Auður Jónsdóttir (born 30 March 1973) is an Icelandic author. Her novels deal with family, particularly mother-daughter relationships.

Career

Auður's debut novel, ''Bliss'' (Stjórnlaus Lukka), was nominated for the

Icelandic Literary Prize The Icelandic Literary Prize ( Icelandic: ''Íslensku bókmenntaverðlaunin''), or Icelandic Literary Award, is an award which is given to three books each year by the Icelandic Publishers Association. The prize was founded on the association's cen ...

in 1998. In 2002 she wrote the children's book ''One self is the strangest of all'' (Skrýtnastur er maður sjálfur), a portrait of her grandfather, the Nobel prize-winning author Halldor Laxness. The People in the Basement won the 2004

followed by a nomination for

Nordic Council's Literature Prize The Nordic Council Literature Prize is awarded for a work of literature written in one of the languages of the Nordic countries, that meets "high literary and artistic standards". Established in 1962, the prize is awarded every year, and is worth ...

in 2006. It came out and was very well received in Denmark and Sweden in the same year. ''Wintersun'' (''Vetrarsól''), received positive reviews in Der Spiegel and

Hamburger Abendblatt The ''Hamburger Abendblatt'' (English: ''Hamburg Evening Newspaper'') is a German daily newspaper in Hamburg. The paper focuses on news in Hamburg and area, and produces regional supplements with news from Norderstedt, Ahrensburg, Harburg, and P ...

among others. In 2009, Auður worked at the Reykjavik City Theater as an in-house writer for one year resulting in a play being adapted from ''The People in the Basement'' in the following year. The show was a huge success with critics and audience alike. Secretaries to the Spirits (Ósjálfrátt) was published in 2012 and was the best-selling Icelandic fine literature fiction of the Christmas season. It won the Fjöruverðlaun (Women's literary award) and was nominated for the

as well as the

. The publishing rights were sold to Random House (Germany), Tiderne Skifter (Denmark) and Presse de la Cité (France). Auður latest novel, ''Grand Mal'' (Stóri skjálfti), became Auður's most successful novel to date. Other work by Auður includes international news articles, essays and two books for children with reading disabilities, published by The National Centre for Educational Materials. She has named

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie ( ; born 15 September 1977) is a Nigerian writer whose works include novels, short stories and nonfiction. She was described in ''The Times Literary Supplement'' as "the most prominent" of a "procession of criticall ...

Isabelle Allende Isabel Angélica Allende Llona (; born in Lima, 2 August 1942) is a Chilean writer. Allende, whose works sometimes contain aspects of the genre magical realism, is known for novels such as ''The House of the Spirits'' (''La casa de los espír ...

, Nikolai Gogol, Günter Grass,

Gabriel Garcia Marquez In Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity and Islam), Gabriel (); Greek: grc, Γαβριήλ, translit=Gabriḗl, label=none; Latin: ''Gabriel''; Coptic: cop, Ⲅⲁⲃⲣⲓⲏⲗ, translit=Gabriêl, label=none; Amharic: am, ገብር� ...

Haruki Murakami is a Japanese writer. His novels, essays, and short stories have been bestsellers in Japan and internationally, with his work translated into 50 languages and having sold millions of copies outside Japan. He has received numerous awards for his ...

Zadie Smith Zadie Smith FRSL (born Sadie; 25 October 1975) is an English novelist, essayist, and short-story writer. Her debut novel, ''White Teeth'' (2000), immediately became a best-seller and won a number of awards. She has been a tenured professor ...

, and

Yoko Tawada Yōko Tawada (多和田葉子 ''Tawada Yōko'', born March 23, 1960) is a Japanese writer currently living in Berlin, Germany. She writes in both Japanese and German. Tawada has won numerous literary awards, including the Akutagawa Prize, the Tan ...

as influences. Auður was given an full year artist salary by The Ministry of Education and Culture for 2023. The stipend amounts to ISK 507,500 ($3,551; €3,354) per month.

