Guðmundur Andri Thorsson

Guðmundur Andri Thorsson (born December 31, 1957 in Reykjavík ) is an Icelandic journalist, writer, translator and politician ( Allianz ). Since 2017 he has been a member of the Althing , the Icelandic parliament.

life and work

Guðmundur Andri Thorsson is the son of the writer Thor Vilhjálmsson (1925–2011). He attended the Menntaskólinn við Sund (MS) in Reykjavík, from which he graduated in 1978 with a university entrance qualification. He then studied Icelandic and Comparative Literature at the University of Iceland . In 1983 he received his BA ; until 1985 he continued studying Icelandic literature.

His journalistic work for the newspapers Dagblaðið Vísir (DV) and Þjóðviljinn included, among other things, literary reviews . He also worked for the state broadcaster Ríkisútvarpið , where he had his own broadcast Andrarímur . He wrote for publications such as Alþýðublaðið , Þjóðviljann , Dag-Tímann and Fréttablaðið . From 1986 to 1989 he was editor of the literary magazine Tímarit Máls og menningar . From 1989 he worked for the publishing house. He worked as a publishing editor and translator. He translated two novels by Marina Lewycka into Icelandic. He resumed his work at Tímarit Máls og menningar in 2008 and continued until 2017.

In 1988 he published his first novel, Mín káta angist . Two of his works have been translated into German, Íslandsförin (To Iceland!) And Valeyrarvalsinn ( Whispered in the Wind). For his literary work, Guðmundur Andri Thorsson has received several awards, including the 1991 DV literary prize for Íslenski draumurinn . The novel was in 1991 for the Icelandic Literature Prize nominated 1996 also Íslandsförin and 2013. Sæmd . In 2013, the short story collection Valeyrarvalsinn was nominated for the Nordic Council's Literature Prize. In 2008 he received the Reykjavík Children's Book Prize for his translation of Winnie-the-Pooh into Icelandic (Bangsímon). Since 2010 he has been a member of the Icelandic authors' association PEN , of which he is a board member.

In the early parliamentary elections in 2017 , he was elected to the Althing. In parliament he represents the Suðvesturkjördæmi , the south-western constituency.

Guðmundur Andri Thorsson is married and has two children.

Works (selection)

• Mín káta angist . Mál og menning, Reykjavík 1988
• Íslenski draumurinn . Mál og menning, Reykjavík 1991
• Íslandsförin , Mál og menning, Reykjavík 1996
  • To Iceland! Translation Helmut Lugmayr , Klett-Cotta, Stuttgart 2000 ISBN 978-3-608-91922-6
• Náðarkraftur . Mál og menning, Reykjavík 2003
• Valeyrarvalsinn 2011
  • Whispered in the wind . Translation Tina Flecken , Hoffmann and Campe, Hamburg 2014 ISBN 978-3-455-40334-3

Web links

• Guðmundur Andri Thorsson in the Alþingi database (Icelandic, English , Danish )
• Guðmundur Andri Thorsson at Icelandic Literature (English)
• Short biography and reviews of works by Guðmundur Andri Thorsson at perlentaucher.de
• Ingeborg Harms: To Iceland! In: FAZ.net. May 2, 2000, Retrieved January 31, 2018 (Review of the novel Nach Iceland! ). 

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Guðmundur Andri Thorsson on the Althing website (Icelandic)
2. ↑ Guðmundur Andri Thorsson at Hoffmann and Campe
3. ↑ Guðmundur Andri Thorsson, Awards and Nominations , bokmenntaborgin.is (Icelandic, English )

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 .