HJARTARSON, SNORRI

(1906-1986)

An Icelandic poet and novelist, Hjartarson showed an early interest in writing poetry but did not pursue this interest and went to Norway to study art instead. His literary debut was as a novelist in Norway withHøit flyver ravnen(1934; The Raven Flies High), in which an Icelandic artist living in Norway is torn between a Norwegian and an Icelandic woman.

Hjartarson's debut as a poet came with the volumeKvæSi(1944; Poems), which was followed byA GnitaheiSi(1952; On Gnita Heath). Both volumes lay stress on coloration, which one might expect from a painter turned poet, and there is a strong emphasis on the portrayal ofnature, a concern also visible inHøit flyver ravnen. His poetry endows nature with transcendence, as nature, beauty, and goodness work together to protect human beings from the forces of exploitation and greed. The poems inLauf og stjornur(1966; Leaves and Stars) andHaustrokkriS yfir mer(1979; The Autumn Mist above Me) have a simplicity of language that borders on minimalism, but there is also more optimism than in Hjartarson's earlier works. He received theNordic Literary Prizein 1981.