Translators and Translations
Obviously, this site would not exist without the work of these translators. Many thanks to these individuals have devoted so much time and effort in bringing Halldór’s work to a wider audience.
Alan Boucher: Quire of Seven
Alan Boucher (1918-1986) translated Icelandic folklore, stories and sagas. He also wrote a great number of children’s books, of
which five are set in the Viking Age. From 1967 to 1970 he was a lecturer at the English
Department of the University of Iceland. He then was an assistant professor for two years before being appointed as professor. He
was Dean of the Faculty of Arts at the University of Iceland from 1979
to 1981.
Axel Eyberg, short stories: New Iceland and Lily
Francis Hamilton Lyon: Salka Valka (from Gunnar Gunnarsson’s Danish version)
F. H. Lyon (1885-?) was a prolific translator of Scandinavian and German books, including Thor Heyerdahl’s Kon-Tiki.
Hallberg Hallmundsson: The Defeat of the Italian Air Force in Reykjavík 1933
Hallberg Hallmundsson (1930-2011) was an Icelandic journalist who translated works in the Scandinavian languages. He was a prolific translator, editor and poet, writing about Icelandic and Nordic issues, and as numerous articles on literary and historical topics.
Hallberg published fifteen books of poetry and two collections of short stories in Iceland; he also edited An Anthology of Scandinavian Literature (1966) and Icelandic Folk and Fairy Tales (1987).
J.A. Thompson: Independent People
“J.A. THOMPSON was born in Berwick-upon-Tweed in 1910. After graduating in English and Nordic language and literature from the University of Leeds he worked as a school teacher in Akureyri in the north of Iceland from 1931-2 before moving back to Berwick. His translation of Independent People was his only work of translation, the labour of many years. It is generally accepted to be the finest translation into any language of Laxness’ masterpiece.”
~ from the introduction of the Harvill paperback edition.
John Watkins, short stories: New Iceland and Lily,
Katherine John: The Happy Warriors, (from the Danish)
Katherine John also translated The Viking ships: their ancestry and evolution by A. W. Brógger and Haakon Shetelig. NOTE: This is not the mystery author of the same name.
Kenneth Garnier Chapman: The Honour of the House
Kenneth G. Chapman (1927-?) was a member of the Scandinavian Department at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. He made numerous translations of Scandinavian and Icelandic authors. In 1962 he published a study of Icelandic-Norwegian Linguistic Relationships. Chapman translated several works of Norwegian author and poet Tarjei Vesaas and wrote a biography on him.
Magnus Magnusson: World Light, The Atom Station, The Fish Can Sing, Paradise Reclaimed, Under the Glacier
Magnus Magnusson (1929-2007), KBE, was a noted author, translator and BBC television personality. Magnusson presented the long-running quiz show Mastermind from 1972 to 1997 on BBC1. Magnusson was awarded an honorary knighthood (Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire) in 1989. Born in Reykjavík, Magnus lived most of his life in Scotland. He discussed his translations of Laxness in the May 2003 issue of the journal Scandinavica (pp. 13-28.)
Philip Roughton: Iceland's Bell, The Great Weaver from Kashmir, Wayward Heroes, Salka Valka (2022), A Parish Chronicle (2026)
Phillip Roughton (1965- ) has translated works by many of Iceland’s best-known writers: Nobel laureate Halldór Laxness, Jon Kalman Stefánsson, Bergsveinn Birgisson, Steinunn Sigurðardóttir, and others. Awards include the 2015 American-Scandinavian Foundation Translation Competition Prize for his translation of Halldór Laxness’ novel Gerpla (Wayward Heroes), and the 2016 Oxford-Weidenfeld Prize for his translation of Stefánsson’s The Heart of Man. Roughton was short-listed for the 2017 Man Booker Prize in translation for his translation of Fish Have No Feet (Iceland), also by Stefánsson.
Laxness novels without published English translations:
Barn náttúrunnar: 1919
Undir Helgahnúk: 1924
Innansveitarkronika: 1970
Guðsgjafaþula: 1972
Gljúfrasteinn’s list of English translations... (including stories and essays)
Extended PDF concerning Laxness translations and more…
A chat with Valgerður Benediktsdóttir, foreign rights manager at the publishing house Forlagið about releasing 15 Laxness titles in German in 2011…
Jennifer looks for “clarity about criteria and priorities” in translation prizes in SRB…
Stephen’s appreciation of Magnús…
Egill’s take on modern Icelandic fiction…
Victoria on the problems of modern Icelandic translations…
Vladimir’s essay on translation…
Jia’s attempt to translate Independent People…
Abigail’s paper on J.A. Thompson and IP…
Benjamin looks at the trials of translation…
Dora’s examination of modern translations…
B.J. Epstein compares Laxness and Gunnarsson translation efforts…
Reykjavík Grapevine article about translated work database…
WWB Daily interview with Philip Roughton…
Eric posits translators as ventriloquists in Rain Taxi…
Abi’s Goodreads discussion about Laxness translators…
Jhumpa looks at self-translation in The Spectator…
Tim puts translation under scrutiny in the NY Review of Books…
The Icelandic Literary Center’s list of Icelandic translators…
Icelandic Literature Center video with modern Icelandic writers…
Booksellers and sources:
AbeBooks, large selection, numerous editions
Amazon, mostly new paperbacks, Kindle
Antiqbooks, Hardbound, rare, prints and autographed editions
Biblio, Hardbound, rare, autographed editions
This page prepared by Stephen
