CLOSE-UP: JÓN KALMAN STEFÁNSSON
Jón Kalman Stefánsson is one of Iceland’s most internationally successful authors—but it took time for him to find his voice as a storyteller. He began his literary career as a poet, but says it wasn’t until he started writing novels that his writing truly took off. Still, when reading his novels, it’s easy to spot the poet within the novelist. His works often revolve around the search for truth and identity, frequently taking the form of multi-generational sagas with interwoven stories unfolding across different timelines.
Meet the beloved Icelandic author in a conversation about life as a writer, the importance of style, and how music and poetry shape his work—including why the 19th-century German poet Hölderlin keeps reappearing in his novels.
Moderator: Karin Haugen
CLOSE-UP: JÓN KALMAN STEFÁNSSON
Jón Kalman Stefánsson is one of Iceland’s most internationally successful authors—but it took time for him to find his voice as a storyteller. He began his literary career as a poet, but says it wasn’t until he started writing novels that his writing truly took off. Still, when reading his novels, it’s easy to spot the poet within the novelist. His works often revolve around the search for truth and identity, frequently taking the form of multi-generational sagas with interwoven stories unfolding across different timelines.
Meet the beloved Icelandic author in a conversation about life as a writer, the importance of style, and how music and poetry shape his work—including why the 19th-century German poet Hölderlin keeps reappearing in his novels.
Moderator: Karin Haugen
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