On Thursday 12 May 2016 an exhibition opened in Þjóðarbókhlaða, the library building at Arngrímsgata 3, to mark the 200th anniversary of Hið íslenska bókmenntafélag (the Icelandic Literary Society). The exhibition describes the main stages in the Society’s history and displays many of its most important publications. The exhibition was made by the Literary Society and the National and University Library of Iceland together. It was designed by Ólafur Engilbertsson, with exhibition texts by Bragi Þ. Ólafsson and Jökull Sævarsson. The exhibition is supported by the state treasury and by the Literary Society’s sponsors, GAMMA and Landsvirkjun.
Hið íslenska bókmenntafélag was founded in 1816 and took over the role of Hið íslenska lærdómslistafélag (the Icelandic Society of Learned Arts), founded in 1779. The Society has therefore been at work for two centuries. The Literary Society has published books meant to enrich culture rather than to make a profit. It publishes Skírnir, the Society’s journal, and Lærdómsrit bókmenntafélagsins, its series of classic works, as well as many books in various fields of culture and scholarship, in keeping with its purpose. The Society has always taken special care of the country’s history, language and literature, and also of connecting Icelanders with the best in education and science in other nations.
Exhibition catalogue (PDF, in Icelandic)
Timeline (PDF, in Icelandic)
Exhibition panels (PDF, in Icelandic)