Jóhannes úr Kötlum (born Jóhannes Bjarni Jónasson; November 4, 1899 – April 27, 1972) was an Icelandic

author In legal discourse, an author is the creator of an original work that has been published, whether that work exists in written, graphic, visual, or recorded form. The act of creating such a work is referred to as authorship. Therefore, a sculpt ...

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator (thought, thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral t ...

and a member of

parliament In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

. He is one of the most loved Icelandic poets – not least for his verse for children and how beautifully his words flow in the Icelandic language making them ideal for songs. His poems have been a constant inspiration for

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and def ...

songwriter A songwriter is a person who creates musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music genre and film scoring. ...

s and

musician A musician is someone who Composer, composes, Conducting, conducts, or Performing arts#Performers, performs music. According to the United States Employment Service, "musician" is a general Terminology, term used to designate a person who fol ...

s in Iceland. More than two hundred songs and compositions have been written based on his poems, some of them performed by internationally acclaimed artists such as

Björk Björk Guðmundsdóttir ( , ; born 21 November 1965), known mononymously as Björk, is an Icelandic singer, songwriter, composer, record producer, and actress. Noted for her distinct voice, three-octave vocal range, and eccentric public per ...

performing the song "The Christmas Cat". One of the salient figures of modern Icelandic poetry, Jóhannes mastered both the intricate traditional forms and the modern, but as an outspoken, idealistic and sometimes scathing critic of

political institutions In political science, a political system means the form of Political organisation, political organization that can be observed, recognised or otherwise declared by a society or state (polity), state. It defines the process for making official gov ...

, he courted controversy and often drew the ire of political opponents. Jóhannes began his career as a neo-romantic poet in the 1920s, but later became a leading force among the radical poets of the depression era. After WWII he revolted against the traditional form, renewing his poetry through his originality and artistry. He was a spokesman for peace throughout his life and fought vigorously against Iceland's occupation by foreign armies.

Life

Jóhannes was born in 1899 at Goddastaðir farmstead, near the head of Hvammsfjörður in the Dales of Northwestern Iceland. Despite poverty, Jóhannes was educated and graduated as a primary school teacher in 1921, a profession he practiced for more than a decade, first in the countryside and then 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 ...

. From then on he worked as an

editor Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, visual, audible, or cinematic material used by a person or an entity to convey a message or information. The editing process can involve correction, condensation, organization, a ...

and an author, first in Reykjavík and then in 1940 when he moved to Hveragerði, a small town in the South of Iceland which became known as th
Artists Colony
in the 1940s. He moved back to Reykjavík in 1959 where he lived from then on.

Works

In 1932, Jóhannes úr Kötlum published his best-loved children's book: ''Jólin koma'' (Christmas is Coming – Verse for Children). One of the poems in the book, "The Yuletide-Lads," reintroduced Icelandic society to Yuletide folklore and established what is now considered the canonical thirteen Yuletide-lads or Yule Lads, their personalities and connection to other folkloric characters. Since then ''Christmas is Coming'' has been an integral part of Icelandic Christmas traditions and helped preserve age-old folklore in modern culture. A seasonal bestseller from the start, few other books have been reprinted as many times in Iceland.

Awards and nominations

Jóhannes received awards for his celebratory verses in the Parliament Millennium Celebrations of 1930 and the Republic of Iceland Festivities in 1944. He was awarded the Silver Horse, the Icelandic Newspapers Literature Award, in 1970. He was nominated twice for the Nordic Council Literature Prize; in

1966 Events January * January 1 – In a coup, Colonel Jean-Bédel Bokassa takes over as military ruler of the Central African Republic, ousting President David Dacko. * January 3 – 1966 Upper Voltan coup d'état: President Maurice Yaméogo i ...

and

1973 Events January * January 1 – The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark 1973 enlargement of the European Communities, enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union. * January 14 - The 16-0 19 ...

