Халлгримур Хельгасон - The Woman at 1,000 Degrees

Many e-mails later, which all started with that same upbeat and very American ‘Hi!’, and with the crucial cooperation of Andrew Nurnberg, we found ourselves in the arms of Algonquin Books in the US and Oneworld Publications in the UK. I cannot thank dearest Molly Friedrich and Andrew Nurnberg enough, nor their people, Nichole LeFebvre and Ellen Gomory in NYC, and Eleonoora Kirk and Charlotte Seymour in London. All their reading, understanding and bottomless belief has proved to be priceless. I also thank master translator David McDuff for his contribution. Early on he translated the sample chapters of the book but was unable to carry on for health-related reasons.

I also thank my agent in London, Andrew Nurnberg, and all his people, who have managed to bring this book from a Reykjavík garage to territories as diverse as Albania and Argentina.

For the English version the story was re-edited, and here my Woman at 1,000 Degrees was lucky to land in the hands of a clever Scottish woman in Brooklyn, the wonderful Helen Rogan. Her deep insights were combined with the most sensitive touch. Like with the best of surgeons, her cuts required no anaesthesia for the trembling author, and all her subtle suggestions for clarifications and improvements proved to be spot on.

I am grateful to Juliet Mabey and Alyson Coombes at Oneworld for the cooperation and for betting on my strange book. Vimbai Shire also gets her share of thanks, for the final reading of the text.

Last but not least I thank you, dear reader, for coming this far. Without your support the writer is just a tree falling in the forest.