Guest lecturers
On October 24, 2021, we held our first-ever zoom lecture: Sjön: In Conversation with Peter Stenberg. The acclaimed Icelandic writer, Sjón, won the Nordic Council's Literary Prize for his novel The Blue Fox and the Icelandic Literary Prize for the novel Moonstone – The Boy Who Never Was. His novel, Red Milk, addresses the allure of fascism and Neo-Nazism. As a poet, librettist and lyricist, he has published nine poetry collections, written four opera libretti and lyrics for various artists. In 2001 he was nominated for an Oscar for his lyrics in the film Dancer in The Dark. His latest project was being a co-screenwriter for the Icelandic horror movie Lamb, which debuted in 2021 to critical acclaim and was Iceland's official submission to the Oscar's for the Best International Feature Film.
A B C D E F G H IJ K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
A B C D E F G H IJ K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
2018
- Guðrún Björk Guðsteinsdóttir
September 23
Giants and Trolls
2017
- Birna Arnbjörnsdóttir
University of Iceland
September 24
North American Icelandic: The Only Variety of Icelandic Spoken Outside of Iceland
October 22
Teaching Icelandic Online: Free and Open Language Courses
November 19
English in Iceland: A Microcosm of Communities Affected by the Spread of English
2016
-
Margaret Willson
Department of Anthropology ad Canadian Studies Center's Arctic Program at the University of Washington
November 3, 2016
"What Defines Survival? The Seawomen of Iceland"
Lecture (audio)
Q&A period (audio)
-
Ástráður Eysteinsson
Department of Comparative Literature, University of Iceland
September 18, 2016
“Centres and Outer Reaches: Snæfellsjökull as Magnet and its Cultural Manifestations”
October 23, 2016
“Paradise Lost: John Milton, Jón Þorláksson, and Richard Beck”
Lecture and Q&A (audio)
November 20, 2016
“Searching for Iceland: A Literary Quest”
Lecture (audio)
Q&A (audio)
-
Sigurjónsson, Sturla
Iceland's Ambassador to Canada
April 27, 2016
ʺMutual Interests in the North: Iceland and Canada in the 21st Centuryʺ
Lecture (audio)
Q&As (audio)
2015
-
Tulinius, Torfi
November 1, 2015
The Detective Novel in Icelandic: From Jóhann M. Bjarnason to Arnaldur Indriðason
Lecture (audio)
Q&A UVic (audio)
Q&A Nanaimo (audio)
W.D. Valgarson's blog:"The Detective Novel in Iceland: Beck Lecture"
November 2, 2015
Introduction to the Old Norse World Through the Saga of the Viking Poet Egill
Lecture (audio)
Q&A (audio)
W.D. Valgarson's blog:"Egill, the brutal poetic puzzle"
November 3, 2015
Medieval Romances in Iceland: Old Norse Translations from Old French
Lecture (audio)
Q&A (audio)
W.D. Valgarson's blog:"Medieval Romance in Iceland"
-
Unger, Richard
March 6, 2015
Keynote lecture for The Medieval Studies Undergraduate Conference
“Sailing the High Seas: Vikings and Other Travelers in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance”
2014
-
Ingimundardóttir, Gudrún
October 17, 2014
“Icelandic Traditional Music: Rímur and Tvísöngur”
-
Woods, Fred
September 21, 2014
“Icelandic Migration: to and through Utah"
2013
-
Guðmundsson, Ágúst
October 15, 2013
"The Spectral in Icelandic Culture"
“Making Movies in Iceland: A Chat with the Director”
Film Showing: “Spooks and Spirits”
-
Helgason, Jón Karl
June 5, 2013
"Clues of Authorship: Sherlock Holmes, Giovanni Morelli and Medieval Saga Authors"
MP3 audio (lecture): "Clues of Authorship: Sherlock Holmes, Giovanni Morelli and Medieval Saga Authors" (33 MB)
-
Driscoll, Matthew
June 4, 2013
"The Icelandic Rímur"
PowerPoint Presentation: Beck-Driscoll-Rimur.ppt
MP3 audio: "CFUV radio Interview with Matthew Driscoll from the University of Copenhagen about his lecture, “The Icelandic Rimur.”"
-
Neijmann, Daisy
June 4, 2013
"Soldiers and Other Monsters: Icelandic Fiction of the First and Second World War"
MP3 audio (lecture): "Soldiers and Other Monsters: Icelandic Fiction of the First and Second World War" (35 MB)
February 8, 2013
"Finance Vikings, Masculinities and the Economic Collapse in Iceland"
MP3 audio (lecture): "Finance Vikings, Masculinities and the Economic Collapse in Iceland" (28.9 MB)
MP3 audio (questions): "Finance Vikings, Masculinities and the Economic Collapse in Iceland" (19.1 MB)
PowerPoint Presentation: Thorgerdur-powerpoint-Finance-Vikings-2013.ppt
W. D. Valgardson’s Blog: "The Viking Banksters"
2012
-
Hreinsson, Vidar
September 17, 2012
"Wakeful Nights: The Poetry of Stephan G. Stephansson"
Handout for the poetry reading: a literal translation of the poems (13.5 KB)
MP3 audio (lecture): "Wakeful Nights: The Poetry of Stephan G. Stephansson" (50 MB)
MP3 audio (poetry reading): Three poems read in the original Icelandic (14 MB)
MP3 audio (questions): "Wakeful Nights: The Poetry of Stephan G. Stephansson" (19.5 MB)
Blog: Bill Valgardson’s Kaffihus: “Viðar Hreinsson and Stephan G”.
