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íslenska

Brynhildur Þórarinsdóttir

Bio

Brynhildur Þórarinsdóttir was born in Reykjavík on August 27, 1970. She studied Icelandic language and literature at the University of Iceland, graduating with an M.A. degree in 2004. A year later she received a teaching diploma from Akureyri University. Between studies, Brynhildur worked as a journalist and column writer, for newspapers, magazines and radio. She was the editor of literary magazine Tímarit Máls og menningar for a while. She has worked as a teacher along with her work as a writer, at Akureyri University among other schools.

Brynhildur's first published work of fiction is the short story Áfram Óli (Go for it, Óli) that received first prize in a competition hosted by the Association of Native Language Teachers in 1997. Three of her books since then are retellings of Icelandic Sagas for children, The Saga of Njáll, The Saga of Egill and Laxdæla. The first has also been published in translations. Brynhildur received the Icelandic Children's Book Prize for her book, Leyndardómur ljónsins (The Lion's Secret) in 2004. She won the Nordic Children's Literature Prize in 2007 for her retellings of three Icelandic Sagas, Njála, Egla and Laxdæla.