Career
He has a master"s degree in philosophy from the University of Iceland. His first novel, Barnagælur, was published in 2005. His crime novels have been translated into Dutch, German and Spanish.
Political and social activism He has been an active campaigner for Torfusamtökin, an organisation seeking to preserve Reykjavík"s architectural heritage.
Óttar organised a campaign to prevent houses on Laugavegur from demolition. Óttar was one of various authors who were noted for their participation in the 2008-2009 Kitchenware Revolution.
In summer 2013, Óttar protested against an incident of police violence, in which a woman was knocked over against a bench in the street and in which the police commented that the positioning of the bench had been "unfortunate", by circulating a photograph of himself sitting on the bench holding a sign saying "This bench is unfortunate".