-
Helgason, Egill
Blog: http://www.ablogabouticeland.com/reykjavik-thingholtin-egill-helgason/
June 3, 2012
"Iceland's Road to Recovery"
MP3 audio (lecture): "Iceland's Road to Recovery" (47.7 MB)
MP3 audio (questions): "Iceland's Road to Recovery" (18.8 MB)
MP3 audio (interview): C-FAX 1070 – Dave Dickson Show – June 1 2012 - (15 MB)
-
Davidsdottir, Sigrun
February 26, 2012
"Icelandic Cuisine: from poverty to pizzas"
February 27, 2012
"Not a Single Word: a docu-drama on a country in crisis"
February 28, 2012
"Economic Crises: Iceland's vs Europe's"
2011
September 16, 2011
"Learning Old Norse in Fourteenth-Century Norway"
Powerpoint PDF: "Learning Old Norse in Fourteenth-Century Norway"
Handout: "Learning Old Norse in Fourteenth-Century Norway" (595 KB)
September 18, 2011
"Hvað er með álfum? Elves in Iceland across the Conversion"
Powerpoint PDF: "Hvað er með álfum? Elves in Iceland across the Conversion"
September 20, 2011
"'Sigurðar saga fóts': Fourteenth-century Saga to Financial Crisis Satire"
Powerpoint PDF: "'Sigurðar saga fóts': Fourteenth-century Saga to Financial Crisis Satire
April 1, 2011
"Iceland: Pioneering Green Energy"
April 3, 2011
"Nordic Noir and the Writing of Crime Fiction"
April 4, 2011
"Scandinavian Children's Fiction"
2010
-
Eysteinsson, Astradur
- November 8, 2010
"Island Transactions: The Culture of Translation" - November 9, 2010
"Who Is the Author? On Fóstbræðrasaga, Gerpla and Literary-Historical Struggle" - November 13, 2010
12th annual Modernist Studies Association Conference
Keynote Lecture: "Narrative Crisis: History of Modernism"
- November 8, 2010
March 1, 2010
"Visual Translations of Njáls Saga"
text: "Visual Translations of Njáls Saga" (PDF)
Powerpoint presentation: "Visual Translations of Njáls Saga" - (1.2 MB)
March 2, 2010
"Bloody Runes: Uncanny Elements in Egils Saga"
"Bloody Runes: Uncanny Elements in Egils Saga"
Powerpoint presentation: "Bloody Runes: Uncanny Elements in Egils Saga" - (1.2 MB)
March 3, 2010
"Dead Poets' Society: Nationalism, Literature, and Cultural Saints"
"Dead Poets' Society: Nationalism, Literature, and Cultural Saints"
-
Gunnarsson, Sturla
January 14, 2010
Screening of Beowulf and Grendel with Q&A
Article by Jasmine Johnston
C-FAX 1070 - Dave Dickson Show - Jan. 14 2010
January 15, 2010
"Beowulf and Grendel: The Director's Take"
Article by Jasmine Johnston
2010
-
Eysteinsson, Astradur
November 8, 2010
"Island Transactions: The Culture of Translation"
November 9, 2010
"Who Is the Author? On Fóstbræðrasaga, Gerpla and Literary-Historical Struggle"
November 13, 2010
12th annual Modernist Studies Association Conference
Keynote Lecture: "Narrative Crisis: History of Modernism"
March 1, 2010
"Visual Translations of Njáls Saga"
text: "Visual Translations of Njáls Saga" (PDF)
Powerpoint presentation: "Visual Translations of Njáls Saga" - (1.2 MB)
March 2, 2010
"Bloody Runes: Uncanny Elements in Egils Saga"
MP3 audio (lecture): "Bloody Runes: Uncanny Elements in Egils Saga" (72.8 MB)
Powerpoint presentation: "Bloody Runes: Uncanny Elements in Egils Saga" - (1.2 MB)
March 3, 2010
"Dead Poets' Society: Nationalism, Literature, and Cultural Saints"
MP3 audio (lecture): "Dead Poets' Society: Nationalism, Literature, and Cultural Saints" (47.3 MB)
-
Gunnarsson, Sturla
January 14, 2010
Screening of Beowulf and Grendel with Q&A
Article by Jasmine Johnston
MP3 audio (interview): C-FAX 1070 - Dave Dickson Show - Jan. 14 2010 - (17.3 MB)
January 15, 2010
"Beowulf and Grendel: The Director's Take"
Article by Jasmine Johnston
MP3 audio (lecture): "Beowulf and Grendel: The Director's Take" - (64.7 MB)
2009
October 8, 2009
"Iceland in Crisis: From Boom to Bust, Big Time"
PowerPoint Presentation: http://www3.hi.is/~gylfason/lectures.htm
MP3 audio (lecture): "Iceland in Crisis: From Boom to Bust, Big Time" (64 MB)
MP3 audio (question period): "Iceland in Crisis: From Boom to Bust, Big Time" (16 MB)
MP3 audio (interview): C-FAX 1070 - Dave Dickson Show - Oct. 8/09 1-1:30 p.m. - (21.4 MB)
-
Sveinbjornsson, Bjarki
March 22, 2009
"Icelandic Folk Music, Past and Present"
Presentation, with audio and video: "Icelandic folk music past and present"
March 23, 2009
"900 years of Icelandic Music in 50 minutes"
March 24, 2009
"ÍSMÚS: The Iceland Music Database"
-
Almqvist, Bo
January 26, 2009
"The Power of the Poets: Extempore Incantations in Iceland and Ireland"
Unique to Iceland and Ireland is the belief in the poet’s ability to achieve supernatural effects through extemporated verses. Unlike ordinary magic formulas these were effective only once, for a specific occasion. Such beliefs were current until recently in both areas and can be traced more than thousand years back This lecture surveys the two traditions and the relation between them.
