The poetry of Hannes Hafstein published in English translation
The Vigdís Finnbogadóttir Institute of Foreign Languages and the University of Iceland have published the book Ólgublóð / Restless Blood. The book is an anthology of poetry by Hannes Hafstein, including English translations by Júlían D'Arcy, professor emeritus of English at the University of Iceland Faculty of Languages and Cultures, and Ástráður Eysteinsson, professor of comparative literature at the University of Iceland Faculty of Icelandic and Comparative Cultural Studies. Ástráður has also written the book's afterword.
Hannes Hafstein emerged as a new voice in Icelandic literature at just twenty years old. His poetry is powerful, with a realism and frankness that disrupted traditional forms of poetic expression. It also reveals Hannes Hafstein's internal conflicts, which defined his career as a politician and the first Minister for Iceland in the early 20th century: the conflict between individual freedom and social responsibility, and between international modernisation and a deep-rooted connection with his native soil. The 35 poems that appear in this bilingual anthology reflect the diversity of his work, shaped by turbulent emotions experienced in the face of nature, gender relations, the history of Iceland, and a nation at a time of dramatic change.
The publication of Ólgublóð / Restless Blood was supported by funding from the Hannesarholt Supporters' Association and the Vigdís Finnbogadóttir Institute Fund. The book is edited by Birna Bjarnadóttir, a research specialist at the University of Iceland Faculty of Languages and Cultures.
Júlían Meldon D'Arcy is professor emeritus at the University of Iceland, where he taught English, Scottish and American literature for over 40 years. As well as writing many scholarly books and articles, he has also translated numerous Icelandic books into English, including novels, short story collections, poetry, autobiographies, children's literature and academic works, e.g. The Story of the Blue Planet by Andri Snær Magnússon, The Lodger and a collection of short stories by Svava Jakobsdóttir, The Stones Speak by Þórbergur Þórðarson and The Glaciers of Iceland by Helgi Björnsson.
Ástráður Eysteinsson has been a professor of comparative literature at the University of Iceland since 1994. He has also taught as a visiting professor at several universities abroad. His teaching and research are focused on contemporary literature, literary theory, translation and reader-response theory and he has published various works on these subjects. He has also translated literary works from German and English into Icelandic, including most of Franz Kafka's oeuvre in collaboration with Eysteinn Þorvaldsson.
A few years ago, Júlían and Ástráður translated the anthology Hliðargötur / Sideroads by Jónas Þorbjarnarson into English together. It was published in a bilingual edition by the Vigdís Finnbogadóttir Institute and the University of Iceland Press in 2011.
