Scandinavian-Canadian Studies/Études scandinaves au Canada is the official publication of the Association for the Advancement of Scandinavian Studies (AASSC) in Canada. After two fascinating guest-edited volumes focused on specific topics, “Migration, Exile, and Diaspora in the Nordic Region” edited by Ann Barkve in 2018 and “The Modern Reception of the Medieval Saga of the Sworn Brothers (Fóstbræðra saga)” edited by Dustin Geeraert in 2019, volume 27 represents and celebrates a diversity of topics, approaches, and formats.

Since the publication of an edition and translation of Sigrgarðs saga frækna seven years ago, Scandinavian-Canadian Studies prides itself in publishing new editions and translations and making them readily available to our readership. Volume 27 continues this tradition by including a translation of Jarlmanns saga og Hermanns introduced by Philip Lavender and translated by Philip Lavender, Alaric Hall, Garry Harrop, Védís Ragnheiðardóttir, and members of the Old Norse Reading Group organized through the University of Leeds.

This translation is followed by an essay by Allison Wolf, the 2018 winner of the AASSC Gurli Aagaard Woods undergraduate student publication award. A student at the University of Manitoba at the time, Allison Wolf’s essay on Loki as a liminal figure represents one example of the interesting work and creative interpretations of our students. Thank you to Christopher Crocker for the nomination, and our sincere congratulations to Allison Wolf for this wonderful achievement. From here, the volume turns to more contemporary literature with an article by John Lingard on Henning Mankell’s Den orolige mannen (2013) [The Troubled Man] and Juliane Egerer’s transcultural comparison of Maren Uthaug’s Og sådan blev det (2013) [And so it turned out] and Medicine Walk (2014) by Richard Wagamese. The articles are followed by a record-breaking number of book reviews—sixteen in total—on a wide range of recent publications.

I’d like to end this editor’s note with my sincere and heartfelt thanks to everyone who has helped put this volume together: the journal’s editorial board for their unfailing advice and suggestions, the article reviewers who help us maintain the high quality of the journal, and all of the authors and book reviewers whose intellectually stimulating work is included in this volume. In addition, a special thanks goes to Valérie Duro for her French translations, Martin Holmes for ensuring that both the online and print versions of the journal are coded properly, and Natalie van Deusen for her enduring commitment as book review editor. In the midst of the Covid 19 pandemic, I also realize that there are countless other people, many of whom I never see, who also play a part in the journal, including my colleagues in UVic’s printing services, the employees of the UVic bookstore who manage print-on-demand purchases, and the many postal workers here and abroad who make sure the physical copies of the journal reach their destinations around the world.

In the words of Dr. Bonnie Henry, the provincial health officer in British Columbia, Canada, “This is our time to be kind, to be calm, and to be safe.” I wish you all good health, loving kindness, and much happiness in these chaotic times.

 

Helga Thorson,
University of Victoria