Gljúfrasteinn () is a writer's home museum, 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 internati ...

, a 1955

Nobel Prize for Literature The Nobel Prize in Literature, here meaning ''for'' Literature (), is a Swedish literature prize that is awarded annually, since 1901, to an author from any country who has, in the words of the will of Swedish industrialist Alfred Nobel, "in t ...

winner. It is located in

Mosfellsbær Mosfellsbær (, colloquially Mosó) is a town in south-west Iceland, east of the country's capital, Reykjavík. The coat of arms of the municipality is a tightly-knotted triquetra, a symbol often used in Celtic knotwork and strongly associated ...

, east of

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 ...

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 ...

. 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 ( ; ; ) are awards administered by the Nobel Foundation and granted in accordance with the principle of "for the greatest benefit to humankind". The prizes were first awarded in 1901, marking the fifth anniversary of Alfred N ...

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 Svavar Guðnason (18 November 1909 – 25 June 1988) was an Icelandic painter active in the avant-garde movement COBRA COBRA or Cobra, often stylized as CoBrA, was a European avant-garde art group active from 1948 to 1951. The name was coi ...

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

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 Johannes is a Medieval Latin form of the personal name that usually appears as "John" in English language contexts. It is a variant of the Greek and Classical Latin variants (Ιωάννης, '' Ioannes''), itself derived from the Hebrew name '' Ye ...

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 K ...

Ásmundur Sveinsson Ásmundur Sveinsson (20 May 1893 – 9 December 1982) was an Icelandic sculptor, whose works include “ Thor's gavel”, the ornate gavel used by the President of United Nations General Assembly. Early years Ásmundur Sveinsson was born in Kol ...

, as well as works by the Danish 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. The largest collection of Jorn's works� ...

and the Norwegian painter Jakob Weidemann. 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