WRITERS‘ HOMES

Icelanders became known for their literary skills as long ago as the Middle Ages. They composed tributes to Norwegian kings in intricate verse, and they penned the unique sagas on vellum. In this volume we visit the former homes of some of Iceland’s literary giants and museums that commemorate them, from the medieval geothermal pool of Snorri Sturluson at Reykholt to the swimming pool at Gljúfrasteinn, home of Nobel prizewinner Halldór Laxness. Our journey begins at the Culture House in Reykjavík, where Iceland’s priceless medieval manuscripts are on display – the nation‘s literary heritage. Most of Iceland‘s most valuable manuscripts were stored in collections in Copenhagen, but thanks to the generosity of the Danes many of them have been returned to Iceland since the 1970s. And it is apt to display them in the Culture House, originally built to house the National Library, where the names of Icelandic authors are written in stone. As we head northwards we will see the birthplace of Jónas Hallgrímsson in Öxnadalur, and in Akureyri the homes of three writers: Jón Sveinsson, Davíð Stefánsson and Matthías Jochumsson. Skriðuklaustur in the east, home of Gunnar Gunnarsson, is an impressive sight, and at Hali in the south, the birthplace of Þórbergur Þórðarson, his eccentric humour is reflected in the giant bookshelf on the front of the visitor centre.

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