Gudrun Helgadottir

(1935-2022) published her first book in 1974 (Jón Oddur and Jón Bjarni) and has since been one of Iceland’s most popular and respected children’s authors. From that date onwards she published over two dozen books. She was also active in politics and represented the People’s Alliance in the Reykjavík City Council 1978-82, was a member of parliament from 1979-1995, and again in 1999. She served as speaker of Alþingi, the Icelandic parliament, from 1988 till 1991, the first woman to hold that position. Gudrun Helgadottir received several prizes and recognitions for her work. In 1992 she received the Nordic Council Children and Young People’s Literature Prize for the book From Beneath the Weeds, in 1994 she received the Reykjavik Children’s Literature Prize for Poor Little Things, in 2005 the book Different Family received The Children’ s Choice Book Prize and later that year she received The Jonas Hallgrimsson award for her contribution to the Icelandic language. Helgadottir received the DV Cultural Prize Honour Award in 2014 for her lifetime achievements. In 2018, the City of Reykjavik established a literary prize in her name, the Gudrun Helgadottir Children's Literature Prize, given to a script for a children's book, following an open competition. The prize is awarded annually for an unprinted children's or youth book manuscript. The objective is to encourage new and ambitious writing for children in Iceland. Works in translation Jón Oddur og Jón Bjarni (Jon Oddur and Jon Bjarni), 1974 DENMARK (Sommer og Sörensen, 1977) Jon Egil og Jon Bjarne, transl. Helle Degnbol. FAROE ISLANDS (Föroya lærarafelag, 1986) Jón Oddur og Jón Bjarni, transl. Martin Næs FINLAND  (Tammi, 1979), Kekseliäät Kakoset GERMANY  (Hermann Schaffstein, 1981, Saga Egmont, 2015 (audio)) Jon und Jan, transl. Gerda Neumann LITHUANIA (Zara, 2005) NETHERLANDS (Leopold, 1981) Jon Oddur en Jon Bjarni: avonturen van een Ijslandse tweeling, Pictures by Marie-Sophie Méjan, transl. Nini van der Beek NORWAY (Cappelen, 1981, 1984, Norske bokklubben, 1983), Jon Odd og Jon Bjarne, transl. Gunhild Stefánsson NORWAY nynorsk (Bokklubbens barn, 1983), transl. Ivar Eskeland SWEDEN (Tidens förlag, 1980) De påhittiga tvillingarna, transl. Inge Knutsson   Meira af Jóni Oddi og Jóni Bjarna (More about Jon Oddur and Jon Bjarni), 1975 DENMARK (Sesam, 1985), Der sker så meget på et år, transl. Franz Berliner FAROE ISLANDS, (Föroya lærarafelag, 1987), Meiri um Jón Odd og Jón Bjarna, transl. Martin Näs NORWAY (Cappelen, 1984) Jon Odd, Jon Bjarne og Jon Sofus, transl. Gunhild Stefánsson   Í afahúsi (In Grandpa's House), 1976 FAROE ISLANDS (Föroya lærarafelag, 1986), Í abbasahúsi, transl. Martin Näs   Enn af Jóni Oddi og Jóni Bjarna, 1980 FAROE ISLANDS, (Föroya lærarafelag, 1987), Enn meiri um Jón Odd og Jón Bjarna, transl. Martin Näs   Ástarsaga úr fjöllunum (A Giant Love story), 1981, Pictures by Brian Pilkington CHINA (Beijing Science and Technology Publihsing, 2013) COLOMBIA (Panamericana Editorial, 2019, to be distributed in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Perú, Uruguay, Venezuela, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Puerto Rico, Panama, México and Spanish language United States), transl. Maria Mercedes Correa DENMARK (Sesam, 1982) Flumbra: En islandsk troldemor, transl. Helle Degnbol ESTONIA (Kirjastus Valgus, 2012) Islandi trollilugu FAROE ISLANDS (Nýlendi, 1982), Gandakellingin Flumbra, transl. Jákup í Skemmunni GEORGIA (Klio, 2017) ITALY (RCS Libri/Fabbri Editori, 2002) KOREA (BIR Publishing, 2001) JAPAN (Kaisei-sha, 1993) transl. Kiyoko Yamanouchi NORWAY (Cappelen, 1982) Ruska, en kjærlighetshistorie fra Island, transl. Gunhild Stefánsson SLOVENIA (Pro-Andy) SWEDEN (Opal, 1988) Sagan om Flumbra, transl. Inge Knutsson USA (Carolrhoda Books, 1986) Flumbra: an Icelandic Folktale, transl. Christopher Sanders   Sitji guðs englar (May Angels Watch Me), 1983 FAROE ISLANDS (Föroya lærarafelag, 1993), Bið Guðs einglar standa hjá mær, transl. Martin Næs Saman í hring (Through the Night), 1986 FAROE ISLANDS (Föroya lærarafelag, 1994), Vera vernd, transl. Martin Næs   Sænginni yfir minni (Wake Me In the Morning Light), 1987 FAROE ISLANDS (Föroya lærarafelag, 1995), Hjá mær í nátt, transl. Martin Næs Undan illgresinu (From Beneath the Weeds), 1990 DENMARK (Klim, 1994) Havens hemmelighed, transl. Áslaug Th. Rögnvaldsdóttir NORWAY (Idunn Forlag, 1993) Når ugresset er borte, transl. Gunhild Stefánsson, 1993   Litlu greyin (Poor Little Things), 1993 DENMARK (Klim, 1997), Tostes spögelse, transl. Áslaug Th. Rögnvaldsdóttir   Ekkert að þakka! (The Pleasure’s Mine!), 1995 DENMARK (Klim, 2001; Den FAKTYRLIGE Bogklub, 2002) Selv tak!, transl. Áslaug Th. Rögnvaldsdóttir FAROE ISLANDS (Föroya lærarafelag, 2000), Tað er gaman í, transl. Martin Næs   Ekkert að marka! (Don’t You Believe It!), 1996 DENMARK (Klim, 2004) Skidt pyt!, transl. Áslaug Th. Rögnvaldsdóttir FAROE ISLANDS (Föroya lærarafelag, 2000), Tað er lagamanni, transl. Martin Næs   Aldrei að vita! (You´ll Never Know!), 1998 DENMARK (Klim, 2006) Hvem ved? transl. Áslaug Th. Rögnvaldsdóttir   Öðruvísi dagar (Different Days), 2003 DENMARK (Klim, 2005), transl. Áslaug Th. Rögnvaldsdottir   Bara gaman (Plain Fun), 2008 GERMANY (Dressler, 2013) Blaubeeren und Vanilleeis, transl. Anika Lüders-Woolff, illustr. Leonard Erlbruch