Arngrímur Jónsson lærði (Arngrímur the Learned, 1568–1648) was headmaster of the school at Hólar and assistant priest at Hólar Cathedral. Brevis commentarivs de Islandia is the first book written by an Icelander for the specific purpose of informing foreigners about the country and its people, and at the same time pointing out exaggerations, generalisations and misrepresentations about Iceland and the Icelanders. Arngrímur’s main target was a poem by Gories Peerse from 1561, a tale of the savages of Iceland. In his defence Arngrímur used various arguments, citing important sources and contemporary scientific works, and undermined Peerse’s arguments with rhetoric. Brevis commentarivs is divided into two parts, one on the country and the other on its people. The work was originally written in Latin, but was translated into English in 1598. An Icelandic translation of the book was last published in 2008.
Click the picture to view the book on the website Bækur.is