Poetry
Þyrnar
Not translated into English
Þorsteinn Erlingsson · 1897
Synopsis
Nature poems, often devoted to birds, stand alongside pieces of social and political satire, and the two veins sometimes mingle. They include an attack on Danish domination, the memory of the childhood farm of Hlíðarendakot, a tribute to the linguist Rasmus Rask, a mockery of the coup of 1809, a poem against the industrialisation of waterfalls, a lament on the fate of the pagan gods and the song of a boy and his dog.
Context
The volume appeared in 1897 at Akureyri, on the initiative of Oddur Björnsson, but many of its pieces had already appeared in the press, and its author was already regarded as a national poet. The title expresses the sting of the satirical poems. The metres are simple, taken from the popular poets, the ferskeytla above all, and Britannica notes his brilliant use of these forms to reach ordinary people. His revolt against religious and civil authority remains tempered there by a tenderness for animals and for men. In 1913 he would produce a cycle on Ragnheiður, the daughter of the bishop of Skálholt.
Who it is for
A short collection, in Icelandic, in simple metres; several pieces have become popular songs.
Prizes and reception
One of its author's two great books, with the cycle of 1913; he was considered a national poet even before its publication.
Sources for this page 2
The pages consulted to check this page.