Sjón and Steinunn Sigurðardóttir

A small exhibition of a few translations of books by Sjón and Steinunn Sigurðardóttir has been set up in the National and University Library. Works by both of them have been translated into many languages during the last few years and the books´ appearances are pleasantly varied.

Sjón has written many books of poetry and novels, plays and material for children. Besides his work as a writer he has taken part in art shows and musical events of different kinds. He has worked with Björk on composing music, texts and music videos, e.g. texts with her music for the film Dancer in the Dark (2000) by Lars von Trier. Works by Sjón have been translated into many languages. He received the Nordic Council´s Literature Prize in 2005 for the novel Skugga Baldur.

Steinunn Sigurðardóttir was only 19 when she published her first book, Sífellur, a book of poetry which instantly drew attention. In the year 1995 she received the Icelandic literary award for the novel Hjartastaður. Her books have been translated into various languages and a French film based on the novel Tímaþjófurinn was premiered in 1999. Steinunn was a part time newspaper and radio reporter from 1970-1982 and has also worked on radio broadcasts and television shows. Steinunn has lived for shorter or longer periods in different European countries, United States and Japan.