Bibliography

Poetry

* 1926: ''Bí bí og blaka'' * 1929: ''Álftirnar kvaka'', poems * 1932: ''Ég læt sem ég sofi'', poems * 1932: ''Jólin koma'', poems (for children) - established what is now considered the canonical thirteen Yule Lads * 1933: ''Ömmusögur'' (for children) * 1935: ''Samt mun ég vaka'' * 1937: ''Hrímhvita móðir'' * 1939: ''Hart er í heimi'' * 1940: ''Eilífðar smáblóm'' * 1941: ''Bakkabræður'' (for children) * 1945: ''Sól tér sortna'' * 1946: ''Ljóðið um Labbakút'' (for children) * 1949: ''Ljóðasafn I-II'' selected poems * 1952: ''Sóleyjarkvæði'' * 1952: ''Hlið hins himneska friðar'' * 1955: ''Sjödægra'' * 1959: ''Vísur Ingu Dóru'' (for children) * 1962: ''Óljóð'' * 1964: ''Tregaslagur'' * 1966: ''Mannssonurinn'' * 1970: ''Ný og nið'' * 1972-76: ''Ljóðasafn I-VIII'', selected poems * 1984: ''Ljóðasafn IX'', selected poems * 1987: ''Saga af Suðurnesjum'' (for children) * 1988: ''Segja vil ég sögu af sveinunum þeim'' (for children) * 2001: ''Jólin okkar'' (for children) * 2010: ''Ljóðaúrval'', selected poems

Novels

* 1934: ''Og björgin klofnuðu'' * 1943: ''Verndarenglarnir'' * 1949: ''Dauðsmannsey'' * 1950: ''Siglingin mikla'' * 1951: ''Frelsisálfan''

Stories

* 1938: ''Fuglinn segir'' (for children)

Essays

* 1958: ''Roðasteinninn og ritfrelsið'' * 1965: ''Vinaspegill''

Translations

* 1934: ''Kak I'' (with Sigurður Thorlacius)

Vilhjalmur Stefansson Vilhjalmur Stefansson (November 3, 1879 – August 26, 1962) was an Arctic explorer and ethnologist. He was born in Manitoba, Canada. Early life and education Stefansson, born William Stephenson, was born at Arnes, Manitoba, Canada, in 1879. ...

and Violet Irwin * 1935: ''Kak II'' (with Sigurður Thorlacius)

and Violet Irwin * 1935: ''Mamma litla I'' (with Sigurður Thorlacius) Élise de Pressensé * 1936: ''Mamma litla II'' (with Sigurður Thorlacius) Élise de Pressensé * 1938: ''Himalajaförin'' (with Sigurður Thorlacius) Queling * 1946: '' Salamöndrustríðið''

Karel Čapek Karel Čapek (; 9 January 1890 – 25 December 1938) was a Czech writer, playwright, critic and journalist. He has become best known for his science fiction, including his novel '' War with the Newts'' (1936) and play '' R.U.R.'' (''Rossum' ...

* 1946: ''Fimm synir''

Howard Fast Howard Melvin Fast (November 11, 1914 – March 12, 2003) was an American novelist and television writer. Fast also wrote under the pen names E.V. Cunningham and Walter Ericson. Biography Early life Fast was born in New York City. His mother, ...

* 1948: ''Annarlegar tungur'' (various selected poets) * 1955: ''Saga af sönnum manni'' Boris Nikolaevich Polevoĭ * 1957: ''Vegurinn til lífsins I'' Anton Semyonovich Makarenko * 1957: ''Vegurinn til lífsins II'' Anton Semyonovich Makarenko * 1958: ''Frú Lúna í snörunni'' Agnar Mykle

References

External links

Jóhannes Bjarni Jónasson
Encyclopædia Britannica entry *
johannes.is - Ritaskrár
' {{DEFAULTSORT:Kotlum, Johannes Ur 1899 births 1972 deaths Icelandic communists 20th-century Icelandic poets Icelandic male poets Icelandic children's poets Johannes ur Kotlum