January 27, 2009
"Rumours and Reality? Gaels in Greenland and America in the Viking Age"
This lecture deals with a number of episodes attached to people reputed to have been in Greenland or America, included in Old Icelandic sources, in particular the Saga of the Greenlanders and the Saga of Eric the Red. Their possible prototypes in older Irish literature are analysed and the amount of invention and realism in these episodes explored.
January 28, 2009
"The Vikings in Irish Folk Tradition"
Historical sources furnish much information on the Viking era in Ireland, and archaeological excavations cast spectacular light on the Norsemen’s achievements there. However, little has been done to explore the reputation they left behind them. This lecture gives a survey of stories, sayings and beliefs about Vikings until recently to be heard from the lips of Irish country people. (N.B. This is a new date and room for this lecture.)
2008
-
Juliusdottir, Rosa Kristin
October 26, 2008
"Artists among the Early Icelandic Immigrants"
The first Icelanders who came to Canada brought with them a rich literary heritage. Though the tradition of visual expression they had inherited was less rich, they soon felt the need to express themselves visually, and in various ways they—or their children—overcame the limited opportunities to achieve such self expression.
MP3 audio: "Artists among the Early Icelandic Immigrants"
Article by Naomi Smedbol and Michael Stevens
October 27, 2008
"Kalli and Me: Art and (Dis)Ability"
This is a story of visual interplay, the extended encounter between Kalli, a disabled artist, and me, an artist/educator.
MP3 audio: "Kalli and Me: Art and (Dis)Ability"
October 28, 2008
"Face to Face with Art Works: Aesthetic Experience and Young Children"
What can children learn when they visit art museums, create artwork and “do” philosophy? The lecture attempts to provide a visual answer to these questions.
MP3 audio: "Face to Face with Art Works: Aesthetic Experience and Young Children"
-
Gudmundsson, Agust
June 06, 2008
"A Very Personal Approach to the History of Icelandic Cinema"
Ágúst Guðmundsson is the awarding-winning maker of 7 feature films and the television series "Nonni and Manni," which Knowledge Network aired some years ago. He’s the director of the Federation of Icelandic Artists. The history of Icelandic films is the subject of this talk. These form a varied group—but then so do their directors and these artists have received their film training in many different centres: in their works diverse influences blend with the characteristics of a small nation which until recently had lived in isolation from the world. Two of Ágúst's films, "The Dance" and "The Seagull's Laughter" were featured as double bill at Cinecentre at UVic—with Ágúst in attendance to introduce them—on Thursday 5 June.
-
Perkins, Richard
April 10, 2008
"The Settlement of Iceland: Landnámabók and Its Poetry"
The lecture starts by covering the history of Iceland from its beginnings until the thirteenth century. It then examines the great settlement-account, Landnámabók, discussing its origins, content and surviving medieval versions. It closes with a consideration of the varied body of poetry contained in Landnámabók.
2007
-
Bjornsson, Arni
September 25, 2007
"Everyday Life in Traditional Iceland: Marking the seasons."
Before the advent of automobiles, electricity, television and the planes that ferry Icelanders to Spain for their holidays, seasons mattered to an extraordinary degree in Iceland. This lecture examines the life of Icelanders in this earlier time in light of the festivals by which they marked the passing of the seasons.
MP3 audio (lecture): "Everyday Life in Traditional Iceland"
MP3 audio (question period): "Everday Life in Traditional Iceland"
September 26, 2007
"False Myths concerning Iceland"
Popular opinion holds that Icelanders, the descendants of Vikings, are a uniquely spiritual people, happy to reroute roads to avoid rocks in which “hidden people” dwell. This lecture explores the truth of such ideas.
MP3 audio: "False Myths Concerning Iceland"
September 27, 2007
"Wagner and the Volsungs"
This lecture argues that Wagner’s “Ring Cycle” owes a far heavier debt to Old Icelandic sources including the Eddas and "Völsunga Saga" than to Medieval German works like "Das Nibelungenlied."
MP3 audio: "Wagner and the Volsungs"
-
Mosesdottir, Ragnheidur
June 20, 2007
"The Publications of the Arnamagnæan Commission 1772-1936."
The Arnamagnæan Collection takes it name from Professor Árni Magnússon (1663-1730), whose collection of Icelandic and other early Scandinavian manuscripts is among the largest and most important in the world. In his will he left the collection and a small bequest to the University of Copenhagen, stipulating that students should be set to work editing the texts. In 1772 a Royal Commission was established to oversee this work. The lecture concentrates on the early work of the Commission, the choice of texts to be edited, the editorial principles employed and problems encountered, as well as the reception of the works published in the period 1772 to 1936.
Article by Leif Nordholm
June 19, 2007
"The Value of Books: Magnús í Tjaldanesi and the End of Manuscript Culture in Iceland"
Magnús Jónsson (1835-1922), from the farm Tjaldanes in western Iceland, was among the last in a long line of book-loving Icelanders, ordinary people with little or no formal education, who spent the long winter months sedulously copying out the texts of sagas. In his hand are preserved copies, in many case two, three or even four, of nearly two hundred sagas, about a dozen of which are not found elsewhere. The lecture will look at Magnús and his scribal production
MP3 audio: "The Value of Books" (33.9MB)
Article by Leif Nordholm
June 20, 2007
"Everything But the Smell: Toward a More Artefactual Digital Philology"
(Digital Humanities Summer Institute - UVic 2007)
The paper presents some of the issues, both practical and theoretical, involved in describing and transcribing Icelandic primary sources using TEI-conformant XML, looking in particular at how the ideas of the so-called ‘new’ or ‘material’ philology impact upon scholarly editorial practice, and how various aspects of the text’s ‘artefactuality’, aspects which have generally (and often but not always by necessity) been overlooked in traditional printed editions, can be presented in the context of an electronic edition, without compromising the edition’s usability.
