The Most Famous

WRITERS from Iceland

This page contains a list of the greatest Icelander Writers. The pantheon dataset contains 7,302 Writers, 26 of which were born in Iceland. This makes Iceland the birth place of the 45th most number of Writers behind Syria, and Belarus.

Top 10

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary Icelander Writers of all time. This list of famous Icelander Writers is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography's online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of Icelander Writers.

1. Halldór Laxness (1902 - 1998)

With an HPI of 78.54, Halldór Laxness is the most famous Icelander Writer. His biography has been translated into 93 different languages on wikipedia.

Halldór Kiljan Laxness (Icelandic: [ˈhaltour ˈcʰɪljan ˈlaksnɛs] ; born Halldór Guðjónsson; 23 April 1902 – 8 February 1998) was an Icelandic writer and winner of the 1955 Nobel Prize in Literature. He wrote novels, poetry, newspaper articles, essays, plays, travelogues and short stories. Writers who influenced Laxness include August Strindberg, Sigmund Freud, Knut Hamsun, Sinclair Lewis, Upton Sinclair, Bertolt Brecht, and Ernest Hemingway.

2. Snorri Sturluson (1179 - 1241)

With an HPI of 76.37, Snorri Sturluson is the 2nd most famous Icelander Writer. His biography has been translated into 65 different languages.

Snorri Sturluson (Old Norse: [ˈsnorːe ˈsturloˌson]; Icelandic: [ˈsnɔrːɪ ˈstʏ(r)tlʏˌsɔːn]; 1179 – 22 September 1241) was an Icelandic historian, poet, knight, and politician. He was elected twice as lawspeaker of the Icelandic parliament, the Althing. He is commonly thought to have authored or compiled portions of the Prose Edda, which is a major source for what is today known about Norse mythology and alliterative verse, and Heimskringla, a history of the Norse kings that begins with legendary material in Ynglinga saga and moves through to early medieval Scandinavian history. For stylistic and methodological reasons, Snorri is often taken to be the author of Egil's Saga. He was assassinated in 1241 by men claiming to be agents of the King of Norway.

3. Egill Skallagrímsson (904 - 990)

With an HPI of 66.74, Egill Skallagrímsson is the 3rd most famous Icelander Writer. His biography has been translated into 31 different languages.

Egil Skallagrímsson (Old Norse: Egill Skallagrímsson [ˈeɣelː ˈskɑlːɑˌɡriːmsˌson]; Modern Icelandic: [ˈeijɪtl̥ ˈskatlaˌkrimsˌsɔːn]; c. 904 – c. 995) was a Viking Age war poet, sorcerer, berserker, and farmer. He is known mainly as the anti-hero of Egil's Saga. Egil's Saga historically narrates a period from approximately 850 to 1000 AD and is believed to have been written between 1220 and 1240 AD.

4. Gunnar Gunnarsson (1889 - 1975)

With an HPI of 65.60, Gunnar Gunnarsson is the 4th most famous Icelander Writer. His biography has been translated into 27 different languages.

Gunnar Gunnarsson (18 May 1889 – 21 November 1975) was an Icelandic author who wrote mainly in Danish. He grew up, in considerable poverty, on Valþjófsstaður in Fljótsdalur valley and on Ljótsstaðir in Vopnafjörður. During the first half of 20th century he became one of the most popular novelists in Denmark and Germany. One time he went to Germany and had a meeting with Hitler and is considered to be the only Icelander to have met him. Often considered one of the most important Icelandic writers, he wrote the novel Af Borgslægtens Historie (translated into English as Guest the One-Eyed), the first Icelandic writing ever made into a movie. He also wrote the autobiographical novel The Church on the Mountain (1923–28).

5. Arnaldur Indriðason (b. 1961)

With an HPI of 64.48, Arnaldur Indriðason is the 5th most famous Icelander Writer. His biography has been translated into 37 different languages.

Arnaldur Indriðason (pronounced [ˈartnaltʏr ˈɪntrɪðasɔn]; born 28 January 1961) is an Icelandic writer of crime fiction; his most popular series features the protagonist Detective Erlendur.

6. Magnús Scheving (b. 1964)

With an HPI of 63.49, Magnús Scheving is the 6th most famous Icelander Writer. His biography has been translated into 63 different languages.

Magnús Örn Eyjólfsson Scheving (Icelandic: [ˈmaknuːs ˈscɛːvɪŋk]; born 10 November 1964) is an Icelandic writer, television producer, entrepreneur, actor, and former athlete. He is best known as the creator of the children's television show LazyTown, on which he served as a producer, director, and portrayed the character Sportacus. A two–time European champion in aerobic gymnastics, he was named the Icelandic Sportsperson of the Year in 1994.

7. Jón Arason (1484 - 1550)

With an HPI of 62.78, Jón Arason is the 7th most famous Icelander Writer. His biography has been translated into 22 different languages.

Jón Arason (1484 – November 7, 1550) was an Icelandic Roman Catholic bishop and poet, who was executed in his struggle against the Reformation in Iceland.

8. Hallgrímur Pétursson (1614 - 1674)

With an HPI of 62.33, Hallgrímur Pétursson is the 8th most famous Icelander Writer. His biography has been translated into 22 different languages.

Hallgrímur Pétursson (1614 – 27 October 1674) was an Icelandic poet and a minister at Hvalsneskirkja and Saurbær in Hvalfjörður. Being one of the most prominent Icelandic poets, the Hallgrímskirkja in Reykjavík and the Hallgrímskirkja in Saurbær are named in his honor. He was one of the most influential pastors during the Age of Orthodoxy (1580–1713). Because of his contributions to Lutheran hymnody, he is sometimes called the Icelandic Paul Gerhardt.

9. Jónas Hallgrímsson (1807 - 1845)

With an HPI of 62.27, Jónas Hallgrímsson is the 9th most famous Icelander Writer. His biography has been translated into 24 different languages.

Jónas Hallgrímsson (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 Jónas and his fellow Fjölnismenn to promote Icelandic nationalism, in the hope of giving impetus to the Icelandic Independence Movement. Jónas remains one of Iceland's most beloved poets, penning some of the best-known Icelandic poems about Iceland and its people. Since 1996, Jónas's birthday has been officially recognised in Iceland as the Day of the Icelandic Language. On 16 November each year, the Jónas Hallgrímsson Award is awarded to an individual for their outstanding contribution to the Icelandic Language.

10. Matthías Jochumsson (1835 - 1920)

With an HPI of 62.14, Matthías Jochumsson is the 10th most famous Icelander Writer. His biography has been translated into 26 different languages.

Matthías Jochumsson (11 November 1835 – 18 November 1920) was an Icelandic Lutheran clergyman, poet, playwright, and translator. He is best known for his lyrical poetry and for writing the national anthem of Iceland, "Lofsöngur", in 1874.

People

Pantheon has 26 people classified as Icelander writers born between 904 and 1964. Of these 26, 10 (38.46%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living Icelander writers include Arnaldur Indriðason, Magnús Scheving, and Yrsa Sigurðardóttir. The most famous deceased Icelander writers include Halldór Laxness, Snorri Sturluson, and Egill Skallagrímsson. As of April 2024, 26 new Icelander writers have been added to Pantheon including Halldór Laxness, Snorri Sturluson, and Egill Skallagrímsson.