Find A Grave - Iceland

Fischer, Bobby (Robert James) b. March 9, 1943 d. January 17, 2008
Chess Grandmaster. A United States chess champion at age 14 and a grandmaster at 15, he became a Cold War icon when he defeated Russian Boris Spassky for the world championship in 1972. It was the first time in nearly a century that an American had held the world title. Unfortunately, his reputation as a chess genius was overshadowed by his many idiosyncrasies. A few years after winning the championship, he relinquished the title to another Russian, Anatoly Karpov, when he refused to defend it...[Read More] (Bio by: Ron Moody)
Laugardaelir Church Cemetery, Selfoss, Sudhurland, Iceland
Gunnarsson, Gunnar b. May 18, 1889 d. November 21, 1975
Author. His work celebrated the courage and dignity of the people of his native Iceland, especially his epic novels "Guest the One-Eyed" (4 volumes, 1912 to 1913), and "Church on the Mountain" (5 volumes, 1923 to 1928). The latter is considered his masterpiece. Gunnarsson was born in Valthjofsstadur, Iceland. The son of simple farmers, he was largely self-educated and produced two books of poetry while still in his teens. In 1910 he moved to Denmark and began writing in Danish to reach a...[Read More] (Bio by: Robert Edwards)
Island of Videy Churchyard, Reykjavik, Hofudhborgarsvaedhi, Iceland
Gunnarsson, Tryggvi b. 1835 d. 1917
Icelandic Parliament Member.
Parliament Grounds, Reykjavik, Hofudhborgarsvaedhi, Iceland
Hallgrímsson, Jónas b. November 16, 1807 d. May 26, 1845
Poet, scientist. He was born on the farm "Hraun" in Northern Iceland. After high-school he entered the Copenhagen University to study law, natural science, and literature. While in Denmark he became an active advocate of Iceland's independence from Denmark, and together with other Icelandic students he founded the periodical "Fjölnir". He is generally acknowledged to be the most important and beloved Icelandic poet and is called The Bard of Iceland. In 1845 he fell down the staircase at his...[Read More] (Bio by: Erik Skytte)
Thingvellir National Park, Reykjavik, Hofudhborgarsvaedhi, Iceland
Íslandi, Stefán b. October 6, 1907 d. January 1, 1994
Opera singer. Born in Northern Iceland as Stefán Guðmundsson, he is considered the country's greatest tenor singer of the 20th century. He was the oldest of three children of a poor farm worker and his wife. When the boy was nine years old his father died in an accident, and he was brought up on a nearby farm. It was soon discovered that he was endowed with an exceptional singing voice, and when he came to Reykjavík at the age of nineteen he began taking singing lessons. A wealthy trawler...[Read More] (Bio by: Erik Skytte)
Sauðárkrókur Churchyard, Reykjavik, Hofudhborgarsvaedhi, Iceland
Kjarval, Jóhannes Sveinsson b. October 15, 1885 d. April 13, 1972
Painter. Considered one of the outstanding Icelandic painters, his most important works portray the nature of his country. After working as a sailor in his youth, he came to Denmark to study at The Royal Academy of Fine Arts from 1914 to 1918. The following years he travelled around Scandinavia and Italy before settling in Iceland in 1922. The art museum Kjarvalsstaðir in Reykjavík was opened shortly after his death and houses a permanent exhibition of many of his works. (Bio by: Erik Skytte)
Fossvogskirkjugarður, Reykjavik, Hofudhborgarsvaedhi, Iceland
Laxness, Halldór Kiljan b. April 23, 1902 d. February 8, 1998
Novelist, poet, playwright. Born on the farm Laxnes near Reykjavík, Iceland, as Halldór Guðjónsson. From the age of seventeen he travelled and lived abroad, chiefly on the European continent. In the mid-twenties he converted to Catholicism. Later, during a visit to America he became attracted to socialism. His experiences are reflected in several of his books from these years. In 1930 he settled in Iceland, and during the following years, almost right up to his death, he produced more than 60...[Read More] (Bio by: Erik Skytte)
Fossvogskirkjugarður, Reykjavik, Hofudhborgarsvaedhi, Iceland
Sigurðsson, Jón b. June 17, 1811 d. December 7, 1879
Icelandic Politician. After school years in Reykjavík he went to Denmark in 1833 to study at the Copenhagen University. He was the key figure in the movement for Iceland's independence from Denmark, and when the Icelandic parliament, the Althing, was re-established in 1845 he became its president. Although living in Copenhagen right up to his death he was member of the Althing from 1845 to 1879, staying in Iceland only when the Althing was in session 6 weeks every two years. His birthday is...[Read More] (Bio by: Erik Skytte)
Hólavallagarður Cemetery, Reykjavik, Hofudhborgarsvaedhi, Iceland
Sturluson, Snorri b. 1179 d. September 23, 1241
Early Icelandic Writer, Poet, and Historian. Snorri is the son of Sturla Thordarson and Gudny Boedvarsdóttir. At the age of three, Snorri was sent to Oddi, Iceland where he lived and studied with Chief Jon Loftsson. He is the author of the Prose Edda or Younger Edda, which contains Gylfaginning (the fooling of Gylfi), The Skáldskaparmál (a book of poetic language), and the Háttatal (a list of verse forms). He also wrote Heimskringla (a history of the Norwegian Kings), the first part of which is...[Read More] (Bio by: Craft)
Old Snorri Sturluson Farm, Reykholt, Vesturland, Iceland

9 records found