Arnaldur Indriðason
Arnaldur Indriðason (pronounced ˈartnaltʏr ˈɪntrɪðasɔn; in English, written as Indridason; born 28 January 1961) is an Icelandic writer of crime fiction; his most popular series features the protagonist Detective Erlendur.
Also recorded as Arnaldur Indridason
Arnaldur Indriðason

ActuaLitté · Arnaldur Indridason · CC BY-SA 2.0
- Name
- Arnaldur Indriðason
- Born
- 28 January 1961
- Birthplace
- Reykjavík, Iceland
- Nationality
- Iceland.
- Occupation
- writer, screenwriter, journalist and film critic.
- Fields
- film criticism, journalism, literary activity and thriller.
- Education
- University of Iceland.
- Known for
- Jar City, Silence of the Grave, Voices, The Draining Lake, Arctic Chill, Operation Napoleon, Petsamo and Into Oblivion.
- Honours
- Glass Key award, Finnish Whodunnit Society, Barry Award for Best Novel, Swedish Crime Writers' Academy, Knights of the Order of the Falcon and Blóðdropinn.
- Languages
- Icelandic and English.
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Arnaldur Indriðason (pronounced ˈartnaltʏr ˈɪntrɪðasɔn; in English, written as Indridason; born 28 January 1961) is an Icelandic writer of crime fiction; his most popular series features the protagonist Detective Erlendur.
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In this article
Biography
Biography
Arnaldur Indriðason studied at University of Iceland. The recorded working language is Icelandic and English. The field of work recorded is film criticism, journalism and literary activity. Subjects and genres recorded for the work are detective fiction, thriller and crime. Places of work recorded in the authority are Reykjavík. Employment is recorded with Morgunblaðið. Works named in the authority record are Jar City, Silence of the Grave, Voices, The Draining Lake, Arctic Chill and Operation Napoleon. Distinctions recorded are Glass Key award, Finnish Whodunnit Society, Barry Award for Best Novel and Swedish Crime Writers' Academy.
Arnaldur Indriðason from Iceland at the Helsinki Book Fair in 2004
Anneli Salo
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Arnaldur Indriðason • Born — 28 January 1961 • Birthplace — Reykjavík, Iceland • Genre — crime fiction Arnaldur Indriðason (pronounced ˈartnaltʏr ˈɪntrɪðasɔn; in English, written as Indridason; born 28 January 1961) is an Icelandic writer of crime fiction; his most popular series features the protagonist Detective Erlendur.
Early life
Early life
Arnaldur was born in Reykjavík on 28 January 1961, the son of writer Indriði G. Þorsteinsson. He graduated with a degree in history from the University of Iceland (Háskóli Íslands) in 1996. He worked as a journalist for the newspaper Morgunblaðið from 1981 to 1982, and later as a freelance writer. From 1986 to 2001, he was a film critic for Morgunblaðið.
Detective Erlendur series
Detective Erlendur series
• Synir duftsins (Sons of The Dust), 1997 • Dauðarósir (Silent Kill), 1998 • Mýrin (Jar City), 2000. Trans. 2004 • Grafarþögn (Silence of the Grave), 2001. Trans. 2006 • Röddin (Voices), 2003. Trans. 2007 • Kleifarvatn (The Draining Lake), 2004. Trans. 2008 • Vetrarborgin (Arctic Chill), 2005. Trans. 2009 • Harðskafi (Hypothermia), 2007. Trans. 2010 • Myrká (Outrage), 2008. Trans. 2012 • Svörtuloft (Black Skies), 2009. Trans. 2013 • Furðustrandir (Strange Shores), 2010. Trans. 2014
Young Erlendur
Young Erlendur
• Einvígið (The Duel), 2011 • Reykjavíkurnætur (Reykjavik Nights), 2012. Trans. 2015 • Kamp Knox (Oblivion), 2014. Published in the U.S. as Into Oblivion, 2016
Reykjavik Wartime Mystery series (Flovent and Thorson)
Reykjavik Wartime Mystery series (Flovent and Thorson)
• Skuggasund (The Shadow District), 2013. Trans. 2017 • Þýska húsið (The Shadow Killer), 2015. Trans. 2018 • Petsamo, 2016.
