Andri Snær Magnason cements status as Reykjavík’s Prince of Darkness

Courtesy of an Icelandic author, some of the biggest stars in the world can be seen in Reykjavík on Thursday night.

For years, Andri Snær Magnason has been asking Reykjavík city authorities to turn off the street lights for a few hours. If all goes well, this Thursday night he’ll finally get his way.

Andri Snær — an author, playwright, environmentalist, godfather to múm, and an above-average nice guy — wants us to look up, see the stars, and generally feel how insignificant we are in the greater scheme of things. Right. Thanks for the reminder.

Inspired by the frequent blackouts in his youth (electric, not alcoholic, we presume), Andri isn’t worried that the darkness will inspire the criminal element. In an interview with a more respectable news source than us, the newly minted Prince of Darkness said: “No, we have an agreement with the underworld. They’re just going to look up in the sky. They don’t want to ruin it.”