Question 4 Language and literature are considered the lifeblood of the Icelandic culture. True. Icelandic Canadians, like their ancestors, hold strong to books and reading as the tradition that binds them to their heritage. The nation of Iceland has the highest literacy rate in the world, with more books, periodicals and newspapers published per capita than anywhere else. When the Icelandic immigrants to Canada first settled in New Iceland, their first concern was for starting a community paper, despite their basic struggles for survival, battling disease, floods and near economic disaster.