Konráð series
Konráð series
• Myrkrið veit (The Darkness Knows), 2017. Trans. 2021 • Stúlkan hjá brúnni (The Girl by the Bridge), 2018. Trans. 2023 • Tregasteinn (The Quiet Mother), 2019 • Þagnarmúr (Wall of Silence), 2020 • Kyrrþey (Peace), 2022 • Sæluríkið (The Kingdom of Bliss), 2023 • Tál (Seduction), 2025.
Other novels
Other novels
• Napóleonsskjölin (Operation Napoleon), 1999. Trans. 2011 • Bettý, 2003 • Konungsbók, 2006 • Sigurverkið, 2021 • Ferðalok (Journey's End), 2024
Publications
Publications
His first book, Sons of Earth (Synir duftsins) came out in 1997, the first in the series with Detective Erlendur. The first two novels in the series have not yet been translated into English. As of 2013, the series included 14 novels. Arnaldur is considered one of the most popular writers in Iceland in recent years — frequently topping bestseller lists. In 2005, his books were 7 of the 10 most popular titles borrowed in Icelandic libraries. In 2006, his Erlendur novel Mýrin was made into a film, known internationally as Jar City, by Icelandic director Baltasar Kormákur. Arnaldur's novels have sold over 20 million copies worldwide, in more than 40 languages, including Arabic, Russian, Polish, German, Greek, Danish, Catalan, English, Portuguese, Italian, Czech, Swedish, Norwegian, Dutch, Finnish, Macedonian, Spanish, Hungarian, Chinese, Croatian, Romanian, Bulgarian, French, Serbian, Slovenian and Turkish. The 2023 film Operation Napoleon is based on Indriðason's novel of the same name.
Other writings
Other writings
• Leyndardómar Reykjavíkur 2000 (one chapter; 2000) • Reykjavík-Rotterdam (screenplay co-writer, 2008)
Awards
Arnaldur received the Glass Key award, a literature prize for the best Nordic crime novel, in 2002 and 2003. He won the Crime Writers' Association Gold Dagger Award in 2005 for his novel Silence of the Grave. He won the world's most lucrative crime fiction award, the RBA Prize for Crime Writing worth €125,000, in 2013 for Shadow Alley (Skuggasund).
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Arnaldur Indriðason Jolabokaflod
- 2.Arnaldur Indriðason. Reykjavik UNESCO City of Literature.
- 3.Arnaldur Indriðason Literature Web. City of literature UNESCO. 15 April 2014.
- 4.Söluhæsti Íslendingurinn. Morgunblaðið. 52. 28 January 2021.
- 5.The Reykjavik Murder Mysteries by Arnaldur Indridason. February 1, 2012.
- 6.Allar bækur Arnalds á sölulista. Morgunblaðið. 10 July 2003.
- 7.Arnaldur Indriðason á útlánamet bókasafnanna síðasta ár. Vísir. 11 January 2006.
- 8.Scott, A. O. A Haunting Enigma of Violence and Chaos. New York Times. 29 February 2008.
- 9.Rýfur 20 milljóna eintaka múrinn. Morgunblaðið. 1 November 2024.
- 10.Nordine, Michael. 'Operation Napoleon' Review: Icy Nazi Thriller Proves Some Things Should Stay Buried. Variety. 10 August 2023.
- 11.Arnaldur Indridason wins the 7th RBA Crime Novel Award for the forthcoming 'Shadow Channel'. Catalan News Wire. 13 September 2013.
- 12.Incorrectly translated as Shadow Channel by Catalan News Agency in reference.
- 13.Not yet translated into English
- 14.Stasio, Marilyn. Missing persons. New York Times. 26 September 2008.
- 15.Stasio, Marilyn. Summer of '66. New York Times. 17 September 2009.
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