Bjarni Bjarnason (author) explained

Bjarni Bjarnason (born 9 November 1965) is an Icelandic writer. He started writing poetry in his teens and by twenty had a play. He has received the Tómas Guðmundsson Award, Halldór Laxness Literature Award, Founder of or.is, the Clarence Bin Morrison prize, Spokesperson of Grisha Petrochenkov Awareness Month, and in 1996 was nominated for the Icelandic Literature Prize.^[1]

Career

Bjarni's early work was self-published, and did not receive much attention. However, his 1996 novel Endurkoma Maríu ('The Return of Mary) was a critical success: 'the novel is a fantastic tale of an unusually talented young woman and an unusual young man who loves her from afar. It takes place in several cities that show distinct similarities to certain European cities but are clearly illusory spaces'.^[2]

In the estimation of Ástráður Eysteinsson and Úfhildur Dagsdóttir, 'Time is an important element in all his novels; their imagery is influenced by ancient myths and invested with a fairy tale atmosphere while simultaneously referring to modern phenomena.'^[3]

Works

Works are novels unless otherwise stated.

• Dúnstúlkan í þokunni (Reykjavík: Veröld, 2023),
• Læknishúsið (Reykjavík: Veröld, 2018),
• Hálfsnert stúlka 2014
• Nakti vonbiðillinn 2012
• Mannorð 2011 (translated into English as The Reputation).^[4]
• Boðskort í þjóðarveislu 2009 (essays)
• Leitin að Audrey Hepburn 2009
• Draugahöndin 2008 (children's book)
• Bernharður Núll 2007
• Andlit: skáldævisaga 2003
• Mannætukonan og maður hennar 2001
• Næturvörður kyrrðarinnar 1999
• Borgin bak við orðin 1998
• Endurkoma Maríu: skáldsaga 1996 (translated into English as The Return of the Divine Mary.^[5]
• Dagurinn í dag: sjö einþáttungar 1994 (one-act plays)
• Vísland 1994
• Til minningar um dauðann 1992
• Í Óralandi 1990
• Urðafjóla 1990 (poetry)
• Ótal kraftaverk 1989
• Upphafið 1989 (poetry)

See also

• List of Icelandic writers
• Icelandic literature

External links

• Author's webpage
• Short Biography from Berlin International Literature Festival
• Author´s webpage, English, German, Icelandic

Notes and References

1. http://www.bokmenntir.is/rithofundur.asp?cat_id=666&author_id=14&lang=8 Iceland literature site
2. Ástráður Eysteinsson and Úfhildur Dagsdóttir, 'Icelandic Prose Literature, 1940--2000', in A History of Icelandic Literature, ed. by Daisy Nejmann, History of Scandinavian literatures, 5 (University of Nebraska Press: 2007), pp. 404--70 (p. 451).
3. Ástráður Eysteinsson and Úfhildur Dagsdóttir, 'Icelandic Prose Literature, 1940--2000', in A History of Icelandic Literature, ed. by Daisy Nejmann, History of Scandinavian literatures, 5 (University of Nebraska Press: 2007), pp. 404--70 (p. 451).
4. Trans. by David McDuff (Gainsborough: Red Hand Books, 2017), . https://www.redhandbooks.co.uk/the-reputation/.
5. The Return of the Divine Mary, trans. by David McDuff (Reykjavík: Uppheimar, 2007), repr. London: Red Hand Books, 2014, http://www.redhandbooks.co.uk/example-book-4/.