MP3 audio: "Everything but the Smell" (27.1MB)
Article by Leif Nordholm
February 28, 2007
"New Light on the Settlement of the Land of the Sagas"
Extensive excavations in recent years by Icelandic archaeologists have revolutionized our knowledge of the early settlers of Iceland. Through inter-disciplinary and international co-operation, we can move beyond the evidence provided by the sagas.
Article by Megan Stewart
March 01, 2007
"The Origins and Adaptations of the First Settlers of Iceland"
Recent DNA and archaeological evidence challenges the long-held belief that most of Iceland’s earliest settlers came from Norway. This lecture will provide an overview of the current understanding of this important issue.
March 02, 2007
"Aspects of Material Culture of the Norse North Atlantic"
The wide range of domestic items and trade pieces which the Vikings brought from both Scandinavia and the British Isles to their homes in the North Atlantic – the Faroe Islands, Iceland and Greenland – provide us with a clear cultural footprint for this well-travelled population.
MP3 audio: "Aspects of Material Culture of the Norse North Atlantic" (5.5MB)
2006
-
Liberman, Anatoly
October 18, 2006
"Baldr and the Mistletoe"
Scandinavian myths tell us that the death of the shining god Baldr was the beginning of the collapse of the world. Nearly all the circumstances in the murder of Baldr are unclear, but the oddest of them is the mistletoe, the plant with which he was killed. The lecture explores the development of the myth and try to account for the appearance of the fateful plantin the conspiracy that cost Baldr his life.
MP3 audio: "Baldr and the Mistletoe" (5.8MB)
October 19, 2006
"The Truth about Berserks"
Little is known about the semi-mythical Scandinavian warriors and about the name they bore (berserks). Berserks (plunderers and brigands) are prominent in the sagas, but the sagas were written down long after the original berserks had been forgotten. The lecture separates the fictional chaff from the historical grain in the history of berserks.
MP3 audio: "The Truth about Berserks" (7.1MB)
October 20, 2006
"Icelandic Words Recorded Late"
The basic vocabulary of Old Icelandic has been preserved remarkably well until today. Yet hundreds of words surfaced in Modern Icelandic late. Unlike such late appearances in English or German, the additions to the vocabulary of Modern Icelandic, unless they are borrowings, have cognates in the other Scandinavian languages, and this circumstance suggests their old age. The gap between these words' first attestations and probable antiquity poses great difficulties for language historians. They are at the center of the lecture.
MP3 audio: "Icelandic Words Recorded Late" (6.0MB)
-
Hallgrimsdottir, Helga K.
April 25, 2006
"Gender, Elitism and Democratic Professionalism within Medicine"
For further information phone Dr. Helga Hallgrímsdóttir at 250-472-4723 or email her. This is the plenary address for the "International Workshop "Comparative Perspectives on Gender, Health Care Work, and Social Citizenship Rights" The three 'learned' professions, divinity, law and medicine, have been looked at as the prototypes of 'real' professions. These groups have been accorded status and social prestige in return to their altruistic service for society based on their esoteric knowledge. Much of professional theory, however, has focused on how professions use knowledge not only for problem-solving purposes but as a social capital. At the same time the service-orientation has been under-conceptualized or used to downsize women-dominated occupations, such as nurses, social workers and teachers. More recent approaches show how the very definition of profession is imbued with gender, power and elitism. The paper deals with the issue of a profession as a gendered concept. It is suggested that more focus on the service-orientation and a theoretical underpinning of care work can open up for a more democratic professionalism among health care and welfare professions.
-
Einarsdottir, Thorgerdur
April 24, 2006
"Paternity Leave in Iceland"
The Nordic countries are known for being very pro-active as regards the role of men in family issues. While Norway was the first country in the world to introduce a specific “father quota” in the parental leave system in 1993, Iceland has the longest non-transferable parental leave for men. A reform from year 2000 guarantees men in Iceland three months paternity leave, out of total 9 months of paid parental leave. In the paper, the Icelandic paternity leave was examined in the light of the leave system in three other countries, Norway, Germany and Spain. The paper draws on a transnational study undertaken in 2002-2004. The study shows that even if Iceland has introduced a very progressive leave system for men, some obstacles have to be dealt with. Whereas the Norwegian system is settled in a climate of gender sameness and sharing, the system in Iceland is embedded in a historical legacy of traditional gender relations. Thus, it remains in similar cultural settings as Germany and Spain, implying distinct gender differences and gender roles rather than equal sharing.
March 05, 2006
""I Picked Up The Runes": A Rune Workshop"
Olafur looks at the original Runes (Elder Futhark) in light of the myth, or legend, that runes were not invented by humans, but received from the gods
March 06, 2006
"Digital Illustration: An Icelandic Artist’s Perspective"
Olafur gave insights into his methods of work. He demonstrates how he digitally illustrates his images and showed examples of his work, including the Icelandic stamps that he designed.
March 07, 2006
"Beyond The Thickest Veils—Erla's Vision"
Erla Stefansdottir, born in Iceland in 1935, claims clairvoyant powers that far exceed those of other seers. Olafur illustrated Erla’s first book Lifssyn Min (2004). He shows images from the book and explains them.
