Bergrún Íris Sævarsdóttir

Bergrún Íris Sævarsdóttir was born in Reykjavík on February 4, 1985. She writes children‘s books and is a prolific illustrator. Bergrún graduated from the fine arts programme in Garðabær Comprehensive Secondary School in 2005 and has a B.A. degree in art history and literature from the University of Iceland. In 2006 she was an exchange-student at the University of Copenhagen, studying art history and Russian literature. She completed a diploma in Illustration at the Reykjavík School of Visual Arts in 2012. That summer she took a summer course in illustration for children‘s books at Anglia Ruskin, Cambridge.

Bergrún has worked for media, hosted workshops in drawing and writing, designed apps and worked in stage design. She participated in the revival of SÍUNG, Association of Children’s Book Writers in Iceland and is the chairman (2020). She was a project manager for Allir lesa, landsleikur í lestri (Lets Reads: a National Game of Reading) (2015-2017).

Bergrún received the Icelandic Literary Price for Langelstur að eilífu (Oldest Forever) (2019) and the Women‘s Literature Price for Kennarinn sem hvarf (The Teacher who Disappeared) (2019). The same book also received the Guðrún Helgadóttir Children‘s Literature Prise, awarded by Reykjavik City for manuscripts. Bergrún was the Hafnarfjörður Town Artist of 2020.