Works

Novels

*''Bliss'' (1998) *''Another life'' (2000) *''The People in the Basement'' (2004) **Danish edition (2007) **Swedish edition (2007) *''Tryggðarpantur (Deposit)'' (2006) **Danish edition (2007) *''Vetrarsól'' (''Wintersun)'' (2008) **''Jenseits des Meeres liegt die ganze Welt'' (2011, German translation), btb Random House Germany **Netherlands edition (2012), Querido *''Ósjálfrátt (Secretaries to the Spirit''s) (2012) *''Stóri skjálfti'' (''Grand Mal)'' (2015) **''Quake'' (2022, English translation), Dottir Press

Short stories

*The Wedding (1997) *The Fat Mother (2001) *The Little lawyer (2002) *Casablanca (2003) *Ofeig's good advice (2004) *The Stories (2006)

Children's books

*''Total Freedom'' (2001) *''Skrýtnastur er maður sjálfur'' (''The Strangest Of All Is One Self)'' (2002)

Plays

*''The People In The Basement'' (2010)

Adaptations

''The People In The Basement'', ''Deposit'', and ''Grand Mal'' are being adapted for the silver screen. ''Quake'', the adaptation of Grand Mal, was well-received when it premiered in Iceland and the United States in 2022. The film rights were sold to Juno Films and Njuta Films, who planned to release the film theatrically in late 2022. The film was written and directed by Tinna Hrafnsdóttir.

Personal Life

Auður experienced seizures as a child, which later influenced her epileptic protagonist in ''Stóri skjálfti''. She also had a dog in her childhood. She lived in

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

for a time as a child. She has lived in four countries: Barcelona, Spain,

Copenhagen, Denmark Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...

, Berlin, Germany and England. She worked in a fish factory in

Flateyri Flateyri ( Icelandic: ) is a village situated in Iceland's Westfjords. It is part of the municipality of Ísafjarðarbær and has a population of approximately 200, making it the largest settlement in Önundarfjörður. History Flateyri has been ...

in 1995, which would later inform her novel ''Ósjálfrátt''. Auður divides her time between Berlin and Reykjavik with her family.

Awards and nominations

*2016 - The Icelandic Radio (RUV) Award *2015 - Icelandic book sellers prize: Grand Mal *2015 -

(Nomination): Grand Mal *2014 -

Nordic Council Literature Prize The Nordic Council Literature Prize is awarded for a work of literature written in one of the languages of the Nordic countries, that meets "high literary and artistic standards". Established in 1962, the prize is awarded every year, and is worth ...

(Nomination): Secretaries to the Spirits *2012 - DV Newspaper's Cultural Award (Nomination): Secretaries to the Spirits *2012 - The Women's Literary Award: Secretaries to the Spirits *2011 - Icelandic Theatre Awards, Griman: ''The People in the Basement'' (shared with Olafur Egilsson) *2006 - Icelandic Literary Prize (Nomination): ''Deposit'' *2006 - Nordic Council Literature Prize (Nomination): ''The People in the Basement'' *2004 - Icelandic Literary Prize: ''The People in the Basement'' *2002 - Icelandic book sellers prize: ''The strangest of all is you'' *2002 - Upplýsing Prize (Librarians): ''The strangest of all is you'' *2002 - Icelandic Literary Prize (Nomination): ''The strangest of all is you'' *1998 - Icelandic Literary Prize (Nomination): ''Bliss''

References

External links

Official siteIceland literature site I – or Mother. Mother-Daughter Conflicts in the Works of Auður Jónsdóttir
by Dagný Kristjánsdóttir, 28. November 2014, at nordicwomensliterature.net
''Quake: A Novel''
at Consortium Book Sales & Distribution
Tinna Hrafnsdóttir's ''Quake'' in post-production
by Davide Abbatescianni, 01/07/2020, at cineuropa.org {{DEFAULTSORT:Audur Jonsdottir Jonsdottir, Audur Icelandic women novelists Jonsdottir, Audur Icelandic journalists Icelandic dramatists and playwrights Icelandic women journalists Women dramatists and playwrights 21st-century Icelandic women writers 21st-century Icelandic novelists 21st-century dramatists and playwrights 20th-century Icelandic women writers 20th-century Icelandic novelists People from Reykjavík