Jón Gnarr writes "His Opinion" in Fréttablaðið

Jón Gnarr is a new columnist in the weekend edition of Fréttablaðið. He will have his own column every Saturday, called "My opinion". The first article will appear in the newspaper on Saturday. Jón's article will also be published that same day on Visir.is in the "News in English" section.

Jón currently resides in Houston where he works as a writer at Rice-University. This week he said that he was planning to change his name in the United States. Jón has been trying for a long time to have Gnarr recognised as a surname in Iceland, but he has not managed to do so after a dispute with The Icelandic Naming Committee. He has been forced to carry the name Jón Gnarr Kristinsson in Registers Iceland.

Jón now has a social security number and should therefore be able to go to the courthouse in Houston and have his name changed from Jón Gnarr Kristinsson to Jón Gnarr.

"And then I should have the same exemption as immigrants in Iceland and be able to keep my surname," Jón wrote on his Facebook-site. The changing of names will cost Jón about 100 dollars or 13 thousand Icelandic kronas.