Örvitinn; eða hugsjónamaðurinn

[1] The novella is a third-person narrative, and is an often allegorical satire of Western politics in the first decade of the twenty-first century, particularly the so-called 'war on terror'.

Wishing to prove himself to his teacher Miss Júnílúnd, he sets out from home aiming to become an author and bring about world peace.

Reaching Reykjavík, strákur Karlsson meets Alfróði (whose name means 'all-wise' but might perhaps better be glossed 'know-it-all', and is inspired by Candide’s Professor Pangloss).

Alfróði is a noisy, pretentious, xenophobic racist enamoured of Classical culture who convinces the protagonist that the way to bring about world peace is to join the invasion of Iraq.

Arriving in Iraq, strákur Karlsson is immediately sent on a mission with a US army unit whose leader is called the King of Hearts; he finds himself participating in the slaughter and rape of innocent Iraqis, and visits the Abu Ghraib prison.

The Al-Qaida fighters are in turn attacked by US forces, who kill them and arrest strákur Karlsson and Djim as terrorists, before flying the two to Greenland, via the Netherlands and Iceland, for torture.

In Havana, strákur Karlsson falls into drinking and womanising before a sex-worker called Pythia takes pity on him an invokes the Olympian gods to restore his mental well-being.

After meeting Ronald McDonald and getting arrested at the airport, the protagonist and Alfróði manage to fly to England; while they are travelling, the Financial crisis of 2007–08 breaks.

They tour the UK attending every Shakespeare play in search of Sheherazade's brother, eventually finding him and his sister performing Othello at the Barbican Centre.