Bragi Ólafsson (born 11 August 1962 in
Reykjavík
Reykjavík ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Iceland. It is located in southwestern Iceland, on the southern shore of Faxaflói bay. Its latitude is 64°08' N, making it the world's northernmost capital of a sovereign state. With a po ...
,
Iceland
Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...
) is an Icelandic musician and a writer.
Internationally he is best known for his work as a bassist in
The Sugarcubes
The Sugarcubes ( Icelandic: Sykurmolarnir) were an Icelandic alternative rock band from Reykjavík formed in 1986 and disbanded in 1992. For most of their career, the band consisted of Björk Guðmundsdóttir (vocals, keyboards), Einar Örn Bened ...
, the avant-garde pop band from Iceland that brought fame to
Björk, who went on to solo success with her unique brand of diverse musical genres.
The Sugarcubes, who favoured strange, offbeat melodies, came together in 1986, but the Sugarcubes' members had played together in different combinations in various Icelandic groups before. Bragi and
Einar Örn Benediktsson
Einar Örn Benediktsson (born 29 October 1962), often billed as Einar Örn, is an Icelandic popular music singer and trumpet player. He was a member of the Sugarcubes. He served as a member of the Reykjavík City Council between 2010 and 2014 ...
(trumpet / vocals) had released records on Einar's own label,
Gramm. In 1986 Bragi also launched his writing career, publishing his first book, a poetry volume called ''Dragsúgur'' (Draught).
In 1992 The Sugarcubes disbanded as Björk began her solo career. Bragi, meanwhile, has continued to work on
Bad Taste Ltd., the company formed by the Sugarcubes to publish poetry and sign other bands but is no longer a practising musician.
He enjoys considerable success as a novelist, playwright and poet in Iceland, having twice been nominated to the
Icelandic Literature Prize.
Books translated into English
*''The Pets'' (translation Janice Balfour. Open Letter, New York. 2008)
*''The Ambassador'' (translation Lytton Smith. Open Letter, New York. 2010)
*''Narrator'' (translation Lytton Smith. Open Letter, New York. 2018)
External links
Bragi Ólafsson's official websiteAn article about Bragi Ólafsson on the Icelandic Literature websiteBragi Ólafsson at Open Letter Books
{{DEFAULTSORT:Olafsson, Bragi
1962 births
Living people
Bragi Olafsson
Bragi Olafsson
Bragi Olafsson
Bragi Olafsson
The Sugarcubes members