Jón Thoroddsen the elder
Surname Jón Thoroddsen elder (October 5, 1818 – March 8, 1868) was an Icelandic poet and novelist.
Also recorded as Jon Thoroddsen elder
Jón Thoroddsen the elder

Jón Thoroddsen · https: landsbokasafn.is/index.php?mact=News,cntnt01,detail,0 cntnt01articleid=1237 cntnt01origid=1 cntnt01detailtemplate=LBS_KjorgripurDetail cntnt01returnid=1 · Public domain
- Born
- Jón Thoroddsen the elder was born, sources differ on the date (5 October 1818 and 1 January 1818). · Reykhólar.
- Died
- Jón Thoroddsen the elder died on 8 March 1868.
- Nationality
- Iceland
- Occupation
- writer · poet · landrat
- Education
- University of Copenhagen
- Languages
- Icelandic
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Documentary evidence
Documentary basis
Authority files
wikidata · Q835627
VALÉORINE Encyclopedia
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Institutions cited
Deutsche Nationalbibliothek
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Biography
Biography
He was born at Reykhólar in western Iceland. He studied law at the University of Copenhagen, entered the Danish army as volunteer in 1848 in the war against the insurgents of Schleswig-Holstein, who were aided by Prussia and the other German states (see First Schleswig War). He went back to Iceland in 1850, became sheriff (sýslumaður) of Barðastrandarsýsla, and later in Borgarfjarðarsýsla, where he died in 1868. His son, Þorvaldur Thoroddsen, became a well-known scientist.
Documentary record
Jón Thoroddsen the elder, a writer and “Landrat”, was born in 1818 and died in 1868. Both events are recorded by the Deutsche Nationalbibliothek.
Work
Work
He is the first novel writer of Iceland. Jónas Hallgrímsson had led the way by his short stories, but the earliest veritable Icelandic novel was Jón Thóroddsen's Piltur og Stúlka ("Boy and Girl"), a picture of Icelandic country life. Later followed Maður og Kona ("Man and Woman"), published after his death by the Icelandic Literary Society. His poems, mostly satirical, are popular; he follows Jónas Hallgrímsson closely in his style. Thoroddsen's poem "Krummi svaf í klettagjá" makes up the lyrics of a well known folk song in Iceland.
In English
In English
• Lad and Lass, a Story of Life in Iceland, trans. by Arthur Middleton Reeves, London: S. Low, Marston, Searle & Rivington, ltd. (1890)
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 2 entries
1818
Jón Thoroddsen the elder born at Reykhólar.
1868
Jón Thoroddsen the elder died.
Text attribution
Licensing
Text attribution
Part of the biographical narrative on this page reuses licensed material. Its origin, revision and licence are recorded here.
The biographical narrative on this page is based on the Wikipedia article Jón Thoroddsen elder, revision 1256776912 (EN edition), by its contributors. VALÉORINE has edited that text and built its own documentary record around it. The reused material is available under CC BY-SA 4.0, and this page's reuse of it is offered under the same licence. Everything else on this page — the chronology, the holdings, the evidence, the plates and the connections — is VALÉORINE's own record. Sources and licences.
References
Citations
References
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authority record
General reference
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