-
Adalsteinsdottir, Kristin
January 29, 2006
"Portraits from Daily Life in Iceland"
January 31, 2006
"Teachers in Classrooms: An Icelandic Study"
2005
-
Larusson, Hannes
April 05, 2005
"Artifacts: Function and Art in Traditional Icelandic Turf Houses"
April 06, 2005
"Time, Space and Language: A Presentation of the Artist's Own Work"
April 07, 2005
"Structural Aspects of the Old Icelandic Farmhouse: A First Hand Experience"
-
Bjarnadottir, Birna
March 02, 2005
"Next to the Bible: St. Augustine´s 'City of God' and Snorri Sturluson´s 'Edda'"
March 03, 2005
"Magical Forces in Old Norse Mythology"
March 04, 2005
"Beauty at the Outskirts of Europe: 'Njáls Saga' and the Aesthetic Challenge of the Saga Heritage."
2004
-
Hallgrimsdottir, Helga K.
November 20, 2004
"Mothers and Workers? Gender & Social Citizenship in Canada, Sweden and Iceland"
This lecture was part of the Beck Icelandic Symposium 2004.
-
Johannsdottir, Kristin M.
November 20, 2004
"Aspect in Icelandic"
This lecture was part of the Beck Icelandic Symposium 2004.
MP3 audio: "Aspect in Icelandic"
picture: Kristín Jóhannsdóttir
-
Hansson, Gunnar Olafur
November 20, 2004
"Preaspiration in Icelandic: an Archaism of the NW European Periphery?"
This lecture was part of the Beck Icelandic Symposium 2004.
MP3 audio: "Preaspiration in Icelandic: an Archaism of the NW European Periphery?" (64.3MB)
-
Tucker, John
November 20, 2004
"Saga Chapters: A Reconsideration"
This lecture was part of the Beck Icelandic Symposium 2004.
handout: Chapter Divisions in Gunnlaug's Saga
MP3 audio: "Saga Chapters: A Reconsideration" (5.4MB)
text : "Saga Chapters: A Reconsideration"
handout: Gunnlaugs Saga Ormstungu
November 20, 2004
"How Olaf of Norway Became Saint Olaf, and the Power of a Poet's Advocacy"
This lecture was part of the Beck Icelandic Symposium 2004.
MP3 audio: "How Olaf of Norway Became Saint Olaf, and the Power of a Poet's Advocacy" (5.4MB)
text : "How Olaf of Norway Became Saint Olaf, and the Power of a Poet's Advocacy"
handout: Glælognskviða and Nesjavísur Excerpts
-
Kunz, Keneva
"Language Administration: Investing in and Maintaining Knowledge Assets"
This lecture was part of the Beck Icelandic Symposium 2004.
"Native Speakers of a Dead Language? The Icelandic Claim to Expertise in Old Norse"
This lecture was part of the Beck Icelandic Symposium 2004.
text: "Native Speakers of a Dead Language? The Icelandic Claim to Expertise in Old Norse"
"An Attempt, for Better or Worse, at an Integrated Interpretation of Njal's Saga"
This lecture was part of the Beck Icelandic Symposium 2004.
-
Baer, Patricia
"Translating Gunnlaðar Saga"
This lecture was part of the Beck Icelandic Symposium 2004.
-
Hale, Christopher
"Transferring Icelandic Naming Customs to Canada"
This lecture was part of the Beck Icelandic Symposium 2004.
MP3 audio: "Transferring Icelandic Naming Customs to Canada" (5MB)
-
Lindow, John
Dr. John Lindow Professor of Scandinavian, University of California, Berkeley. He has a PhD in Germanic Languages and Literatures from Harvard University. His teaching focuses on the interpretation of texts in social and historical context. Lindow's research interests center on Old Norse-Icelandic literature, mainly mythology nd poetry; Scandinavian folklore, mainly legends; and Finno-Ugric folklore. His recent publications include: Handbook of Norse Mythology and Medieval Folklore: An Encyclopedia of Myths, Legends, Tales, Beliefs, and Customs.
February 06, 2004
Text: "Talking Ships"
MP3 audio: "Talking Ships" (48.9 MB)
-
Shippey, Tom
February 05, 2004
MP3 audio: "From Book to Screen: Problems Tolkien set for Jackson" (67.5MB)
video: "From Book to Screen: Problems Tolkein set for Jackson" (170MB)
This lecture was a 2004 Lansdowne Lecture.
February 7, 2004
MP3 audio: "Beowulf and the Origins of England" (39.2MB)
This lecture was given at the Seventeenth Annual Medieval Workshop.
-
Wawn, Andrew
February 04, 2004
"Versions of Vatnsdæla Saga: School, Stage and CIA"
February 05, 2004
"Victorian Viking Novels"
MP3 audio: "Victorian Viking Novels" (46.9MB)
2003
-
Arnason, David
November 05, 2003
"Stephan G. New Iceland Revisited"
November 07, 2003
"Stephansson's Canadian Reception"
November 08, 2003
"David Arnason Reading from his Work"
Olason, Vesteinn
Dr. Vésteinn Ólason is the Director of the Stofnun Árna Magnússonar (the Arni Magnusson Institute which houses the manuscripts of the Icelandic sagas)and professor at the University of Iceland. Dr. Ólason has also held teaching positions at the universities of Copenhagen and Oslo - as well as Berkeley - and has published extensively on Icelandic literature and folklore. His publications, available in English, include The Sagas: Dialogues with the Viking Age and Traditional Ballads of Iceland: Historical Studies.
