Elías Mar (1924–2007) was one of the first urban Icelandic prose writers, as his fiction is primarily set in Reykjavík around the mid-twentieth century. He is also one of the few Icelandic twentieth-century writers whose oeuvre manifests a persistent interest in queer desire and homoeroticism.

Elías was born in Reykjavík to a single working-class mother, who died of tuberculosis when he was only one year old. From then on, he was raised by his grandmother. As a young man, Elías studied to become a teacher for two years, but could not afford to complete his education. He primarily earned his living from writing, translating, and proofreading, and, from 1953, he worked as a proof-reader for the socialist newspaper, Þjóðviljinn.

Elías was born in Reykjavík to a single working-class…

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Citation: Benediktsdóttir, Ásta K.. "Elías Mar". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 07 October 2023 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=14823, accessed 29 March 2024.]

14823 Elías Mar 1 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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