On Wednesday, May 6, literary scholar Guðrún Ingólfsdóttir will present the talk "Uncovering the Past. The Search for Women's Manuscripts" in the lecture series Icelandic Book History in the lecture hall of the National and University Library between 12:05 – 12:45. Guðrún's abstract states: “The lecture will discuss a study I am currently working on on women's literary culture from the Middle Ages to 1730. Literary culture refers to the literary activities of women, as writers and owners/readers of manuscripts. Little is known about women's education and their role in the cultural history of the nation. A study of their literary culture is intended to shed light on these aspects, but also on their self-image and the knowledge they gained from books. However, women's manuscripts are poorly documented, as Guðný Hallgrímsdóttir et al. have pointed out, and it therefore proved necessary to delve into the vast number of manuscripts to search for traces of their forebears. Two manuscripts that are the result of this search will be discussed.”

Guðrún holds a PhD in Icelandic Literature from the University of Iceland. In the years 1996–2007, Guðrún worked on various projects at the University of Iceland, the National and University Library of Iceland and the Árni Magnússon Institute for Icelandic Studies, e.g. teaching, manuscript cataloging, proofreading and writing columns for the Encyclopedia of Icelandic Literature and Literary Studies. Guðrún has mainly been involved in research on literature and manuscripts of the past. The results of her research can be seen in domestic and foreign journals and collections.

The lecture series is supported by the Sigrún Á. Sigurðardóttir and Haraldur Sigurðsson Research Fund.

Everyone welcome.