Books
‘Island Zombie: Iceland Writings’ by Roni Horn
On the occasion of Horn’s latest publication, a collection of the artist’s writings about a lifelong love of Iceland, Ursula magazine is proud to offer a brief excerpt that touches on memory, landscape and literature.
CROSSING A FIELD I REMEMBER
The grasses rustle quietly in the warm morning light as I cross the field. The ground is swampy and wet. I watch the sunlight glinting in the sedge and slowly, awkwardly I step from hummock to hummock. When I look up Eudora Welty is coming across the field. Even though she’s far away I can see her silver-flaxen colored hair in the sun. She walks slowly in the bright, early light, her figure casting a long easy shadow. I remember her quiet smile and her strong clear voice when she visited school. That was sixteen years ago. Standing on the stage of the lecture hall far away, she read from a story she wrote. Someone was crossing a field. A small shadow in the yellow grass getting larger as it approached. The cool, breezy air rippling through the grass, and the warm, bright light raking the field.
Roni Horn’s latest publication, 'Island Zombie: Iceland Writings,' is available 8 December, 2020 via Princeton University Press.