July 19, 2018

A Portrait of An Eight-Person Town

The view at Mjoifjordur, where Solbrekka is located. The fjord's name translates into the "the narrow ford" and it is located in the East of Iceland. From The Priest's Ravine by Marzena Skubatz.

Magga's house. She left Solbrekka with her husband and two sons to live in the next fjord, which is easier to access. Magga was the teacher of the small school that had to close as there is only one child left living in Solbrekka. From The Priest's Ravine by Marzena Skubatz.

Erna is trying to homeschool her 14-year-old daughter, the only child living in Solbrekka. They use the internet to keep up with the lessons from the public school, but the connection is poor. During the winter the internet can be out for weeks. From The Priest's Ravine by Marzena Skubatz.

One of the abandoned houses in Mjoifjordur. Some of the houses are sold to Icelanders who use them as their summer homes. From The Priest's Ravine by Marzena Skubatz.

Wooden sculptures, a trademark of Solbrekka, can be found all over town. The sculptures are made with driftwood. From The Priest's Ravine by Marzena Skubatz.

Regina and her husband, Joi, who are sheepfarmers, have lived in Solbrekka for decades. From The Priest's Ravine by Marzena Skubatz.

Inside Fusis and Johannas house. Most of the rooms are not used since their children moved elsewhere. Fusi's father who lived until he was 99, wrote books about Mjoifjordur and researched the lineage of Solbrekka's residents. From The Priest's Ravine by Marzena Skubatz.

Johanna sitting in the living room. The elegant interior testifies of more fruitful times in the fjord, when fishing was more profitable. Her husband's family has lived on Mjoifjordur for several generations. From The Priest's Ravine by Marzena Skubatz.

The book’s title “The Priest’s Ravine” refers to a folk tale about a giant troll woman who seduced the village’s priests to leave the church so she could eat the parishioners. One priest drove the troll crazy by making noises of hell, freeing the valley from her. Though the people of Mjóifjörður are no longer driven out by mystical figures, the seclusion of Solbrekka and hardships of daily life leads them to leave sooner or later. From The Priest's Ravine by Marzena Skubatz.

A whale in the fjord. Because there are not many fish left, the whales do not stay long. From The Priest's Ravine by Marzena Skubatz.

The Priest’s Ravine by Marzena Skubatz is a portrait of one of the smallest communities in Iceland, Solbrekka, which is situated on Mjoifjordur, one of the most isolated fjords in the country. The so called “Golden Age of Herring,” is long gone, when the village was a hub for the fishing industry. Fishing defined people’s lives... Read More