Stephan G. Stephansson

Stephan G. Stephansson

Monument at Vatnsskarð

Detail of the monument

Stephan G. Stephansson (Icelandic spelling: Stefán G. Stefánsson , born October 3, 1853 in Kirkjuhóll, Skagafjörður ; † August 9, 1927 in Alberta , Canada ) was an important Icelandic - Canadian author and poet. His baptismal name was Stefán Guðmundur Guðmundsson .

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The writer was born on October 3, 1853 on the Kikjuhóll farm in the Skagafjörður area in Iceland. Therefore, since 1953 a monument related to him has stood on the top of the Vatnsskarð pass above Varmahlíð .

As a child he grew up in poor circumstances and had difficulties gaining the long-awaited higher education. He only succeeded in doing this later as an autodidact through a lot of reading.

In 1873 his parents emigrated with the children to America, initially to Wisconsin , USA. As an adult, after earning his living as a farmer in America, he moved to the province of Alberta , Canada in 1889 and did not return to Iceland until 1917, at the age of 64.

Stephan G. Stephansson died in Canada in 1927. In Iceland he is nicknamed Stefán G. or Stefán Klettaskáld (an allusion to the Rocky Mountains , Icelandic Klettarfjöll ).

plant

The poet Stephan G. Stephansson wrote alongside his hard work as a farmer and often late at night, which is why the anthology of his works also bears the Icelandic title Andvökur ( Sleepless Nights ).

In the meantime, some of his poems have also been translated into German.

This expresses the dichotomy of the emigrant:

"From a speech on the Icelanders' Day"

As far as you wander around the world

even if you cross every country

in the heart and in the soul

you will never forget your home (...)

See also

• Icelandic literature

Web links

Commons : Stephan G. Stephansson  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Wikisource: Stephan G. Stephansson  - Sources and full texts (Icelandic)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b c d} Jón R. Hjálmarsson: Með þjóðskjáldum við þjóðveginn. Reykjavík 2004
2. ↑ Icelandic Poetry. Ed. S. Aðalsteinsdóttir, u. a. Berlin 2011 ISBN 978-3-458-35754-4

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 .