Gljúfrasteinn () is a

writer's home museum Writers' homes (sometimes writer's, author's or literary houses) are locations where writers lived. Frequently, these homes are preserved as historic house museums and literary tourism destinations, called writer's home museums, especially when t ...

, which was the former home of

Halldór Kiljan Laxness Halldór () or Halldor is a given name. Notable people with the name include: *Halldór Ásgrímsson (born 1947), Icelandic politician, formerly Prime Minister of Iceland from 2004 to 2006 * Halldór Orri Björnsson (born 1987), Icelandic internat ...

, a 1955

Nobel Prize for Literature ) , image = Nobel Prize.png , caption = , awarded_for = Outstanding contributions in literature , presenter = Swedish Academy , holder = Annie Ernaux (2022) , location = Stockholm, Sweden , year = 1901 , ...

winner. It is located in

Mosfellsbær Mosfellsbær (, colloquially Mosó) is a town in south-west Iceland, east of the country's capital, Reykjavík. The town of Mosfellsbær is a 15-minute drive from midtown Reykjavík. The district includes the Leiruvogur cove, which forms part of ...

, east of

Reykjavík Reykjavík ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Iceland. It is located in southwestern Iceland, on the southern shore of Faxaflói bay. Its latitude is 64°08' N, making it the world's northernmost capital of a sovereign state. With a po ...

Iceland Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...

. The name of the house is derived from a large stone in the vicinity called Gljúfrasteinn, about which Halldór wrote the short story "''Steinninn minn helgi''" at the age of 19. The house was built in 1945 by Halldór and his wife Auður Sveinsdóttir. The architect was Ágúst Pálsson and the interior designer was Birta Fróðadóttir. Gljúfrasteinn is built on the banks of the river Kaldakvísl and is situated close to Laxness's childhood home, Laxnes. Halldór Laxness was a prominent figure in Icelandic society and his status only increased after he won the

Nobel Prize The Nobel Prizes ( ; sv, Nobelpriset ; no, Nobelprisen ) are five separate prizes that, according to Alfred Nobel's will of 1895, are awarded to "those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind." Alfr ...

in 1955. Laxness's home became a cultural hub in Iceland where important foreign guests were brought for official as well as unofficial visits. International musicians would frequently give concerts in his living room. Paintings by some of the most celebrated 20th century Icelandic artists adorn the walls of Gljúfrasteinn. Visitors can view works by artists such as Svavar Guðnason,

Nína Tryggvadóttir Nína Tryggvadóttir (March 16, 1913 – June 18, 1968) was born Jónína Tryggvadóttir in Seyðisfjörður, Iceland. She was one of Iceland's most important abstract expressionist artists and one of very few Icelandic female artists of her g ...

Louisa Matthíasdóttir Louisa Matthíasdóttir (February 20, 1917 – February 26, 2000) was an Icelandic- American painter. Louisa was born in Reykjavík. From 1925 to 1937 she grew up in the famous Höfði house since her family resided there. She showed artistic ab ...

, Jóhannes Kjarval,

Karl Kvaran Karl Kvaran (November 17, 1924 – August 9, 1989) was an Icelandic painter and draughtsman. He is considered one of the principal exponents of the geometric abstractionist school of painting in Iceland in the early sixties. Education Kv ...

Ásmundur Sveinsson Ásmundur Sveinsson (20 May 1893 – 9 December 1982) was an Icelandic sculptor. Early years Ásmundur Sveinsson was born in Kolsstadir in West Iceland on 20 May 1893. In 1915 he moved to Reykjavík where he enrolled in the Technical College of ...

, as well as works by the

Danish Danish may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark People * A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark * Culture of Denmark * Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish ance ...

painter

Asger Jorn Asger Oluf Jorn (3 March 1914 – 1 May 1973) was a Danish painter, sculptor, ceramic artist, and author. He was a founding member of the avant-garde movement COBRA and the Situationist International. He was born in Vejrum, in the northwest c ...

and the

Norwegian Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe *Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway *Demographics of Norway *The Norwegian language, including the ...

painter

Jakob Weidemann Jakob Weidemann (14 June 1923 – 19 December 2001) was a Norwegian artist. Jakob Weidemann is regarded as one of Norway's more important artists of post-war Modernism. Weidemann's work ''Storfuglen letter'' (1959) was selected as one of the twe ...

. In 2002, Laxness's widow, Auður, sold the house to the Icelandic state. In September 2004, it was opened for the public as a museum. Visitors can take a guided tour through the house, and the museum hosts concerts during the summer.

External links

Gljúfrasteinn website
includin
English information

References

Houses in Iceland Biographical museums in Iceland Literary museums in Iceland Houses completed in 1945 {{Iceland-museum-stub