Jón Thoroddsen elder (October 5, 1818 – March 8, 1868) was an
Iceland
Iceland is a Nordic countries, Nordic island country between the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge between North America and Europe. It is culturally and politically linked with Europe and is the regi ...
ic poet and novelist.
Biography
He was born at
Reykhólar
Reykhólar () is an Icelandic village in the Westfjords, in the northwest area of the country.
The village, with around 120 inhabitants, has a swimming pool near the local camp site with a great view on the sea and mountains. The camp site, hostel ...
in western Iceland. He studied law at the
University of Copenhagen
The University of Copenhagen (, KU) is a public university, public research university in Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark. Founded in 1479, the University of Copenhagen is the second-oldest university in Scandinavia, after Uppsala University.
...
, entered the Danish army as volunteer in 1848 in the war against the insurgents of
Schleswig-Holstein
Schleswig-Holstein (; ; ; ; ; occasionally in English ''Sleswick-Holsatia'') is the Northern Germany, northernmost of the 16 states of Germany, comprising most of the historical Duchy of Holstein and the southern part of the former Duchy of S ...
, who were aided by
Prussia
Prussia (; ; Old Prussian: ''Prūsija'') was a Germans, German state centred on the North European Plain that originated from the 1525 secularization of the Prussia (region), Prussian part of the State of the Teutonic Order. For centuries, ...
and the other German states (see
First Schleswig War
The First Schleswig War (), also known as the Schleswig-Holstein uprising () and the Three Years' War (), was a military conflict in southern Denmark and northern Germany rooted in the Schleswig–Holstein question: who should control the Du ...
). He went back to Iceland in 1850, became sheriff () of
Barðastrandarsýsla, and later in
Borgarfjarðarsýsla
Iceland was historically divided into 23 counties known as ''sýslur'' (), and 23 independent towns known as ''kaupstaðir'' (). Iceland is now split up between 24 sýslumenn (magistrates) that are the highest authority over the local police ( ...
, where he died in 1868.
His son,
Þorvaldur Thoroddsen
Þorvaldur Thoroddsen (6 June 1855 – 28 September 1921) was an Icelandic geologist and geographer.
Biography
Þorvaldur was the son of the writer Jón Thoroddsen. He graduated from the Learned School of ReykjavÃk in 1875 and then immediatel ...
, became a well-known scientist.
Work
He is the first novel writer of Iceland.
Jónas HallgrÃmsson
Jónas HallgrÃmsson (16 November 1807 – 26 May 1845) was an Icelandic poet, writer and naturalist. He was one of the founders of the Icelandic journal ''Fjölnir'', which was first published in Copenhagen in 1835. The magazine was used by J ...
had led the way by his short stories, but the earliest veritable Icelandic novel was Jón Thóroddsen's ''
Piltur og Stúlka'' ("Boy and Girl"), a picture of Icelandic country life. Later followed ''
Maður og Kona'' ("Man and Woman"), published after his death by the Icelandic Literary Society. His poems, mostly satirical, are popular; he follows Jónas HallgrÃmsson closely in his style.
Thoroddsen's poem "
Krummi svaf à klettagjá
"Krummi svaf à klettagjá" is a traditional Icelandic rhyming poem by Jón Thoroddsen about a raven. The poem was written in the middle of the 19th century and is in 6 line stanzas of AABCCB form. In Iceland it is often repeated as part of a ...
" makes up the lyrics of a well known folk song in Iceland.
In English
* ''Lad and Lass, a Story of Life in Iceland'', trans. by
Arthur Middleton Reeves
Arthur Middleton Reeves (1856 – 1891) was an American author and philologist, known for his work related to Icelandic and Old Norse studies.
Biography
Reeves was born October 7, 1856, in Cincinnati, Ohio, and spent his early childhood in that c ...
, London: S. Low, Marston, Searle & Rivington, ltd. (1890)
References
* ''Sýnisbók Ãslenskra bókmennta frá 1550 til 1900'', Kristján EirÃksson tók saman, ReykjavÃk 2003.
*
Jon Thoroddsen elder
1818 births
1868 deaths
Jon Thoroddsen elder
University of Copenhagen alumni
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