Þórbergur Þórðarson facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Þórbergur Þórðarson
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| Born | 12 March 1888 Hali, Suðursveit, Iceland |
| Died | 12 November 1974 (aged 86) Reykjavík, Iceland |
| Occupation | Writer, poet, essayist |
| Language | Icelandic |
| Nationality | Icelandic |
| Period | 1924–1970 |
| Spouse | Margrét Jónsdóttir |
Þórbergur Þórðarson (pronounced Thór-ber-gur Thór-thar-son) was a famous Icelandic writer and poet. He was born in Hali, Iceland, on March 12, 1888, and passed away in Reykjavík on November 12, 1974.
Þórbergur was known for his clever and often funny writing style. He was great at using words and had a huge vocabulary. People called him "Maestro Þórbergur" because he was so skilled. He is still one of Iceland's most loved writers from the 20th century.
He taught himself most of what he knew. In his books like Íslenzkur aðall (1938) and Ofvitinn (1940), he wrote about his own life. He often lived in poverty when he was young and couldn't afford to go to college.
Contents
Wise Words from Þórbergur
Þórbergur was known for his thoughtful sayings. Here are some of them:
- "My only wealth is philosophy."
- "My only pride is wisdom."
- "The underlying tone of existence is harmless humour."
- "But once people have had a huge glut of progress, they'll get bored. They'll start talking to the wind and flowers and stones again and listening to the song of the stars." (from The Hymn about the Flower)
Important Years in His Life
Here are some key moments in Þórbergur's life:
- 1888-1906: He grew up in a place called Suðursveit in Iceland.
- 1906-1909: He worked as a cook on ships, traveling the seas.
- 1909-1913: He went to school but did not finish his studies.
- 1913-1918: He studied literature and philosophy at the University of Iceland. However, he was not allowed to graduate.
- 1916: He started collecting Icelandic words and their meanings.
- 1918: He became interested in theosophy (a type of spiritual philosophy) and yoga.
- 1918-1925: He worked as a teacher.
- 1924: His daughter, Guðbjörg, was born.
- 1925: He decided to dedicate his life to Esperanto, a language created to be easy for people from different countries to learn.
- 1932: He married Margrét Jónsdóttir.
- 1921-1940: He traveled a lot around Europe.
- 1974: The University of Iceland gave him an honorary doctorate, which is a special degree to recognize his achievements.
- November 12, 1974: He passed away at Vífilsstaðir Hospital.
The Trial of 1934
In 1934, Þórbergur faced a trial in Iceland. He was accused of saying bad things about a foreign country. The highest court in Iceland, the Supreme Court of Iceland, agreed with the accusation. Þórbergur was found guilty of "derogating a foreign nation" and had to pay a fine of 200 krónur.
Books Translated into English
Not many of Þórbergur's works have been translated into English. Some parts of his book Íslenzkur aðall (1938) were published in English as In Search of My Beloved in 1967. More recently, a professor named Julian Meldon D'arcy translated a short story called "When I got pregnant" from his book Bréf til Láru (1924). The first full book of his to be translated into English was The Stones Speak (2012), which was originally published in 1956 as Steinarnir tala. This book tells about his childhood memories. More translations are being worked on.
Museum
On June 30, 2006, a special museum and cultural center opened in Hali, Suðursveit, where Þórbergur grew up. It is called the Þórbergssetur. This center is dedicated to showing visitors about Þórbergur's life and his amazing writings.
See also
In Spanish: Þórbergur Þórðarson para niños
