Christmas releases

Exhibition in the National Library

01.12.2019 - 12.01.2020

On the occasion of the advent, the Library displays several Christmas-related releases from the past 100 years or so. Here are original Icelandic books for Christmas, a yearbook related to Christmas, translated books and records. In the years 1917-1922, Steindór Gunnarsson published the yearly Jólagjöfin (Christmas gift) with a variety of material for children, and about the same time K.F.U.M (Y.M.C.A.) published the book Jólakveðju (A Christmas greeting).

Jólin koma (Christmas is coming) by Jóhannes frá Kötlum was published in 1932. Tryggvi Magnússon illustrated the book. The book was published at the time of the independence struggle when national heritage was undergoing a renewal of life. Folklore memory was brought closer to the nation and at the same time the specialties of Icelandic Christmas culture were marked. The book was recently published in English translation by Hallberg Hallmundsson as Christmas is coming.

Jóhannes frá Kötlum also published Jólavaka - a collection of Icelandic literature in 1945. Aðventa (Advent) by Gunnar Gunnarsson was originally written in Danish and first published in Germany in 1936. It was first published in Icelandic translation by Magnús Ásgeirsson in 1939. First edition in Icelandic by the poet himself came out in 1976 and here you can see a reissue from 2007 with pictures by Gunnar Gunnarsson junior. Dickens's classic A Christmas Carol first appeared in Iceland in Karl Ísfeld's translation in 1942 and was republished in 2009.

Brian Pilkington is probably the most prolific author of Christmas books for children in Iceland in recent years and the Icelandic Yule Lads in his interpretation are in constant circulation and a book has recently been published, called The Yule Cat: a seasonal makeover. Here you can also see Jólasveinarnir (The Yule Lads) by Iðunn Steinsdóttir with pictures by Búi Kristjánsson from 1993; Jólasögu úr samtímanum (Christmas stories from the present) by Guðbergur Bergsson in a 1995 edition and the publication from 1947 of Jólabókin (The Christmas Book) that Sigurjón Jónsson created for printing and Halldór Pétursson illustrated.

Gylfi Garðarsson created the book Jólasöngvar (Christmas Songs) in 1996 and finally you can see some Christmas records from the fifties, sixties and seventies with Ingibjörg Þorbergs, Haukur Morthens, Þuríður Pálsdóttir, Helena Eyjólfsdóttir, Ómar Ragnarsson,  Þrjú á palli and Svanhildur Jakobsdóttir.

Exhibitions

Previous exhibitions
The Icelandic Feminist Association (finished)

The Icelandic Feminist Association (finished)

Exhibition in the National Library

See more
16th Century Hymnbooks

16th Century Hymnbooks

Exhibition in the National Library

See more
Christmas editions

Christmas editions

Exhibition in the National Library

See more

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