Since 1981, Einar Örn Benediktsson and Bragi Ólafsson have worked together as musicians, lyricists, and publishers. They founded the band Purrk Pillnikk, together with Friðrik Erlingsson and Ásgeiri Bragasson, and were both among the founding members of the publishing company Smekkleysa SM in 1986. At the same time, they worked together in the band Sykurmolarnir until 1992. Smekkleysa SM, who is only three years short of turning forty, is still in full swing as a publisher, as well as the Smekkleysu record store and publishing center at Hjartatorg and Hverfisgatu in downtown Reykjavík. Ever since the beginning, Smekkleysa SM has published books, both poetry and novels, but also books related to the company’s cultural heritage.
Leaving the Fitting Room is Einar and Bragi’s second book which they have done together. Einar has also drawn pictures on the covers of Bragi’s other books, both poetry books and novels. The previous book of the partners is called Mátunarklefinn og other pictures, but in that book, there are prose and drawings, each an independent work. At about the same time, Bragi published the pamphlet Fjórar línur og titil by Smekkleysa, a collection of four-line poems with a title. It can therefore be said that Leaving the Fitting Room – more four lines and three times less four lines is an independent continuation of these two tracts, although this time the format is much larger, a kind of magazine fragment. The works of the authors in this book are, as before, independent works, but strongly connected in spirit, as Einar and Bragi, as mentioned before, have known each other for a very long time and had a very close collaboration as artists.
With Leaving the Fitting Room, you can say that the authors have finally come out of the fitting booth, after taking a lot of time to choose the appropriate attire.
