Iceland has a rich literary history, which has carried on into the modern period.[2]
Some of the best known examples of
Icelandic literature are the
Sagas of Icelanders. These are prose narratives based on historical events that took place in Iceland and the surrounding areas during the
Saga Age.[3][4] Most of these sagas were recorded during the 13th and 14th centuries, but the original authors and subsequent recorders of the works are unknown and thus not listed here. Although it has been suggested that
Snorri Sturluson is the author of Egil's Saga.[5] The
Saga tradition is not limited only to Iceland, and is an integral part of
Norse mythology throughout the
Nordics.[6][7]
Another dominant form of Icelandic literature is poetry. Iceland has a rich history of poets, with many poets listed here. The early poetry of Iceland is
Old Norse poetry, which is divided into the anonymous
Eddic poetry,[8] and the
Skaldic poetry attributed to a series of skalds, who were court poets who lived in the
Viking Age and
Middle Ages.[9][10] The modern Icelandic language is sufficiently similar to the Old Norse language for speakers of modern Icelandic to be able to understand Old Norse texts.[11] Later Icelandic poetry includes the Passion Hymns by
Hallgrímur Pétursson, a collection of Christian religious poetry published in 1666.[12] Modern poets include
Einar Benediktsson, a neo-Romantic poet who was an important figure in Iceland's nationalistic literary revival during the 19th century,[13] and 20th-century poets such as
Tómas Guðmundsson and
Davíð Stefánsson.
In the modern period many Icelandic authors have been successful writing in languages other than Icelandic. Others have their work translated into other languages and are known internationally. The
Detective Erlendur series by crime fiction author
Arnaldur Indriðason is translated into at least 24 languages, including English.[17]
Following is a list of notable Icelandic writers.[a] This list includes authors of Icelandic literature, as well as writers in other
literary disciplines; such as authors of fiction and non-fiction works, poets and
skalds, playwrights, screenwriters, songwriters and composers, scholars, scribes, journalists,[b] translators, and
editors of newspapers and magazines. All the people listed here are or were
Icelandic citizens, or writers with a strong connection to Iceland, for example by writing in the
Icelandic language.[c] People listed are from a wide range of time periods, ranging from the early Viking-age chroniclers, to modern day novelists. To help sort the writers by period, they are sorted according to the time period they lived. Although many more precise periods can be used, this list uses Contemporary for living writers, Modern for writers since the 16th century, and Medieval for the period from the 5th to the 15th century. In keeping with
Icelandic naming conventions, the list is alphabetical by given name, as that is how Icelandic names are sorted.
^One in ten Icelanders is a published author, therefore to qualify for inclusion in the list, they must have an existing Wikipedia article as evidence of notability.
^Journalists should be known to write their own news articles to count as a writer.
^Writing in Icelandic is not on its own evidence of being Icelandic. Conversely, many Icelandic writers are known for their works in other languages.
^Peter Springborg, 'Antiqvæ historiæ lepores--om renæssancen i den islandske håndskriftproduktion i 1600-tallet', Gardar: Årsbok för Samfundet Sverige-Island i Lund-Malmö, 8 (1977), 53--89, at p. 59.
^"Icelandic literature – The 17th century". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 12 June 2018. Finnur Jónsson, bishop of Skálholt, wrote Historia Ecclesiastica Islandiæ (1772–78), which covers the history of Christianity in Iceland. Jón Espólín published Íslands árbækur (1822–55; "Annals of Iceland"), a history of Iceland from 1262.
^Driscoll, Matthew J. The Value of Books: Magnús Í Tjaldanesi and the End of Manuscript Culture in Iceland. Victoria, B.C.: University of Victoria, 2007.
^Whaley, Diana (2012).
"Oddr Snorrason". Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages. Retrieved 11 June 2018.
^Andersson, Theodore M. "The First Icelandic King's Saga: Oddr Snorrason's 'Óláfs Saga Tryggvasonar' or 'The Oldest Saga of Saint Olaf?"." The Journal of English and Germanic Philology, vol. 103, no. 2, 2004, pp. 139–155. JSTOR, JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/27712412.
