Guðrún Lárusdóttir (8 January 1880 – 20 August 1938) was an Icelandic politician, writer and translator. She most notably served two terms as 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 ...

, the national parliament of Iceland.

Biography

Guðrún was born in Valþjófsstað,

Fljótsdalur Fljótsdalur () is a valley in east Iceland, formed by the Lagarfljót River. Lake Lagarfljót and the city of Egilsstaðir Egilsstaðir () is a town in east Iceland on the banks of the Lagarfljót river. It is part of the municipality of M ...

, the daughter of Lárus Halldórsson (1851–1908), a parliamentarian and priest, and his wife Kirstín Katrín Pétursdóttir Guðjohnsen (1850–1940). At a young age, she wrote about issues regarding

women's rights Women's rights are the rights and Entitlement (fair division), entitlements claimed for women and girls worldwide. They formed the basis for the women's rights movement in the 19th century and the feminist movements during the 20th and 21st c ...

. She also translated works from Danish, English and

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

to Icelandic. In 1899, she moved to

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 ...

with her family. She published her first novel, a three-part series titled ''Ljós og skuggar'' ("Lights and Shadows"), between 1903 and 1905. Guðrún first sat in the town council of Reykjavík between 1912 and 1918. She was elected to the Althing, serving from 1930 to 1934, and was the second woman in the country to be elected to the Althing, after

Ingibjörg H. Bjarnason Ingibjörg H. Bjarnason (14 December 1867 – 30 October 1941) was an Icelandic politician, suffragist, schoolteacher and gymnast. She was the first woman to become a member of the Althing, the parliament of Iceland. Early life and education In ...

, who became an MP in 1922. In 1934, she became the first woman elected to the Althing for the Independence Party, a position she held until her death. Guðrún married Sigurbjörn Ástvaldur Gíslason in 1902. They had 10 children – five of whom died in childhood. On 20 August 1938, Guðrún was killed in a road accident. She was accompanied by her husband and two of their daughters, as well as a driver, when the vehicle they were travelling in plummeted into the Tungufljót river. She died by

drowning Drowning is a type of Asphyxia, suffocation induced by the submersion of the mouth and nose in a liquid. Submersion injury refers to both drowning and near-miss incidents. Most instances of fatal drowning occur alone or in situations where othe ...

along with her two daughters, Guðrún and Sigrún. Her husband and the driver managed to escape.

Publications

* ''Ljós og skuggar : sögur úr daglega lifinu'', 1903 * ''A heimleið skáldsaga úr sveitinni'', 1913 * ''Skáldsaga ur sveitinni.'', 1913 * ''Mod hjemmet'', 1916 * ''Sigur : smásaga'', 1917 * ''Tvær smásögur'', 1918 * ''Brúðargjöfin : saga'', 1922 * ''Móðir og barn : eftir sænska móður'', 1932 * ''Þess bera menn sár : skáldsaga'', 1935 * ''Sólargeislinn hans og fleiri smásögur handa börnum og unglingum'', 1938 * ''Systurnar : skáldsaga'', 1938 * ''Á heimleið : Sjónleikur í 4 þáttum eftir samnefndri skáldsögu : Lárus Sigurbjörnsson sneri sögunni í leik'', 1939 * ''Ritsafn Guðrúnar Lárusdóttur : skáldsögur, sögur fyrir unglinga, erindi og hugvekjur.'', 1949 * ''Tríggjar smásögur : Umsett úr íslendskum eftir: Sonarfórn. Sönn jólagleði. Jósef, av Victor Danielsen. Kápumynd teknað av Ingálvi av Reyni'', 1957 * ''Smásögur'', 1966 * ''Tríggjar smásögur'', 1979

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Larusdottir, Gudrun 1880 births 1938 deaths Gudrun Larusdottir Gudrun Larusdottir Gudrun Larusdottir Gudrun Larusdottir Gudrun Larusdottir Larusdottir Deaths by drowning Guðrún Lárusdóttir Guðrún Lárusdóttir Guðrún Lárusdóttir Guðrún Lárusdóttir 20th-century Icelandic translators Gudrun Larusdottir Gudrun Larusdottir