Gesture Pálsson

Gesture Pálsson

Gestur Pálsson (born September 25, 1852 in Iceland , † August 19, 1891 in Canada ) was an Icelandic writer and journalist. He was on the farm near Miðhús Reykhólar in the district Barðastrandsýsla in the West Fjords born and grew up there. Among other things, he was one of the four editors of the Icelandic magazine Verðandi in 1882.

Life

After graduating from school in 1875, he went to Copenhagen to work there a. a. To study theology. However, he stayed away from university after two years of study without graduating. After returning to Iceland, he spent a year in his homeland and got engaged. He then went back to Copenhagen to catch up on his degree.

In 1882 he gave together with Einar H. Kvaran, Hannes Hafsteinn and Bertel Ó. Þorleifsson publishes the only issue of Verðandi magazine. This was composed of poems and stories by the four editors, which were written in the style of realism and in the spirit of the modern breakthrough . The modern breakthrough took hold in Scandinavia from the 1870s , and demanded a more realistic and socially critical literature. Its best-known representatives are Henrik Ibsen , August Strindberg and Alexander Lange Kielland .

Gestur's contribution in Verðandi was a novella entitled "The Home of Love" (Kærleiksheimilið), which is still one of his most famous stories. In particular, she criticizes the hypocritical "Christian brotherly love" and people's self-lies. In his short stories, the author develops particular sympathy for the poor and people who have been excluded from society.

However, Gestur mainly worked as an editor. He published other magazines and newspapers, first Þjóðólfur and then Suðri, the latter was discontinued in 1886. In 1890 Gestur emigrated to Winnipeg and took over the editorial management of Heimskringla, a newspaper for Icelanders in Canada. A year later he died of pneumonia.

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Gestur Pálsson was one of the main exponents of realism in Iceland and a follower of Georg Brandes . Best known are his short stories (including A Love Home, Sigurd the Boatman, A Spring Dream) and his socially critical lectures Lifið í Reykjavík (Life in Reykjavík), Menntunarástandið á Íslandi (The educational status in Iceland) and Nýi skáldskápurinn (The new poetry), in whom he denounces both the lack of education in Iceland and the lack of orientation of Icelandic writers to the literature of other Scandinavian and European countries. He also describes the strong focus of Icelandic literature on romanticism and sagas as backwardness. With this modern and realism-oriented attitude, he particularly drew criticism from conservative writers in Iceland. a. by Einar Benediktsson , on himself.

Web links

• poesie-nordique.fr (French), accessed March 10, 2013
• http://www.snerpa.is/net/sma/gpals.htm

Note: Icelanders are referred to by their first name or first and last name, but not just their surname. Further information can be found under Icelandic personal name .