Stephan G. Stephansson (October 3, 1853 – August 10, 1927) was a Western Icelander, poet, and farmer. His given name was Stefán Guðmundur Guðmundsson. He was born in Skagafjörður,

Iceland Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...

but immigrated to

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

, United States in 1873, at age 19. In 1889 he moved to Markerville, Red Deer County,

Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...

, Canada. He did not see Iceland again until 1917, when he was 64 years old. Stephan was self-educated and worked hard all his life. He wrote after work, and, being an insomniac, he often wrote till dawn. He was under the influence of the

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

writer

Ralph Waldo Emerson Ralph Waldo Emerson (May 25, 1803April 27, 1882), who went by his middle name Waldo, was an American essayist, lecturer, philosopher, abolitionist, and poet who led the transcendentalist movement of the mid-19th century. He was seen as a champ ...

and they shared the same beliefs in many matters, including equal rights for men and women. Stephan wrote only in Icelandic and had great influence in his home country. His poems were published in a six volume book called "Andvökur" (Wakeful Nights). His letters and essays were published in four volumes, and even if nothing of his poetry had survived, those would have been enough to single him out as one of Iceland's foremost men of letters.

Legacy

His homestead near Markerville is an Alberta Provincial Historic Site. It has been restored and is open to the public from May 15 until August 31. The Stephan G. Stephansson Award is named in his honor and awarded annually by the Writers Guild of Alberta. In 1984 folk artist Richard White released an album of Stephansson poems sung in English translation and set to original music called ''Sun Over Darkness Prevail''. Image:Monument to Stephan Stephansson.jpg, Monument to Stephan Stephansson at Vatnsskarð pass near Varmahlið in northern Iceland Image:StefanGStefansson12.JPG, Stephan G. Stephansson Monument

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Stephansson, Stephan 1853 births 1927 deaths Icelandic male poets Icelandic emigrants to Canada Persons of National Historic Significance (Canada) Place of death missing Icelandic emigrants to the United States 19th-century Icelandic people