THORARINN ELDJARN
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Thorarinn Eldjarn (b.1949) is one of Iceland’s most admired authors and the recipient of many awards. A superb poet, he has tackled almost every genre since his debut in 1974. He has published numerous collections of poetry and children’s verse, short-story collections and novels as well as translating fiction for adults and children from English and the Scandinavian languages. Among them are works by Strindberg, Ibsen, HC Andersen and Göran Tunström; Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland as well as Shakespere’s King Lear, Macbeth, A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Hamlet for the National Theatre.
Thorarinn’s novel Brotahofud (The Blue Tower) was shortlisted for the Aristeion 1998 – the European literature and translation prize, nominated to the Nordic Council Literature Prize in 1999 and to the IMPAC Dublin award in 2001. Brotahofud has been published in English, Finnish, French, Danish and German translations.
WORKS IN TRANSLATION
NOVELS
Baróninn (The Baron), historical novel, Vaka-Helgafell, 2004
Film rights sold to: Krumma Films
Brotahöfuð (The Blue Tower), historical novel, Vaka-Helgafell, 1996
Denmark (Poul Kristensens Forlag, 2008), transl. Björn Sigurbjörnsson; Finland (Like, 1999), transl. Tapio Koivukari; France (Le Cavalier Bleu, 2003,) transl. Régis Boyer; Germany/Austria/Switzerland (Conte Verlag, 2011) transl. Coletta Bürling; UK (Mare’s Nest, 1999), transl. Bernard Scudder
SHORT STORIES
Aðsókn (Incursion), from the short story collection Ó fyrir framan (1992)
UK (Comma Press) anthology, 2021, transl. Phil Roughton
Landnamsmän,Tre berättelser om isländska bosättare i olika epoker: Brauðið (Brödet), Keflvíkingasaga (Landnamsmannen), Önsa (Landnamsbygdsprojektet), transl. John Swedenmark
Iceland (Gullbringa), 2018, in Swedish
Landnamshistorier,Tre fortællinger om islandske bosættelser i forskellige tidsaldre: Brauðið (Brødet, transl. A.L.), Keflvíkingasaga (Keflavikingernes saga, transl. Kim Lembek), Önsa (transl. B.S.), transl. Annette Lassen, Kim Lembek, Björn Sigurbjörnsson
Iceland (Gullbringa, 2018), in Danish
Premiers colons,Trois histoires sur le peuplement de l’Islande à différentes époques: Brauðið (
Le bonhomme de pain, French transl. S.D.), Keflvíkingasaga (Les visiteurs du passé, transl. F.É.), Önsa (La saga d’Önsa, transl.C.E.). transl. Catherine Eyjólfsson, François Émion, Séverine Daucourt.
Iceland (Gullbringa, 2018), in French
Settler’s Tales, Three stories about the settlement of Iceland at various times: Brauðið (The Bread), Keflvíkingasaga (The Saga of the People of Keflavík), Önsa, transl. Philip Roughton
Iceland (Gullbringa, 2018), in English
Sagenhafte Siedler, Drei Geschichten über isländische Siedlungsversuche zu verschiedenen Zeiten: Brauðið (Das Brot), Keflvíkingasaga (Die Saga von den Siedlern in der Knüppelbucht), Önsa (ÖNSA – oder die Saga von Önundur), transl. Coletta Bürling
Iceland (Gullbringa, 2018), in German
Níðstöng (Scorn Pole), transl. Lytton Smith. In the book Out of the Blue: New Short Fiction from Iceland.
US (University of Minnesota Press, 2017) Editor: Helen Mitsios
Hvaðefsaga (Historia de suposiciones) from Alltaf sama sagan (2009)
Spain, in Voces de Islandia, 2014
Die glücklichste Nation unter der Sonne. Geschichten von Island, short story collection, 13 stories: Der Klang der Wörter, Die Zauberformel, Die Taschenkrise, Der Besitzer, Eine kleine Flötenschule, Lachen erwünscht, Die Geisterstadt, Lulli und das Leitknäuel, Eines jeden Traum, Höhenflug, Urinium, Die Saga von den Siedlern in der Knüppelbucht, Die Hohnstange.Transl. Coletta Bürling
Germany/Austria/Switzerland (ConteVerlag, 2011)
Orðanna hljóðan (Le sens pris aux mots), from the short story collection Eins og vax, 2002), transl. Séverine Daucourt-Friðriksson
France (Magellan & Cie), published in the collection Nouvelles d’Islande. 2011
Orðanna hljóðan (The Sounds Words Have) transl. Lytton Smith, published in Words Without Borders, October 2011, (wordswithoutborders.org)
Í svip (Anblick)and Flökkusaga (Eine Wandergeschichte),transl. Anna Papke. In the book Gaben des Himmels,Neue Erzählungen zeitgenössischer isländischer Autoren
