Gerður Kristný

• Name — Gerður Kristný • Born — 10 June 1970 • Genre — poetry • Awards — Icelandic Literary Prize, The Icelandic Children's Choice Award, Halldór Laxness Literature Prize, Jónas Hallgrímsson Award

Gerður Kristný was born on 10 June 1970 and brought up in Reykjavík. She graduated in French and comparative literature from the University of Iceland in 1992 with a BA thesis on Charles Baudelaire’s Les Fleurs du Mal. Before becoming a full-time writer, she trained at Danish Radio TV.

Gerður Kristný was editor of the magazine Mannlíf from 1998 to 2004 and wrote numerous books for children, short stories, and poetry during the same time. In 2005, she published the biography Myndin af pabba: Saga Thelmu (A Portrait of Dad: Thelma's Story), which tells the story of a group of sisters' experiences of sexual abuse at the hands of their father in the 1960s and 70s. In 2010, she published the book-length poem Blóðhófnir (Bloodhoof), which is based on an ancient Nordic myth, told primarily in the Eddic poem Skírnismál. The Eddic poem depicts the god Freyr's efforts using his servant Skírnir to fetch the poet's namesake, the giantess Gerðr Gymisdóttir, from her far away home to satisfy his lustful desire through his servant. Gerður Kristný's poem recounts the same events from the perspective and in the words of the giantess alone. In this respect, Blóðhófnir coincides with feminist scholarship that challenge traditional interpretations of the Eddic poem. It also depicts the eventual meeting between Freyr and Gerðr, which never takes place in the Eddic poem. Together with Drápa and Sálumessan, published in 2014 and 2018, respectively, Blóðhófnir constitutes the first part of a trilogy of poems concerning gender-based violence. Gerður Kristný travels regularly around the world to present her work, giving readings in places like Kampala, Cox's Bazar, Java, Maastricht and Colgata. In 2014, she participated in the International Writing Program's Fall Residency at the University of Iowa in Iowa City, IA. In 2021, she premiered a poem commemorating the University of Iceland's 110th anniversary.

Gerður Kristný's play Ballið á Bessastöðum (The Bessastaðir Ball), which she adapted from her own children's book, premiered in the Icelandic National Theater in Reykjavík in February 2011 and was acclaimed by the public and critics alike. Blóðhófnir has twice been adapted for musical performance: as a chamber opera by Kristín Þóra Haraldsdóttir with visuals by Tinna Kristjánsdóttir, and as dramatic composition interweaving contemporary chamber music with Nordic folk music by Karin Rehnqvist.

Gerður Kristný lives in Reykjavík with her husband and two sons.

• Jarðljós, Mál og menning, 2024 • Urta, Mál og menning, 2022 • Iðunn og afi pönk, Mál og Menning, 2020, • Heimskaut, Mál og Menning, 2019, • Sálumessa, Mál og Menning, 2018, • Smartís, Mál og Menning, 2017, • Hestvík, Mál og Menning, 2016, • Drápa, Mál og Menning, 2014, • Ljóðasafn, Mál og Menning, 2014, • Strandir, Mál og Menning, 2012, • Forsetinn, prinsessan og höllin sem svaf, Mál og menning, 2011, • Blóðhófnir, Mál og Menning, 2010, • Prinsessan á Bessastöðum, Mál og menning, 2009, • Garðurinn, Mál og Menning, 2008, • Höggstaður, Mál og Menning, 2007, • Ballið á Bessastöðum, Mál og menning, 2007, • Land hinna týndu sokka, Mál og Menning, 2006 • Myndin af pabba - Saga Thelmu Vaka-Helgafell, 2005 • Bátur með segli og allt, Vaka-Helgafell, 2004, • Jóladýrin, Mál og Menning, 2004, • Ég veit þú kemur: Þjóðhátíð í Vestmannaeyjum 2002, Mál og Menning, 2002, • Marta smarta, Mál og Menning, 2002, • Launkofi, Mál og Menning, 2000, • Eitruð epli, Mál og Menning, 1998, • Regnbogi í póstinum, Mál og Menning, 1996, • Ísfrétt, Mál og menning, 1994,

• Sewing Sisters • Poems in NorthWords • Bloodhoof, Translated by Rory McTurk, Arc Pub., 2012, • Drápa - A Reykjavík Murder Mystery, Translated by Rory McTurk, Arc Pub., 2018, • Reykjavik Requiem, Translated by Rory McTurk, Arc Pub., 2020,