Helen Cova Likes To Be Alone

We talked with Helen Cova, an Icelandic-Venezuelan writer about her newest book, life in the Westfjords, and her new publishing project.

Helen Cova moved to the Westfjords in 2021. She lives in Flateyri.

Helen, firstly: congratulations! How do you feel after the book launch that took place in Reykjavík last weekend? 

Thank you very much! I feel great! There is always some stress connected to the publication of a book, but when the launch finally happens, there is a pure sense of happiness, relief, and love. Seeing people coming to support you feels fantastic; my heart was filled with love. This time, also, there was a majority of Hispanic children which makes the effort of publishing it in Spanish all worthwhile.

Snulli learns to say no is your third book and the second in the series about the friendly monster Snulli. Who is he? How did you come up with the idea of Snulli?

I like to think of Snulli as an anachronical or atemporal character with very real problems that tend to affect everybody regardless of their age. Depending on your age, you might see Snulli as a child or an adult, and he kinda is both at the same time. He lives alone in the forest, which might make him look like an adult, but at the same time, he has a group of friends that he plays–what we would consider children’s games–with and a grandma that is bigger than him, both in size and maturity, which makes him appear more child-like. This anachronism is what makes him relatable and enjoyable to everybody.

The friendly monster Snulli is the protagonist of Helen’s stories for children.

The idea of Snulli is a response to the worries that I saw around me. I have always enjoyed being alone, travelling alone, and living alone, but I found that, even though solitude was never an issue for me, people had lots of worries about me being alone, almost pitying me for it. Then I started working with children and saw the exact same worries projected onto them. Adults, who probably never had a good relationship with their solitude, often think that there was something wrong with children that wanted to play alone. I realized that this message was needed, so I wrote this book.

“Snulli learns to say no” marks the launch of Karíba Útgafa a publishing house Helen Cova founded together with your husband Sigurður Grétar Jökulsson.

I wrote it firstly, for the child that I once was, I felt that my inner child deserved this message, and secondly for the children who enjoy solitude to know that it is OK, to know that it is allowed, to know that moments of solitude are good and meaningful and lastly, for those who find it difficult to understand why we like to be alone, to also see our point of view and to empathize more with us. Perhaps even for them to not be afraid of being alone and seeing the beauty in solitude.

I never thought about making a series of Snulli books, but then I found another big subject that I wanted to talk about, mainly because it affects me personally: to allow myself to say no. It felt like Snulli was the right medium to speak about it, so I made the second book. Snulli has become the philosopher’s voice in my life, he takes on deep existential subjects, meditates on them, and finds simple solutions. I love to be able to share these subjects with him. I love it when people tell me “Hey, I’ve been struggling with this too” or “I would have loved to read this when I was a kid”. Snulli leaves an imprint on both children and adults and that means the world to me.

Your previous book Autosarcophagy - To eat oneself published by Ós Pressan in 2020 is an adult book, with quite an eerie voice dancing between surrealism and magic realism. What is the difference for you in writing a book for children and for adults? 

I find it way more serious to write books for children. It is easier to write for adults in a way, although Autosarcophagy is way more complex literarily speaking, Snulli carries way more important messages, long-lasting ones that can actually make a difference in the life these children will have as adults. Working on Snulli is, at the same time, a tender experience for me. He’s a family member now, and I love him. I enjoy creating the world around him and seeing him deal with his inner world as I deal with mine.

The series of illustrations for “Autosarcophagy - To eat oneself” were created by Rubén Chumillas.

Snuli learns to say no marks the launch of Karíba Útgafa a new publishing house that you created together with your husband Sigurður Grétar Jökulsson. What is the idea behind Karíba Útgafa?

The idea behind Karíba Útgáfa is to introduce Latin American literature to Iceland. There is a world of absolutely wonderful literature in the Americas that, unfortunately, doesn't reach Iceland and I personally think we are missing out on fantastic books here. That’s what Karíba is for. To be a bridge of enrichment between cultures.

You currently live in Wesfjords. How living and writing there is different from your experience of the capital region?

Life is calmer in the Westfjords. There is lots of empty space in the Westfjords and I would say it’s not only physical but also mental space which I find necessary for creativity. There is a sense of atemporality there, you feel like you are in the past, in a time when the rush of the cities did not exist. That on its own is a source of inspiration. As cliché as it might sound, everywhere you look you see stunning nature, and overwhelmingly beautiful mountains, you surrender to nature and the elements which will inspire you a lot if you allow it.

What can we expect next to come? Any new writing and publishing projects?

I am personally working on a poetry book right now. I felt drawn to poetry since I moved to the Westfjords, inspired by its nature. I also have a children’s novel on a semi-pause, waiting for me to pick up the pen again.

As for Karíba, we have a few ideas for some classic books to publish. It is difficult to decide which one to start with, but we are aiming to publish one by next year.

You can find more about Helen’s work  on her website and the website of Karíba publishing house.