Mál og Menning Bookstore to Open Anew at Laugavegur 18

From the old bookstore.

From the old bookstore.

Vala Hafstað

By the end of the week, a new Mál og menning bookstore will open at Laugavegur 18, where a bookstore by that name was run for decades before closing in 2020, due to  various reasons, the COVID-19 pandemic among them.

“I admit that for me, being the president of the boards of the literary society Mál og menning and the publishing firm Forlagið, the opening of a bookstore again at this location is cause for celebration,” Halldór Guðmundsson, publisher, tells Morgunblaðið.

It’s been 60 years since Mál og menning first opened a bookstore at Laugavegur 18, which for decades served as one of the city’s cultural magnets. The business was sold to others in 2013, but closed in October of last year.

In January, the property was remodeled and has since been serving as a venue for live music. A used bookstore was opened there as well this year, but closed recently. The new Mál og menning bookstore will be located on the two lower floors.

Halldór believes the bookstore will fit perfectly with the live music and culture already on offer.

“Forlagið is the country’s largest publishing firm,” Halldór states, “and I admit we’d like to sell books at more locations.”

Mál og menning bookstore will formally open Friday morning, offering more than 5,000 titles from various publishing firms.

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