Editors: Hubert Seelow and Kolbrún Haraldsdóttir
Germany (Steidl, 2011)
Ókvæða við (Rester interdit),from the short story collection Margsaga, 1985, transl. Régis Boyer
France (Les Belles Lettres, 2009), in the collection Trésor de la nouvelle de la littérature scandinave
Arnsúgur (A Rush of Wings), transl. Martin Regal
US (McSweeney’s. 15, editor: Dave Eggers, 2004)
Arnsúgur, (Flügelrauschen) transl. Andreas Blum, Keflvíkingasaga, transl. Viola Lensch. Published in the anthology Flügelrauschen. Editors: Hubert Seelow and Kolbrún Haraldsdóttir
Germany (Steidl, 2003)
Í draumi sérhvers manns (Eines jeden Traum) and Die Taschenkrise, short stories, transl. Coletta Bürling
Germany, edition die horen (anthology: Wortlaut Island, 2000)
Des perles et du pain, short story collection, 10 stories: Le bruissement de l’aigle, Les perles de chez Hermann Kjögx sont les meilleures, Deux petites femmes de l’Est, T’es sûr que ça y est?, Tilbury, J’ai vécu, Simples malentendus, Le communiant qui n’en avait pas rien à faire, Quand les rêves se réalisent, Le bonhomme de pain, transl. Séverine Daucourt-Fridriksson, France (Presses Universitaires de Caen d’Etudes Nordiques, 2001)
Keflvíkingasaga (Les visiteurs du passé), transl. François Émion
France (Programme des Boréales de Normandie, 1995)
Keflvíkingasaga (Ajopuulahtelaisen saaga), Finnish transl. Seija Holopainen. Anthology: Meren neitoja ja meren miehiä, Helsinki 2001
Hlátur óskast (Skratt önskas),transl. John Swedenmark, Sweden (Boglaget, 1990), in the collection Sen dess har jag varit här hos er: 12 isländska noveller
Forvarsla (Restoration) from the collection Ofsögum sagt, transl. Julian Meldon D’Arcy.
Iceland (Menntamálaráðuneytið, 1982), in English, published in Icelandic Writing Today
Tilbury, in Russian, Don 1-3-2018, p. 186-196, transl. Natalja Demidova
Önsa, in Russian «Saga ob Jenunde». Perevodchik 2018, Chita, s. 131–138) transl. Olga Markelova
Keflvíkingasaga, in Russian «Saga o Kepla-vikinge», Severnyj veter № 26/2019, s. 115-117, transl. Olga Markelova
Hlutaveikin (Tingsyken), Norwegian transl. Tone Myklebost. Anthology: Kulens Side, Dimma 2007
Beðið eftir Rol (Czekajac na Rola), Polish transl. Olga Holownia. TRANSGRESJE. Antologia opowiadah, editor Agnieszky Wolny-Hamkalo, Wroclaw 2014
POEMS
Poems in Russian translation, transl. Olga Markelova, Russia (St Tikhons University Review Series III, 2019)
7 poems (Angelica Versallica, Excelsior, Great Beginning, Nails, Fairy Tale, Imagine, Sneaky), transl. Sola Bjarnadottir O’Connell, Anthology: Beneath the Ice: An Anthology of Contemporary Icelandic Poetry, editor: Helen Mitsios
US (Talismann House) 2014
Góður gestur á Bakka (Guter Gast auf Bakki), Jakkaföt frá Gefjun (Jedermanns Anzug), from Ydd (1984), transl. Richard Kölbl, anthology: Isländische Lyrik,
Germany (Insel Verlag) 2011
Hunang og blóð (Honey an Blöd), Shetlandic transl. Christine de Luca. (Mèl a Gwaed), Welsh transl. Elin ap Hywel. Anthology: Ten Seasons, Scottish Poetry Library 2007, editor Gerry Loose.
Grannmeti og átvextir, a poem for children from Grannmeti og átvextir (Froots and Vegedibles) (2001): transl. Olga Holownia
UK (Walker) 2011, anthology (Pumpkin Grumpkin – Nonsense Poems From Around the World)
Five poems: Skýin, Fífillinn, Vatn, Spagettíkallinn, Þvermóður (poems for children, from Það er komin halastjarna, 2003), Norway (Det Norske Samlaget), anthology, Norwegian transl. Arnt Birkedal, Swedish transl. Lennart Hellsing (safn nýrra barnaljóða eftir tíu norræna höfunda, gefið út á Norðurlöndum, á dönsku, finnsku, færeysku, íslensku, norsku, nýnorsku, sænsku)
Skýin, (a poem for children, from Það er komin halastjarna, 2003), Norway (Gyldendal), textbook, transl. Arnt Birkedal.
Treasures of Icelandic verse, Three poems. Transl. Bernard Scudder and Arnljótur Black. Mál og menning, 1996 (in English)
Four poems: After the Rain (Eftir rigningu), Honey and Blood (Hunang og blóð), Where are you? (Hvar ertu?), Bad and Good (Vont og gott). ICELANDIC POETRY, transl. Bernard Scudder, Saga Forlag 2013.
Three poems: According to the law (Ká tas saskan ar dagas likumiem), Assistance (Lidzjuteji) and You (Jús), transl. Gunars Irbe and Nara Kangara
Latvia (Jauna Gaita, Vol 18, 1973) in Latvia, transl.Gunars Irbe and Nara Kangara.