Guðmundur G. Hagalín
Encyclopedia
Guðmundur G. Hagalín came from the sea-girt Western Fiords of Iceland
, where he was a fisherman before attending secondary school. Later, he lectured on Iceland in Norway
for a few years (1924-27), and became a superintendent of public libraries. His home was fairly near Reykjavík
. His best work concerned portrayals of the simple sturdy seamen and countryfolk of his native region, which are often refreshingly arch in manner. He tended to do this better in short form than long. Hagalín also did well as a narrator able to capture the living speech and characteristic mode of expression of his characters. Strandbúar is one of his collections of short stories. He also had success in recording and editing biographies of very diverse people, based on first-hand accounts of their own lives. In 1960 he was still alive and working on his autobiography.
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
, where he was a fisherman before attending secondary school. Later, he lectured on Iceland in Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
for a few years (1924-27), and became a superintendent of public libraries. His home was fairly near Reykjavík
Reykjavík
Reykjavík is the capital and largest city in Iceland.Its latitude at 64°08' N makes it the world's northernmost capital of a sovereign state. It is located in southwestern Iceland, on the southern shore of Faxaflói Bay...
. His best work concerned portrayals of the simple sturdy seamen and countryfolk of his native region, which are often refreshingly arch in manner. He tended to do this better in short form than long. Hagalín also did well as a narrator able to capture the living speech and characteristic mode of expression of his characters. Strandbúar is one of his collections of short stories. He also had success in recording and editing biographies of very diverse people, based on first-hand accounts of their own lives. In 1960 he was still alive and working on his autobiography.