Jón Kalman Stefánsson
“BOOKSTAR” AWARD 2024
ICELAND
Jón Kalman Stefánsson (1963) is an Icelandic writer and translator. Through his creativity, he created a unique and magical world. As a poet and novelist, he is one of the most prominent contemporary Icelandic literary voices. So far, he has published thirteen prose works, five poetry collections and five Icelandic translations, including one work by Charles Bukowski. His books have been published in thirty countries around the world.
He spent his childhood between Reykjavík and Keplavík, but after finishing high school he stayed in the capital. He spent a good part of his youth in the western part of Iceland, trying out different professions – he worked in a slaughterhouse, in the fishing industry, was a bricklayer, and one summer he worked as a policeman at Keplavik International Airport. He enrolled in literature studies, but dropped out after five years. For some time he lived in Copenhagen, where he spent his time reading and doing manual labor. After returning to Reykjavík, he got a job in the library of the city of Mosfellsbær, near Reykjavík.
His first published work is a collection of poetry from 1988. Since 2000, Stefansson has fully devoted himself to his writing career. In 2005, he won the "Icelandic Prize for Literature". He made his international breakthrough with the trilogy "Heaven and Hell", for which he received a huge number of international recognitions and awards.
After great international success, three of his works were nominated for the Nordic Council's Literary Award. In 2011 he received the "Per Olov Enquist" award at the Gothenburg Book Fair.
The “Heaven and Hell” trilogy explores the depths of despair to celebrate the redemptive power of friendship. Set at the turn of the 20th century, this novel offers a reading experience that is as intense as the strength of the Icelandic landscapes.
The praise that the author receives for this work is not exaggerated: this fascinating story of Iceland and its past is a timeless odyssey, a lyrical meditation on life and death, on the heaven and hell that we carry within us.
Notable Acknowledgments:
- Award for "Best Foreign Book" organized by "France Inter" and "Le Point",
- Anointed Knight of the Order of the Falcon, Iceland 2020,
- Longlisted for the Booker International Prize
- Winner of the Oxford-Weidenfeld Translation Prize,
- Winner of the Award for the best foreign novel "Lire",
- Winner of the "Millepages" award...
He lives in Mosfellsbær where he writes tirelessly.
„"When I was eighteen, I dreamed of becoming an astronaut after watching a show in which Carl Sagan talked about the universe. I was completely overwhelmed by that richness and the mysteries of the universe – I later realized that it was, in a way, the essence of fiction.'' гледав една емисија во која Карл Саган зборуваше за универзумот. Бев целосно обземен од тоа богатство и од мистериите на универзумот – подоцна сфатив дека тоа е, на некој начин, and суштината на фикцијата."
Himnaríki og helvíti (Heaven and Hell)
Translation to Macedonian: Gjurgica Ilieva
"Antolog", 2017
In a remote part of Iceland, a young man joins a fishing boat. When they are caught in a storm on the high seas, he is baffled by the cold indifference of his colleagues. Devastated by this, he secretly leaves them, with the sole purpose of returning the book to a blind old sea captain who lives behind mountains and hills. As soon as he arrives in the city, he discovers that he is not alone in his loneliness: he is welcomed into the warm circle of the marginalized, where he begins to see life with different eyes.
Harmur englanna (The Sorrow of Angels)
Translation to Macedonian: Gjurgica Ilieva
"Antolog", Skopje, 2018
"The Sorrow of Angels" is a powerful story that reminds of the eternal struggle of man against the merciless majesty – nature!
As the villagers gather at the tavern to drink strong liquor, the boy reads them excerpts from Hamlet. One day the postman Jens runs in there, half dead and frozen to the bone. On the next trip to the fjords, he takes the boy with him because he needs someone who is not afraid of the sea. The two will find themselves in a situation where they risk their lives for each other, and that because of an unusual shipment! Snow is the "the sorrow of angels " and when it falls, it falls and tries to cover the heroes of this magical book.
Hjarta mannsins (The Heart of Man)
Translation to Macedonian: Gjurgica Ilieva
"Antolog", Skopje, 2022
After escaping the blizzard that almost cost them their lives, Jens and the boy find themselves far from home, in a fishing community at the end of the world. After staying at the home of the village doctor, the boy feels as if he was brought back from the dead. But this is a strange place, with inhabitants who do not seem to belong to this world. Among them is flame-haired Álfheiður, which makes him wonder if it is possible to be in love with two women at the same time; he believes that his heart has been promised to Ragnheiður, the daughter of a wealthy merchant in the village.
Set in the awe-inspiring wilderness of the extreme north, The Heart of Man is a profound exploration of life, love and desire, written with a sublime simplicity. In this conclusion to an audacious trilogy, Stefánsson brings a poet's eye and a philosopher's insight to a tale worthy of the sagasmiths of old. to which he must now inexorably return.