A Poetry Book Boom

Like in Iceland at the time, poetry dominated the Icelandic literary scene in North America. Newspapers and magazines were not, however, the only venues available in Manitoba for Icelandic poets to reach an audience. The Icelandic poetry book industry, in particular, began to flourish as the turn of the century approached.

Title page of the Icelandic poetry book Kvæði, featuring elegant script at the top, a small floral illustration in the center, and publication details at the bottom. J. Magnús Bjarnason is named and the book was printed in Winnipeg by McIntyre Bros. in 1887.

Kvæði, 1887

The first Icelandic poetry book published in Manitoba was a short 15-page collection titled Kvæði, published in Winnipeg in 1887. It features three poems, each written by Jóhann Magnús Bjarnason, Kristinn Stefánsson, and Sigurður Jón Jóhannesson. Eventually, more than 75 Icelandic poetry books written by Icelandic migrants or their descendants were published in Manitoba. The majority of these poetry books appeared between 1890 and the early 1930s.

Title page of an old Icelandic publication printed in Winnipeg. The title Hin fríða mey appears at the top in large Gothic-style script, followed by the word kvædi and the name Jón Bjarnason. Below is a line indicating it was worked on by Halldór Halldórsson. The text is centered and printed in black ink on aged white paper. The bottom of the page notes Winnipeg, Heimskringlu prentsmiðja with the date 1891. A small piece of tape is visible on the lower right corner.

Hin fríða mey, a poetic work by Jón Kjernested.

The Lögberg printing company, which later became Columbia Press, published nearly a quarter of these poetry books. Even more were published by the Heimskringla printing company, which later became The Viking Press. A number of poetry books were also published in Gimli over the years by Gísli M. Thompson, by Gísli P. Magnússon, or by the Gimli Printing and Publishing Company.

The Icelandic poetry books published in Manitoba were primarily written by men. One of the most renowned and controversial poets was Stephan G. Stephansson. Stephan, the so-called “poet of the Rocky Mountains,” clashed with the church and was particularly critical of Canada’s participation in the First World War. Several of Stephan’s poetry books were published in Manitoba including the fourth and fifth volumes of his monumental collection Andvökur.

Hand-colored portrait of a man with neatly parted dark hair and a large, bushy mustache. He wears a dark suit with a high-collared white shirt and a bow tie. The background features soft shades of teal fading into cream, giving the portrait a vintage, studio-painted appearance.

Painted portrait of Stephan G. Stephansson from his house in Markerville, Alberta

Guttormur J. Guttormsson, often called the “Poet of New Iceland,” also published numerous poetry books in Manitoba.

A clip from the Icelandic television documentary program “Our Valuable Inheritance” about Guttormur J. Guttormsson. Enjoy this video with an English transcript.

A full length black and white portrait of a woman standing with her arm resting on the back of a chair. She is wearing traditional Icelandic women's clothing, including a dark dress with an apron, a scarf tied around her neck, and a woolen cap with a tassel hanging down to her shoulder.

Júliana Jónsdóttir

Júlíana Jónsdóttir’s Hagalagðar, published in Winnipeg in 1916, was the first Icelandic poetry book written by a woman published in North America. The poetry of numerous other Icelandic women appeared in many different magazines published in Manitoba. However, Kristín Hansdóttir’s Fró, published in Winnipeg in 1927, was the only other Icelandic poetry book written by a woman published in North America.

Title page of the Icelandic novel Valið: Skáldsaga by Snæ Snæland, published in Winnipeg in 1898 by Lögberg’s printing press. The page includes an inscription handwritten in Icelandic at the top to Stephan G. Stephansson. The author's other works are also listed below his name.

Title page of Valið

Far fewer in number were Icelandic novels and short story collections. They include, for example, the novel Valið, a romance set in Northern Iceland, published in Winnipeg in 1898. Its author, Snær Snæland (the pen name of Kristján Ásgeir Benediktsson), was also known for the sci-fi short stories he wrote. The most renowned North American-Icelandic novelist, Jóhann Magnús Bjarnason, published all but one of his novels in Iceland. The only exception is the first volume of his novel Brazilíufararnir. It was published in Winnipeg in 1905 and tells the story of the Icelanders who migrated to Brazil.

Poetry books published in Manitoba, and to a lesser extent novels and short story collections, were an essential part of the Icelandic literary scene in North America. The vibrant literary scene demonstrates the value Icelandic migrants placed on the literary traditions they wanted to preserve. At the same time, their poetry books, novels, and literary magazines trace the development of a totally new kind of Icelandic literature rooted in the migrant experience.

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