March 20, 2003
"The Book of the Icelanders"
text: "The Book of the Icelanders"
March 21, 2003
"Snorri Sturluson: Viking Mythographer and Historian"
text: "Snorri Sturluson: Viking Mythographer and Historian"
Johannsdottir, Kristin M.
At the time of her visit, Kristin M. Johannsdottir had been a lecturer at the Department of Icelandic, University of Manitoba since 1999. Originally from Akureyri, Iceland, Johannsdottir currently teaches courses on Modern Icelandic, Icelandic Canadian Literature, and Halldór Laxness. Her research interests include the syntactical differences between Western and "Icelandic" Icelandic, word formation, and language maintenance phenomena such as fossilization. She has translated The Unmarried Sister (Ógifta systirin) by David Arnason into Icelandic. Johannsdottir is also a member of the board of the ethnic newspaper Lögberg-Heimskringla.
February 27, 2003
"The Immigrant Ghost"
text: "The Immigrant Ghost"
February 28, 2003
"Canadian Icelandic in a Multi-Cultural Context"
2002
-
Cook, Robert G.
Dr. Robert G. Cook has been the Professor of English Literature at the University of Iceland since 1990. For twenty-seven years prior to moving to Reykjavik, he taught English medieval literature at Tulane University in New Orleans. Dr. Cook has published on English medieval literature and on the Icelandic Sagas. He served on the editorial board for the five voume set The Complete Sagas of the Icelanders, and together with Mattias Tveitane edited Srengleikar; his translations include Agnar Thordarson's A Medal of Distinction and most recently Njal's Saga for Penguin Books.
November 06, 2002
"Translating Njal's Saga"
November 07, 2002
"The Art of Njal's Saga"
November 08, 2002
"Orality and Literacy in Njal's Saga"
-
Kunz, Keneva
Keneva Kunz earned BA (Hons) and MA degrees in Germanic languages and linguistics at the University of Manitoba, studied subsequently in Munich and Reykjavík, and was awarded a PhD in applied linguistics and translation study by the University of Copenhagen. Her doctoral thesis, entitled Retellers of Tales, on saga translation, was published in Studia Islandica. A former lecturer at the University of Iceland, journalist and editor, in recent years Keneva Kunz has worked extensively as a translator of both technical and literary texts. Her recent translations include the Icelandic novel of immigration to Canada, Where the Winds Dwell, by Bodvar Gudmundsson, and several sagas included in the Complete Sagas of Icelanders, where she also served as one of the editors of the collection.
October 29, 2002
"Icelandic Manuscripts: Medieval Heritage Preserved in Vellum"
2001
-
Kunz, Keneva
Keneva Kunz earned BA (Hons) and MA degrees in Germanic languages and linguistics at the University of Manitoba, studied subsequently in Munich and Reykjavík, and was awarded a PhD in applied linguistics and translation study by the University of Copenhagen. Her doctoral thesis, entitled Retellers of Tales, on saga translation, was published in Studia Islandica. A former lecturer at the University of Iceland, journalist and editor, in recent years Keneva Kunz has worked extensively as a translator of both technical and literary texts. Her recent translations include the Icelandic novel of immigration to Canada, Where the Winds Dwell, by Bodvar Gudmundsson, and several sagas included in the Complete Sagas of Icelanders, where she also served as one of the editors of the collection.
-
Gudmundsson, Bodvar
Bodvar Gudmundsson studied Icelandic history ,literature and language history at the University of Iceland and The Christian Albrechts University in Kiel, Germany. He received his Cand. mag. degree from The University of Iceland in 1969. Winner of 1996 Icelandic Literary Award for the "Tree of Life", Bödvar is a well-established Icelandic poet, playwright and novelist. He has published 6 volumes of poetry; 2 collections of short stories; as well as 3 novels; and has had 10 of his plays presented on stage. He has also translated novels, plays and poetry from German, English, Swedish and Danish, among them works of Cole Porter, Bertold Brecht, Heinrich Boell and H. C. Andersen. For the 4 years Bödvar has mainly been working on a collection of letters from Icelandic emigrants in Canada and U. S. A. The first volume, "The Icelandic America Letters", will be published this coming fall.
August 18, 2001
"Journey to New Iceland: Letters, Fiction, Film"
A panel discussion of Bodvar Gudmundsson's novel "Where the Winds Dwell." The panelists were Bodvar Gudmundsson, Keneva Kunz and Julian Thorsteinson.
August 17, 2001
"The Icelandic America Letters: a lecture"
-
Kjartansson, Helgi Skuli
Helgi Skúli Kjartansson is an Associate Professor of history at the University College of Education, Reykjavík. Besides his work on various topics of Icelandic history, language and literature, he has been involved in textbooks projects, translation of historical literature into Icelandic, and several major history projects, including the Icelandic History Atlas (Íslenskur söguatlas), 3 vols.1989–´93, and the Christianity in Iceland for One Thousand Years (Kristni á Íslandi í 1000 ár), 4 vols. 2000. Currently he is working on a monograph on Icelandic emigration to North America (expected 2001) and a one-volume history of Iceland during the 20th century (expected 2001).
