Þorsteinn Erlingsson
Encyclopedia
Þorsteinn Erlingsson was an Iceland
ic poet. He graduated from Menntaskólinn í Reykjavík
in 1883 and went to Copenhagen
to study law. He never finished law school but during his time in Copenhagen his poems became known in Iceland. He returned to his home country in 1895 and died of pneumonia
in Reykjavík
in 1914.
Þorsteinn was an atheist
and a socialist
. While much of his poetry attacked the ruling classes and the church he also composed popular ditties and poems on nature reminiscent of romanticism
. Sometimes, as in his poem Sólskríkjan, the two themes are intertwined. Other well known poems include:
Þorsteinn's volume of poetry, Þyrnar ("Thorns"), was first published in 1897 although many of the poems had been published before individually.
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
ic poet. He graduated from Menntaskólinn í Reykjavík
Menntaskólinn í Reykjavík
Menntaskólinn í Reykjavík is the oldest gymnasium in Reykjavík, Iceland....
in 1883 and went to Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
to study law. He never finished law school but during his time in Copenhagen his poems became known in Iceland. He returned to his home country in 1895 and died of pneumonia
Pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung—especially affecting the microscopic air sacs —associated with fever, chest symptoms, and a lack of air space on a chest X-ray. Pneumonia is typically caused by an infection but there are a number of other causes...
in Reykjavík
Reykjavík
Reykjavík is the capital and largest city in Iceland.Its latitude at 64°08' N makes it the world's northernmost capital of a sovereign state. It is located in southwestern Iceland, on the southern shore of Faxaflói Bay...
in 1914.
Þorsteinn was an atheist
Atheism
Atheism is, in a broad sense, the rejection of belief in the existence of deities. In a narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there are no deities...
and a socialist
Socialism
Socialism is an economic system characterized by social ownership of the means of production and cooperative management of the economy; or a political philosophy advocating such a system. "Social ownership" may refer to any one of, or a combination of, the following: cooperative enterprises,...
. While much of his poetry attacked the ruling classes and the church he also composed popular ditties and poems on nature reminiscent of romanticism
Romanticism
Romanticism was an artistic, literary and intellectual movement that originated in the second half of the 18th century in Europe, and gained strength in reaction to the Industrial Revolution...
. Sometimes, as in his poem Sólskríkjan, the two themes are intertwined. Other well known poems include:
- Arfurinn - an attack on Iceland's Danish "oppressors".
- Í Hlíðarendakoti - fond memories of a childhood home
- Rask - in memory of Rasmus Christian RaskRasmus Christian RaskRasmus Rask was a Danish scholar and philologist.-Biography:...
- Snati og Óli - a ditty on a boy and his dog
- Þið munið hann Jörund - An extremely sarcastic take on the coup in 1809.
- Við fossinn - Another sarcastic poem, directed against industrialization.
- Örlög guðanna - a lament for the pagan gods
Þorsteinn's volume of poetry, Þyrnar ("Thorns"), was first published in 1897 although many of the poems had been published before individually.