Theódór Friðriksson

Theódór Friðriksson (born April 28, 1876 in Flatey , Skjálfandi , † April 8, 1948 in Reykjavík ) was an Icelandic writer . He published in part under the pseudonym Valur .

Life

Theódór was the son of poor farmers. He had no school education but enjoyed reading in his youth. At the age of 18 he became a shark hunter in the Arctic, later he worked as a fisherman off Iceland and as a small farmer. In 1898 he married Sigurlaug Jónasdóttir, with whom he had several children. The family lived in Húsavík and remained poor.

Theódór only started writing after the turn of the century. His first book publication was the collection of short stories Utan frá sjó , published in 1908 . Other books with short prose and some novels followed. Theódór also published in magazines of left-wing parties who valued him because he opposed capitalist exploitation and because he came from the simplest of backgrounds. He also wrote Hákarlalegur og hákarlamenn , a memorial book on shark hunting that appeared in 1933, and his autobiography Í verum , published in two volumes in 1941 . In 1944, Ofan jarðar og neðan was another sequel, in which he dealt with the occupation of Iceland in World War II .

Although his works were not outstanding in terms of writing, they are culturally and historically significant because of his authentic portrayals of the life of poor Icelandic fishermen.

Works (selection)

• Utan frá sjó (short stories, 1908)
• Útlagar (novel, 1922)
• Líf og blóð (novel, 1928)
• Hákarlalegur og hákarlamenn (Memoirs, 1933)
• Í verum (autobiography, 2 volumes, 1941)
• Ofan jarðar og neðan (autobiography, 1944)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b} Ernst Walter: Friðriksson, Theódór in Horst Bien (ed.): Meyers Taschenlexikon Nordeuropäische Literaturen , Leipzig 1978
2. ↑ ^{a b c d} Theódór Friðriksson in Stefán Einarsson: History of Icelandic prose writers . Cornell University Press, Ithaca 1948
3. ^ Theódór Friðriksson in Páll Eggert Ólason: Íslenzkar æviskrár frá landnámstímum til ársloka 1940 . Reykjavík, 1948-1976

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 .