Benedikt Sveinbjarnarson GröndalGröndal is sometimes called "Benedikt Gröndal junior" to differentiate him from his grandfather, , who was a judge and a poet. (1826–1907) was an Icelandic

naturalist Natural history is a domain of inquiry involving organisms, including animals, fungi, and plants, in their natural environment, leaning more towards observational than experimental methods of study. A person who studies natural history is cal ...

, poet,

illustrator An illustrator is an artist who specializes in enhancing writing or elucidating concepts by providing a visual representation that corresponds to the content of the associated text or idea. The illustration may be intended to clarify complicate ...

, and author.

Biography

Gröndal was born in

Bessastaðir Bessastaðir (, ) is the official residence of the president of Iceland. It is situated in Álftanes ( Garðabær Municipality), about from the capital city, Reykjavík. History Bessastaðir was first settled in 1000. It became one of Snorri S ...

, which was then a

Latin school The Latin school was the grammar school of 14th- to 19th-century Europe, though the latter term was much more common in England. Other terms used include Lateinschule in Germany, or later Gymnasium. Latin schools were also established in Colon ...

. His father,

Sveinbjörn Egilsson Sveinbjörn Egilsson (; 24 February 1791 – 17 August 1852) was an Icelandic theologian, classicist, teacher, translator and poet. He is best known for the work he did during his time as the Rector (academia), rector of The Learned School of Rey ...

, was the rector. Gröndal studied at the

University of Copenhagen The University of Copenhagen (, KU) is a public university, public research university in Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark. Founded in 1479, the University of Copenhagen is the second-oldest university in Scandinavia, after Uppsala University. ...

and was the first Icelander to receive a

master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional prac ...

Old Norse Old Norse, also referred to as Old Nordic or Old Scandinavian, was a stage of development of North Germanic languages, North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants ...

studies there. He translated the works of

Homer Homer (; , ; possibly born ) was an Ancient Greece, Ancient Greek poet who is credited as the author of the ''Iliad'' and the ''Odyssey'', two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Despite doubts about his autho ...

and wrote a satirical poem about the 1859 Battle of Solferino. During his lifetime he was known as a great poet, but his poetry has not remained so popular with modern audiences. He is still known for his comedic prose and for his autobiography ''Pastime'' (Dægradvöl). Gröndal was the main character in

Guðmundur Andri Thorsson Guðmundur Andri Thorsson is an editor, critic, and author born in Iceland on 31 December 1957. He received his degree in literature in 1983 from the University of Iceland. His first work was as a literary critic in the 1980s. His first novel, '' ...

's 2013 novel ''Sæmd''. He collected biological specimen and wrote textbooks on natural history. He was a self-taught illustrator and made hundreds of drawings of animals and plants. His work ''Birds of Iceland'' includes 100 drawings and an overview of all known Icelandic birds. In 1889, the was founded with Benedikt as the director. Gröndal's residence in central Reykjavík now hosts an exhibition.

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Grondal, Benedikt Sveinbjarnarson Old Norse studies scholars Benedikt Sveinbjarnarson Gröndal 1826 births 1907 deaths Benedikt Sveinbjarnarson Gröndal Benedikt Sveinbjarnarson Gröndal Benedikt Sveinbjarnarson Gröndal Benedikt Sveinbjarnarson Gröndal Translators of Homer Icelandic satirists