. By this time, Winnipeg was the “Icelandic capital” of North America. The successes of the new Winnipeg-based papers Heimskringla and Lögberg confirmed this fact.

Stefan Jonasson, editor of the newspaper Lögberg-Heimskringla, discusses the creation of the two papers Heimskringla and Lögberg. Enjoy this audio clip with an English transcript.

“The Columbia,” once the headquarters of Lögberg

Heimskringla and Lögberg both began as weekly papers. In the early 1890s, they both expanded from four to eight pages. From early on, each of the papers catered to specific audiences within the North American-Icelandic community. The survival of the two papers shows that the Icelandic migrant community was far from uniform in terms of political, religious, and social views.

The Heimskringla building on Sherbrook Street

Stefan Jonasson discusses the readerships of the two papers Heimskringla and Lögberg. Enjoy this audio clip with an English transcript.

Heimskringla New Year’s Polyglot Issue, published in Winnipeg on January 5, 1888

The two papers served the needs of Icelandic migrants living across North America. They helped Icelanders maintain a shared sense of community and identity. The diverse contents of Heimskringla and Lögberg also show their readers’ desires and efforts to be involved in different parts of North American cultural, political, and social life.

Stefan Jonasson discusses the role the two papers Heimskringla and Lögberg played within the North American-Icelandic community over the years. Enjoy this audio clip with an English transcript.

Heimskringla and Lögberg underwent many changes over the years just as their readers changed. Eventual, the two papers also navigated the community’s transition to English, which we will learn more about in a later chapter of this community story.