Torfhildur Hólm

Katelin Parsons (Árna Magnússon Foundation for Icelandic Studies)

Ed. by Ármann Jakobsson, University of Iceland
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.3.4: Icelandic Writing and Culture.
Vol. editors: Ármann Jakobsson (University of Iceland), Kjerstin Moody (Gustavus Adolphus College), Sven Hakon Rossel (Universitat Wien), Herbert Rowland (Purdue University), Jakob Stougaard-Nielsen (University College London)

Dates

Born 2 Feb 1845
Died 14 Nov 1914

Places

Active in Iceland

Activities

Primary

Writer / Author

Resources

Hólm's Works

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Torfhildur Þorsteinsdóttir Hólm (1845–1918) began her writing career in 1879 as a recently arrived immigrant to the settler reserve of New Iceland in Canada. She was Iceland’s first female novelist, the first Icelandic novelist to publish works of historical fiction and the first Icelandic author to receive an annual stipend from the government (from 1891). Infamously, her stipend was reduced and redefined as a widow’s pension because of controversy over the original decision.

Born at Kálfafellsstaður in an isolated district of East Iceland, Torfhildur grew up in the household of her parents, a parson and his wife. She had one older sister, Ragnheiður. After leaving Kálfafellsstaður for Reykjavík and eventually Copenhagen for her education, Torfhildur supported herself

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1418 words

Citation: Parsons, Katelin. "Torfhildur Hólm". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 06 October 2022 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=14868, accessed 23 April 2024.]

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