Þráinn Bertelsson (born 30 November 1944) is an

Iceland Iceland is a Nordic countries, Nordic island country between the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge between North America and Europe. It is culturally and politically linked with Europe and is the regi ...

film director A film director or filmmaker is a person who controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfillment of that Goal, vision. The director has a key role ...

writer A writer is a person who uses written words in different writing styles, genres and techniques to communicate ideas, to inspire feelings and emotions, or to entertain. Writers may develop different forms of writing such as novels, short sto ...

politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...

journalist A journalist is a person who gathers information in the form of text, audio or pictures, processes it into a newsworthy form and disseminates it to the public. This is called journalism. Roles Journalists can work in broadcast, print, advertis ...

and

newspaper editor An editor-in-chief (EIC), also known as lead editor or chief editor, is a publication's editorial leader who has final responsibility for its operations and policies. The editor-in-chief heads all departments of the organization and is held account ...

. He moved into politics during the 2008–2012 Icelandic financial crisis, and was elected a member of the

Althing The (; ), anglicised as Althingi or Althing, is the Parliamentary sovereignty, supreme Parliament, national parliament of Iceland. It is the oldest surviving parliament in the world. The Althing was founded in 930 at ('Thing (assembly), thing ...

in 2009, initially for the Citizens' Movement. He later left the party to become an independent MP, before joining the

Left-Green Movement The Left-Green Movement (, ), also known by its short-form name Vinstri græn (VG), is an eco-socialist political party in Iceland. Since the 2024 Icelandic parliamentary election, the party has had no members in the Althing. The party chairper ...

, which he currently represents.

Film production

Þráinn has written, directed and produced seven feature films. His 1981 film '' Jón Oddur & Jón Bjarni'' (English title: ''The Twins'') won a Silver Award at the 1982

Giffoni Film Festival The Giffoni International Film Festival is an Italian children's film festival which takes place annually in Giffoni Valle Piana, Campania. It began in 1971. The Giffoni International Film Festival typically has around 100,000 guests and has ...

.Þráinn Bertelsson: Verðlaun og viðurkenningar
Bókmenntir.is, Reykjavík City Library His 1989 film ''

Magnús Magnus, meaning "Great" in Latin, was used as cognomen of Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus in the first century BC. The best-known use of the name during the Roman Empire is for the fourth-century Western Roman Emperor Magnus Maximus. The name gained wid ...

'' was nominated for two

European Film Award The European Film Awards (or European Film Academy Awards) have been presented annually since 1988 by the European Film Academy to recognize excellence in European cinematic achievements. The awards are given in 19 categories, of which the most ...

s, for best picture and best script, and received the 1990 DV Cultural Prize in Iceland.Þráinn Bertelsson
Icelandic Literature, Reykjavík City LibraryMagnús
More Icelandic films, Icelandic Film Centre. He was a co-founder of Norðan 8 and in 1982 founded his own film company, Nýtt líf (New Life Ltd.). He served a year as chairman of The Association of Icelandic Film Directors.

Writing

Þráinn has written columns for Iceland's largest newspaper, ''

Fréttablaðið ''Fréttablaðið'' () was a free Icelandic newspaper. It was distributed five days per week. At its peak, it was the most read newspaper in Iceland. History and profile ''Fréttablaðið'' was established in 2001. It was originally owned primari ...

'', and his autobiographical ''Einhvers konar ég'' () sold more than 20,000 copies in Iceland. He has also translated several of the novels of

Maj Sjöwall Maj Sjöwall (; 25 September 1935 – 29 April 2020) was a Swedish author and translator. She is best known for her novels about the police detective Martin Beck. She wrote these novels in collaborative work with her partner Per Wahlöö. ...

and

Per Wahlöö Per Fredrik Wahlöö (5 August 1926 – 22 June 1975), often identified in English translations as Peter Wahloo – was a Swedish author. He is perhaps best known for collaborative work with his partner Maj Sjöwall on a series of ten novels ab ...

. In 1987–1988, Þráinn was the editor of the newspaper ''

Þjóðviljinn :''Þjóðviljinn (1887-1915), Þjóðviljinn was also the name of a magazine published by Skúli Thoroddsen between 1887 and 1915.'' ''Þjóðviljinn'' () was an Icelandic daily newspaper founded on 31 October 1936. It had close ties with the Com ...

'', and in 1990 of the magazine ''Hesturinn okkar''. His 1984 book ''Hundrað ára afmælið'' won the Children's Literature Prize of the Reykjavík Board of Education. He has also written three darkly comic crime novels: ''

Dauðans óvissi tími ''Dauðans óvissi tími'' ('Death's uncertain hour') is a 2004 novel by Þráinn Bertelsson, first published in Reykjavík by JPV Útgáfa. The title alludes to the seventeenth-century poem 'Um dauðans óvissa tíma' ('On death's uncertain hour ...

'' (''Death's Uncertain Hour'', 2004), ''Valkyrjur'' (''Valkyries'', 2005), and ''Englar dauðans'' (''Angels of Death'', 2007). From 1992 to 1994, he was chairman of The Writer's Union of Iceland.

