Bjarni Thorarensen

Sveinn Yngvi Egilsson (University of Iceland)

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 30 Dec 1786
Died 24 Aug 1841

Places

Born in Iceland
Active in Iceland

Activities

Primary

Poet

Resources

Thorarensen's Works

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Regarded by most as Iceland’s “first Romantic”, Bjarni Thorarensen has often been compared unfavourably with his great successor, Jónas Hallgrímsson. In comparison with Jónas’s smooth and modern diction, Bjarni’s poetic language seems uneven and archaic. His ideas can also seem old-fashioned and orthodox (e.g. his adherence to the traditional division of mind and body), antihumanitarian even, whereas Jónas is egalitarian and sympathetic towards all things great and small. Although this may all be true, there is much to be said about Bjarni as a poet, and in some respects his achievement outdoes that of Jónas.

Born in Brautarholt near Reykjavík, Bjarni grew up at Hlíðarendi in Fljótshlíð (a farm in south Iceland, best known for being the home of a hero of the medieval

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1147 words

Citation: Yngvi Egilsson, Sveinn. "Bjarni Thorarensen". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 02 September 2022 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=14819, accessed 20 April 2024.]

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