Obituary: Svavar Pétur / Prins Póló

Svavar Pétur Eysteinsson (1977 - 2022)

The Icelandic artist Svavar Pétur Eysteinsson, also known by his stage name “Prins Pólo”, has died at the age of just 45.

The man with the golden crown as his trademark...

Well-known musician and artist

Svavar Pétur came from Breiðhólt, a district of Reykavík. He studied graphic design and, in addition to his work as an experimental artist, performed very successfully as a singer-songwriter, band musician and solo artist. His works with references from his song lyrics are also very popular and well-known in Iceland.

Is it too late to get another coffee?

Svavar Pétur had already been diagnosed with terminal esophageal cancer in 2018. He fought the illness until the end and continued to work creatively as a painter and musician, had another exhibition in the summer of 2022 and released a new album.

A pioneer of vegan Icelandic cuisine

Svavar Pétur was also a pioneer of vegan Icelandic cuisine and developed and marketed vegan sausages (" bulsur ") made from regional Icelandic ingredients (pearl barley, beans, tomato puree, etc.) and the pearl barley chips " Bopp ".

A few years ago we visited Svavar Pétur and his wife Berglind on their farm Havarí in Berufsjörður, where the family ran organic farming and a culture and tourism center with a café until 2020, and interviewed the two about their "bulsur".

The couple were flexitarians themselves, but lived primarily “plant-based.” It was important to them that the food consisted of fresh ingredients, if possible organically produced or from high-quality regional cultivation, freshly prepared and without preservatives or other additives. They also took this approach with their vegan sausages.

Berglind told us very clearly about the first beginnings of vegan sausages in her home kitchen ("some of them didn't smell good at all!") and the practical difficulties in the further development and production process.

We were also able to try the vegan sausages on site in Havarí - with mashed potatoes, pickled radishes, currants, fresh kale and pickled beets. Definitely very tasty - we also have very fond memories of the food!

[Translated from here.]