Politics

Þráinn has been a member of the

since 2009, initially representing the Citizens' Movement party. On 14 August 2009 he left the party, choosing to sit as an independent. He is now sitting with the Left Green Party.

Personal

He is married to Sólveig Eggertsdóttir, an artist who heads a department at the Iceland Art Academy. They have two children and live in

Reykjavík Reykjavík is the Capital city, capital and largest city in Iceland. It is located in southwestern Iceland on the southern shore of Faxaflói, the Faxaflói Bay. With a latitude of 64°08′ N, the city is List of northernmost items, the worl ...

Filmography

*'' Jón Oddur & Jón Bjarni''; English title: ''The Twins'' (1981) *'' Ég mundi segja hó'' (TV movie) (1982) *''

Nýtt líf ''Nýtt Líf'' (, English: ''New Life'') is an Cinema of Iceland, Icelandic film directed by Þráinn Bertelsson and released in 1983. The film is a comedy shot in the Vestmannaeyjar, Westman Islands and stars Eggert Þorleifsson and Karl Ágú ...

'' (1983) *''

Dalalíf ''Dalalíf'' (English: Pastoral Life) is an Cinema of Iceland, Icelandic comedy film released in 1984, directed by Þráinn Bertelsson and stars Eggert Þorleifsson and Karl Ágúst Úlfsson. It is the second film in the ''Líf'' trilogy and a se ...

'' (1984) *''

Skammdegi ''Deep Winter'' () is a 1985 Icelandic drama film directed by Þráinn Bertelsson. The film was selected as the Icelandic entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 58th Academy Awards, but was not accepted as a nominee.Margaret Herrick Li ...

'' (1985) *''

Löggulíf ''Löggulíf'' (English: ''A Policeman's Life'') is an Icelandic comedy film released in 1985, directed by Þráinn Bertelsson and stars Eggert Þorleifsson and Karl Ágúst Úlfsson. It is the last film in the ''Líf'' trilogy and a sequel to ...

'' (1985) *''

'' (1989) *'' Einkalíf'' (1995) *''

Sigla himinfley ''Sigla himinfley'' () is an Icelandic drama miniseries created by Þráinn Bertelsson. The series takes place in Vestmannaeyjar Vestmannaeyjar (, sometimes anglicized as Westman Islands) is a municipality and archipelago off the south coast of ...

'' (TV miniseries) (1996)

Bibliography

* ''Sunnudagur'' (Reykjavík : Helgafell, 1970) * ''Stefnumót í Dublin'' (Reykjavík : Helgafell, 1971) * ''Kópamaros : skáldsaga um óunninn sigur'' (Reykjavík : Helgafell, 1972) * ''Paradísarvíti : endurminningarþættir sem sjálfur hefur saman skrifað greifinn Yon d'islande, fæddur Jón Dísland, Bakka (nú Sólbakka) í Eyjafjarðarsýslu, Íslandi'' (Reykjavík : Helgafell, 1974) * ''Svartur markaður : sakamálaleikrit í 6 þáttum'', with Gunnar Gunnarsson (1978) * ''Hundrað ára afmælið'', illustrated by Brian Pilkington (Reykjavík : Nýtt líf, 1984) * ''Það var og - : 33 útvarpsþættir'' (Reykjavík : Nýtt líf, 1985) * ''Tungumál fuglanna'' (published under the pseudonym Tómas Davíðsson) (Reykjavík : Svart á hvítu, 1987) * ''Magnús : kvikmyndahandrit'' (Reykjavík : Nýtt líf, 1990) * ''Laddi'' (Reykjavík : Líf og saga, 1991) * ''Sigla himinfley'', illustrated by Snorri Freyr Hilmarsson (Reykjavík : Skjaldborg, 1992) * ''Vinir og kunningjar : óvenjulegar frásagnir af venjulegu fólki'' (Reykjavík : Dægradvöl, 1996) * ''Einhvers konar ég'' (Reykjavík : JPV, 2003) ** ''My self & I'', trans. by Hallberg Hallmundsson (Reykjavík : JPV, 2004) ** ''Bertels Sohn : ein Leben in Island'', trans. by Maike Hannek (München : Rogner & Bernhard, 2011) * ''

'' (Reykjavík : JPV, 2004) * ''Valkyrjur'' (Reykjavík : JPV, 2005) ** ''Walküren'', trans. by Tina Flecken (München : Deutscher Taschenbuch Verlag, 2008) * ''Englar dauðans'' (Reykjavík : JPV, 2007) ** ''Höllenengel'', trans. by Maike Hanneck (München : Deutsche Taschenbuch-Verlag, 2010) ** ''Höllenengel : ein Island-Krimi'', trans. by Maike Hanneck (Köln : Lingen, 2012) * ''Ég ef mig skyldi kalla : seinþroskasaga'' (Reykjavík : Sögur, 2008) * ''Fallið : fjölskylduleyndarmál'' (Reykjavík : Sögur, 2011)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bertelsson, Thrainn 1944 births Thrainn Bertelsson Thrainn Bertelsson Thrainn Bertelsson Thrainn Bertelsson] Living people Thrainn Bertelsson] The Movement (Iceland) politicians, Thrainn Bertelsson