Table of Contents

1: The Middle Ages Vesteinn Olason and Sverrir Tomasson; Old Icelandic Poetry (Vesteinn Olason); Old Icelandic Prose (Sverrir Tomasson) 2: From Reformation to Enlightenment Margret Eggertsdottir 3: From Romanticism to Realism thornorir Oskarsson 4: From Realism to Neo-Romanticism Guethni Elisson 5: Realism and Revolt: Between the World Wars Jon Yngvi Johannsson 6: Icelandic Prose Literature since 1940 Astraethur Eysteinsson and Ulfhildur Dagsdottir; Icelandic Prose Literature 1940-1980 (Astraethur Eysteinsson); Icelandic Prose Literature since 1980 (Astraethur Eysteinsson and Ulfhildur Dagsdottir) 7: Icelandic Poetry since 1940 Eysteinn thornorvaldsson 8: Searching for Herself: Female Experience and Female Tradition in Icelandic Literature Helga Kress 9: Icelandic Theatre Arni Ibsen and Havar Sigurjonsson; Icelandic Theatre, 1790-1975 (Arni Ibsen); Icelandic Theatre since 1975 (Havar Sigurjonsson) 10: Icelandic Children's Literature, 1780-2000 Silja Aethalsteinsdottir 11: Icelandic-Canadian Literature Daisy Neijmann

Promotional Information

As complete a history as possible of the literature of Iceland.

About the Author

Daisy Neijmann is Halldór Laxness Lecturer in Modern Icelandic Language and Literature at University College London. She is the author of Colloquial Icelandic: A Complete Course for Beginners and The Icelandic Voice in Canadian Letters: The Contribution of Icelandic-Canadian Writers to Canadian Literature.

Reviews

“This is a collection that every serious Scandophile will want to own.”—Words Without Borders

"Each of the book's four sections is written by a different Icelandic scholar, but all share the same high level of readability thanks to excellent translations. . . . Although obscure, Icelandic literature deserves serious attention; this volume provides an excellent introduction."—CHOICE

"A History of Icelandic Literature is a long-awaited and extensive overview that will, no doubt, be valuable for non-Icelandic students and scholars in the relevant fields for the next few decades."—Sven H. Rossel, Scandinavian-Canadian Studies

"[A History of Icelandic Literature] is the first work to give non-Icelandic readers a wide-ranging introduction to Iceland's literature and each contributor to this volume is a recognized expert in his or her area."—Lorenzo Casany, Aurora Boreal

“The authors are to be praised for embedding their discussions in social and ideological context and also for taking up topics not always found in literary history such as, for example, translations, which are an important part of what people really read, or the contemporary book market with its Christmas-season timing. . . . [A History of Icelandic Literature] is a valuable gift indeed.”—Scandinavian Studies