Ísak Harðarson

Ísak Harðarson was a seminal 20th century Icelandic poet and translator. He had also written short stories, novels, and a memoir. He graduated from the University of Iceland in 1977. His first book, a poetry collection called Þriggja orða nafn was released in 1982. In the wake of its success, Ísak published a deluge of poetry, short story collections, novels, and a memoir. His poetry appeared in the anthology Ský fyrir ský in 2000. Ísak has written lyrics, and his poetry has been performed to music, and his work has been anthologised abroad in publications such as The Cafe Review. His work, as both poet and proseist, is characterised by surreal and absurd descriptions of everyday life, as well as self-deprecating humour, as in his poem Skáld-Pabbi. Likewise, his texts satirise political, social, and economic structures both within Iceland and abroad.