Iceland has a rich literary history, which has carried on into the modern period.[2]
Some of the best known examples of
Icelandic literature are the
Sagas of Icelanders. These are prose narratives based on historical events that took place in Iceland and the surrounding areas during the
Saga Age.[3][4] Most of these sagas were recorded during the 13th and 14th centuries, but the original authors and subsequent recorders of the works are unknown and thus not listed here. Although it has been suggested that
Snorri Sturluson is the author of Egil's Saga.[5] The
Saga tradition is not limited only to Iceland, and is an integral part of
Norse mythology throughout the
Nordics.[6][7]
Another dominant form of Icelandic literature is poetry. Iceland has a rich history of poets, with many poets listed here. The early poetry of Iceland is
Old Norse poetry, which is divided into the anonymous
Eddic poetry,[8] and the
Skaldic poetry attributed to a series of skalds, who were court poets who lived in the
Viking Age and
Middle Ages.[9][10] The modern Icelandic language is sufficiently similar to the Old Norse language for speakers of modern Icelandic to be able to understand Old Norse texts.[11] Later Icelandic poetry includes the Passion Hymns by
Hallgrímur Pétursson, a collection of Christian religious poetry published in 1666.[12] Modern poets include
Einar Benediktsson, a neo-Romantic poet who was an important figure in Iceland's nationalistic literary revival during the 19th century,[13] and 20th-century poets such as
Tómas Guðmundsson and
Davíð Stefánsson.
In the modern period many Icelandic authors have been successful writing in languages other than Icelandic. Others have their work translated into other languages and are known internationally. The
Detective Erlendur series by crime fiction author
Arnaldur Indriðason is translated into at least 24 languages, including English.[17]
Following is a list of notable Icelandic writers.[a] This list includes authors of Icelandic literature, as well as writers in other
literary disciplines; such as authors of fiction and non-fiction works, poets and
skalds, playwrights, screenwriters, songwriters and composers, scholars, scribes, journalists,[b] translators, and
editors of newspapers and magazines. All the people listed here are or were
Icelandic citizens, or writers with a strong connection to Iceland, for example by writing in the
Icelandic language.[c] People listed are from a wide range of time periods, ranging from the early Viking-age chroniclers, to modern day novelists. To help sort the writers by period, they are sorted according to the time period they lived. Although many more precise periods can be used, this list uses Contemporary for living writers, Modern for writers since the 16th century, and Medieval for the period from the 5th to the 15th century. In keeping with
Icelandic naming conventions, the list is alphabetical by given name, as that is how Icelandic names are sorted.
^One in ten Icelanders is a published author, therefore to qualify for inclusion in the list, they must have an existing Wikipedia article as evidence of notability.
^Journalists should be known to write their own news articles to count as a writer.
^Writing in Icelandic is not on its own evidence of being Icelandic. Conversely, many Icelandic writers are known for their works in other languages.
^Peter Springborg, 'Antiqvæ historiæ lepores--om renæssancen i den islandske håndskriftproduktion i 1600-tallet', Gardar: Årsbok för Samfundet Sverige-Island i Lund-Malmö, 8 (1977), 53--89, at p. 59.
^"Icelandic literature – The 17th century". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 12 June 2018. Finnur Jónsson, bishop of Skálholt, wrote Historia Ecclesiastica Islandiæ (1772–78), which covers the history of Christianity in Iceland. Jón Espólín published Íslands árbækur (1822–55; "Annals of Iceland"), a history of Iceland from 1262.
^Driscoll, Matthew J. The Value of Books: Magnús Í Tjaldanesi and the End of Manuscript Culture in Iceland. Victoria, B.C.: University of Victoria, 2007.
^Whaley, Diana (2012).
"Oddr Snorrason". Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages. Retrieved 11 June 2018.
^Andersson, Theodore M. "The First Icelandic King's Saga: Oddr Snorrason's 'Óláfs Saga Tryggvasonar' or 'The Oldest Saga of Saint Olaf?"." The Journal of English and Germanic Philology, vol. 103, no. 2, 2004, pp. 139–155. JSTOR, JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/27712412.