July 09, 2001
"Nation and Nature: Unequal Partners in Shaping the History of Iceland"
July 11, 2001
"The Saga of Ingvarr The Far-Travelled: Icelandic Preservation of Scandinavian Memory at the Crossroads of Oral and Written Culture"
July 13, 2001
"History in Search of a Geographical Dimension"
-
Olafsdottir, Fridur
June 17, 2001
"Icelandic National Costume Information Workshop"
text: course description
video: "Icelandic Costumes" from The Daily - Shaw TV (1 min. 30 sec. clip - 37 MB mpg, 9 MB mp4/H.264)
picture: Fridur
-
Arnalds, Helga
January 14, 2001
"Leif the Lucky One ( a performance)"
poster: "Leif the Lucky One"
January 15, 2001
"Leif the Lucky One ( a performance)"
picture: Helga and Leif
January 17, 2001
"Leif the Lucky One ( a performance)"
2000
Gerrard, Nelson
Nelson S. Gerrard is a noted author, historian, genealogist and is also the official historian of the Icelandic National League. Mr. Gerrard is the author of "The Icelandic River Saga" - an account of the Icelandic River settlement in Manitoba - which has become a standard reference book for the history of the Icelandic settlements in general; and the illustrator of "Icelandic Settlers in America." He is currently working on Gimlunga Saga - a three-volume illustrated history of Gimili and the Virdirnes settlement in Manitoba, from its inception in 1875 up to the present.
November 18, 2000
"New Iceland: From Dream to Reality"
slide show
November 19, 2000
"Icelandic Family Research: Genealogy"
slide show
November 21, 2000
"Myth and the Supernatural in Iceland and Canada"
-
Leithauser, Brad
March 02, 2000
"A Giant from a Small Country: Iceland's Halldór Laxness"
March 02, 2000
"Finding the Book of Your Life: Laxness's Independent People"
March 03, 2000
"Growing a novel in Icelandic soil - or, How I Came to Write 'The Friends of Freeland'"
-
Graham-Campbell, James
February 10, 2000
"The Vikings in the North Atlantic"
February 12, 2000
"From Pagan to Christian in Iceland and Greenland"
1999
-
Stefansson, Pall
September 30, 1999
"Images of Iceland"
slide show
-
Sigurdsson, Thorrir
January 27, 1999
"Icelandic Calligraphy: Ancient and Modern"
January 28, 1999
"Arts and Crafts in Iceland: A Historical perspective"
January 29, 1999
"Modern Arts and Crafts in Iceland"
1998
-
Palsson, Gisli
October 08, 1998
"Nature and Society in the Age of Postmodernity"
October 09, 1998
"The Said, the Unsaid, and the Unspeakable : The Artic Expedition Diaries of V. Stefansson"
October 10, 1998
"The Anthropology of Halldór Laxness"
-
Jonsson, Mar
March 23, 1998
"Incest in Iceland: History and Law 1500-1900"
March 24, 1998
"Electronic Editing: The Letters of Árni Magnússon, Manuscript Collector"
March 24, 1998
"Saga Heritage: Árni Magnússon and the Collecting of Icelandic Manuscripts"
-
Hakonardottir, Hjordis Bjork
March 18, 1998
"Legal Language, Power and Justice"
March 18, 1998
"Human Rights and Icelandic Law"
March 19, 1998
"Law in Iceland: Með lögum skal land byggja"
1997
-
Gudmundsson, Ari Trausti
November 30, 1997
"The Glaciers of Iceland"
December 01, 1997
"Volcanism in Iceland"
December 02, 1997
"The Eruption of Vatnajökull"
-
Ingolfsson, Adalstein
October 31, 1997
"The Transformation of Icelandic Landscape Painting 1900 - 1989"
-
Holm, Bill
March 08, 1997
"The Heart Can Be Satisfied Anywhere on Earth"
March 10, 1997
"Transforming Personal Experiences into Literature"
-
Jesch, Judith
February 06, 1997
"Lives of Women in the Viking Age"
1996
-
Bredsdorff, Thomas
May 23, 1996
"Speech Acts in the Icelandic Sagas"
-
Gudmundsson, Agust
Ágúst Guðmundsson is the awarding-winning maker of 7 feature films and the television series "Nonni and Manni," which Knowledge Network aired some years ago. He’s the director of the Federation of Icelandic Artists.
February 26, 1996
"Land and Sons"
a showing of the film "Land and Sons"
February 27, 1996
"Outlaw: The Saga of Gísli"
a showing of the film "Outlaw: The Saga of Gísli"
February 29, 1996
"The Filming of Nonni and Manni Growing Up Icelandic"
March 01, 1996
"The Icelandic Film Industry: Birth of a National Cinema"
1995
-
Sigurdardottir, Thordis Alda
September 27, 1995
"Sculptures by Thórdís Alda Sigurdardóttir" Discussion with slide of the artist's own work.
September 29, 1995
"New Sculptures from Iceland and Its Historical Background"
-
Kress, Helga
March 13, 1995
"Mighty Maidens: Gender as the Source of Narration in the Sagas"
March 14, 1995
"Gender, Gossip and the Grotesque in the Sagas"
March 16, 1995
"Waiting for Passage: Júlíanna Jónsdóttir and the Emergence of Women's Poetry in Iceland"
1994
-
Petursson, Einar G.
November 01, 1994
"About Icelandic Books and Manuscripts in North America"
-
Hreinsson, Vidar
May 04, 1994
"The Philosophy of Integrity: "The Icelandic Academy," Stephan G. Stephansson, Halldór Laxness and Bill Holm's 'Music of Failure'"
-
Gudsteinsdottir, Gudrun Bjork
February 22, 1994
"Icelandic Canadian Literature in Iceland"
February 23, 1994
"The Tell-Tale Heritage"
February 24, 1994
"Visions in the Dark"
-
Gudjonsson, Elsa
February 12, 1994
"A Heritage in Wool: Medieval Textiles in Iceland"
February 14, 1994
"With a Shining Needle: Icelandic Embroidery 1600 - 1900"
February 15, 1994
"The National Costume of Icelandic Women, Past and Present"
-
Holm, Bill
January 10, 1994
"Not Quite an American: the adventures of a Minneota Western Icelander who doesn't find much of a mirror on television or among the box scores"
January 11, 1994
"Is there a sleeping rattlesnake in the spaces where words don't go all the way to the end of the page?"
