Sigurdur Pálsson was born on July 30, 1948 at Skinnastaður, Northern Iceland. He graduated from the High School in Reykjavik and studied theater and literature in Sorbonne, graduated with a maîtrise degree and D.E.A. (first part of doctoral degree). Sigurður taught at the Icelandic Academy of the Arts 1975-1978, but for the past several years he taught creative writing at the University of Iceland. Sigurður´s first poetry book Ljóð vega salt was published in 1975, but in total he published 16 poetry books. Sigurður was a productive writer in other areas. For the first book in his remembrance trilogy, Minnisbók (2007), he received the Icelandic Literature Prize. Sigurður was also one of the nation's most popular playwrights, but he received the Gríma Award for his script Utan gátta (2008). In 2007, the President of France honored Sigurður with the Knight´s cross of the National Order of Merit (Chevalier de l'Ordre National du Mérite). Sigurður was also a major translator of poetry, including poems by Paul Éluard and Jacques Prévert, and the novel of the French Nobel Prize winner Patrick Modiano. In 2016, there were published,Sigurður´s translations of Transformations and other poems by Willem M. Roggeman and Revelations and a Season in Hell by Arthur Rimbaud, which he translated along with Sölvi Björn Sigurðsson. Sigurður Pálsson received the first Maístjarnan (May Star) Award, the Icelandic Writer's Union and the National and University Library of Iceland Literature Prize, which was first delivered on 18 May 2017. Sigurdur died 19 September 2017. 

When Sigurður Pálsson received the May Star Literary prize, there was set up a small exhibition showing several of his books, including the book that received the prize, Ljóð muna rödd. In his memory the exhibition has been enlarged, showing also some of his plays and translations and translations of his books to other languages.

The exhibition closes 10 April 2018.