Symposium on Halldór Laxness: The Nobel Prize for 70 Years

To mark the 70th anniversary of the author Halldór Laxness receiving the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1955, a symposium will be held at the Nordic House. On the same occasion, Louise Calais, the Swedish Ambassador to Iceland, will open an exhibition about the Nobel Prize in the lobby of the Nordic House before the symposium begins. The exhibition will run until 23 November.

The symposium will feature presentations and discussions about Halldór Laxness, his work, his influence as an author, and his message to modern readers.

Program of the symposium: 

• Salka – Love and death 

The writer Halldór Guðmundsson discusses with the playwright and actress Unnur Ösp Stefánsdóttir her new work based on the novel Salka Valka. Unnur will then perform a sample from the work.

• Excellence from the Outskirts: What a Difference a Nobel Prize Can Make

Mads Rosendahl Thomsen, professor of literature at Aarhus University and expert in the system of world literature.

• The Glacier is Open: On Young People’s Reading of Halldór Laxness’s Works in the Light of Christianity Under the Glacier

Anna Rós Árnadóttir, literary scholar and poet.

Presented by Halldór Laxness Halldórsson.

The entire program will be held in Icelandic, except for Mads Rosendahl Thomsen’s lecture, which will be in English.

The symposium will be attended by the Embassy of Sweden in Iceland, Gljúfrasteinn, Forlagið, Reykjavík Literary Agency, the Literature- and Art History institution of University of Iceland, and the Nordic House. Light refreshments will be served and all are welcome.

Arount the same time, the Nobel Prize itself will be on display at the National Library. The exhibition will run from 27 October to 19 December. The money and the award certificate will be on display, and it will also be possible to see a silver laurel wreath that the Icelandic Labour Union presented to Halldór on the occasion of the award.

These events, exhibitions and symposium are part of a series of events about Halldór Laxness and the Nobel Prize. Earlier this fall, the Reykjavík Art Museum hosted a program with artists Ragnar Kjartansson and Joan Jonas about the influence of Halldór Laxness on their artistic creation.

The day before, Wednesday, November 5, there will be a Quiz game called Barsvar in the Stúdentakjallarinn (the student restaurant/bar) hosted by the Student Bookstore, with the theme of Halldór Laxness. The Barsvar will start at 7 p.m. and everyone is welcome.

Accessibility in Eliss Auditorium is good for wheelchairs, although there is a low threshold into the hall.
Further information about accessibility is available from info@nordichouse.is