Auður Ava is one of Iceland’s best-known living writers, both at home and abroad. She was born in Reykjavík in 1958. In her twenties she studied history and literature in Iceland and art theory in Italy and France. She later worked in the field as a lecturer in art history at the University of Iceland from 2003 to 2018 (Kristín Ómarsdóttir 2015). Auður’s first book,

Upphækkuð jörð

, was published in 1998, and since then she has published eight novels, a volume of poetry –

Sálmurinn um glimmer

– and four plays. Her novels have been highly acclaimed by critics, translated into many languages and well received in Europe, especially in France.

In 2004, Auður published the novel Rigning í nóvember [Butterflies in November], which follows a recently divorced woman who

1075 words

Citation: Pálsson, Oddur. "Auður Ólafsdóttir". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 05 July 2024 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=15201, accessed 02 December 2024.]

15201 Auður Ólafsdóttir 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.

Save this article

Leave Feedback

The Literary Encyclopedia is a living community of scholars. We welcome comments which will help us improve.