January 12, 1994
"Coming Home Crazy: from China, Iceland or even North Dakota"
1993
-
Holmarsson, Sverrir
August 03, 1993
"The Present State of Media and the Arts in Iceland"
August 05, 1993
"Icelandic Cultural Identity, Rural versus Urban"
Sverrir Hólmarsson also taught a course on Icelandic films.
-
McTurk, Rory
May 12, 1993
"Kings and Chieftains in the Icelandic Sagas"
May 13, 1993
""Writing Men and Women in Modern Icelandic Literature"
-
Wallace, Birgitta Linderoth
February 26, 1993
"Norse Archaeology in Greenland: New Findings"
February 26, 1993
"L'anse Aux Meadows"
-
Aquarius Trio, The
February 11, 1993
"Recent Icelandic Composers ( a performance lecture)"
1992
-
Bessason, Haraldur
June 17, 1992
"Some Distinguishing Features of Icelandic-Canadian Literature"
June 18, 1992
"Immortality - Its Bestowal and Attainment in Old Icelandic Heroic Literature"
June 19, 1992
"Law and Morality in Old Icelandic Historical and Semi-historical Literature"
-
Sigurbjornsson, Thorkell
March 18, 1992
"Composers in a Small Society"
March 19, 1992
"Travelling without Passport or Visa"
A performance of works by Thorkell Sigurbjornsson (by the Sonic Lab under the direction of George Corwin)
-
Palson, Hermann
February 12, 1992
"Love and Learning in Havamal"
February 13, 1992
"The Ghost of Grettis Saga"
February 15, 1992
"Where is Vinland?"
1991
-
Njardvik, Njordur P.
October 08, 1991
"Laxdæla Saga: A Different Kind of Saga"
October 10, 1991
"Questions to an Icelandic Writer: How does it feel to be so far away and to write for so few?"
October 11, 1991
"A Singing Stone - and then Silence"
-
Sanders, Christopher
February 15, 1991
"Making an entry: The Dictionary of Old Norse Prose"
-
Miller, William
February 14, 1991
"Getting at the Foundation of Heroic Iceland"
February 14, 1991
"Icelandic Bloodfeuds in the Law Schools"
1990
-
Gunnars, Kristjanna
October 23, 1990
"Writings of Second Generation People"
October 24, 1990
"Some Observations on Women's Culture in Iceland"
October 24, 1990
"Discovery Literature in Canada"
-
Thorarinsson, Arni
August 17, 1990
"Recent Icelandic Films"
-
Gudmundsson, Bodvar
Bodvar Gudmundsson studied Icelandic history, literature and language history at the University of Iceland and The Christian Albrechts University in Kiel, Germany. He received his Cand. mag. degree from The University of Iceland in 1969. Winner of 1996 Icelandic Literary Award for the "Tree of Life", Bodvar is a well-established Icelandic poet, playwright and novelist. He has published 6 volumes of poetry; 2 collections of short stories; as well as 3 novels; and has had 10 of his plays presented on stage. He has also translated novels, plays and poetry from German, English, Swedish and Danish, among them works of Cole Porter, Bertold Brecht, Heinrich Boell and H. C. Andersen. For the 4 years Bodvar has mainly been working on a collection of letters from Icelandic emigrants in Canada and U. S. A. The first volume, "The Icelandic America Letters", will be published this coming fall.
August 10, 1990
"Icelandic Writing: The Last Ten Years"
-
Thomas, Maureen
August 03, 1990
"The Outlaw: Filming Gísli's Saga"
-
Lönnroth, Lars
May 27, 1990
"The Reception of Old Norse Poetics"
-
Magnusson, Sigurdur A.
February 06, 1990
"Post-war Dramaturgy in Iceland"
February 07, 1990
"The World of Halldór Laxness"
February 09, 1990
"Icelandic Music Since the Turn of the Century"
1989
-
Ingolfsson, Adalstein
November 07, 1989
"Recent Developments in Icelandic Art"
November 07, 1989
"The Emergence of Modernism"
November 08, 1989
"Developments in Contemporary Icelandic Art"
-
Arnason, Vilhjalmur
June 23, 1989
"Morality and Structure in the Icelandic Sagas"
-
Olason, Vesteinn
February 27, 1989
"Fable and Meaning in Some Fornaldar Sogur"
February 28, 1989
"Literary Background of the Scandinavian Ballad"
March 01, 1989
"Modernism and the Icelandic Novel"
1988
-
Bragason, Ulfar
November 29, 1988
"The Composition of Njáls Saga"
November 30, 1988
"Sexual Insult in Njáls Saga"
November 30, 1988
"Sturlu Þáttr: An Icelander Confronts the Norwegian King"
-
Gudmundsson, Finnbogi
October 25, 1988
"Food and Drink in Icelandic Literature"
October 26, 1988
"The Role of the Book in Iceland"
October 28, 1988
"Stephan G. Stephansson's Visit to the West Coast , February - March 1913"
-
Clover, Carol
February 14, 1988
"Cold are the Counsels of Women: A Lecture on the Icelandic Sagas"
February 15, 1988
"The Politics of Scarcity: Sagas and the Sex-ratio"