Einar Benediktsson facts for kids
Einar Benediktsson (born October 31, 1864, died January 12, 1940) was a famous Icelandic poet and lawyer. People often called him Einar Ben. He played a big part in helping Iceland become an independent country.
Einar Benediktsson's poems were very important. They helped to awaken a strong national feeling in Iceland. This feeling eventually led to Iceland becoming independent. To help with this, he started a political group called Landvarnarflokkurinn in 1902. He also worked as the editor of Iceland's first daily newspaper, Dagskrá, from 1896 to 1898.
As a poet, Einar Benediktsson wrote in a style called Neo-Romantic. He believed that Greenland should become part of an independent Iceland.
Helping Iceland Grow
Einar Benediktsson was a pioneer in bringing money from other countries to Iceland. He wanted to use Iceland's amazing natural resources. He especially focused on building power plants. These plants would use the power of waterfalls to make electricity.
In 1906, he joined two companies, Skjálfanda and Gigant. Their goal was to build and run hydroelectric power plants. They looked at waterfalls in northern rivers like the Skjálfandafljót and Jökulsá á Fjöllum.
They started to raise money for these projects. However, some people did not like the idea of foreign companies being involved.
In 1914, Einar Benediktsson helped start Fossafélagið Títan. This company and three others (Sirius, Orion, and Taurus) aimed to use the power of the Þjórsá waterfalls.
His Amazing Poems and Translations
Einar Benediktsson translated many works into Icelandic. He translated poems from English and American writers. One of his most famous translations was Henrik Ibsen's long poem, Peer Gynt. This was a very difficult work to translate well.
Einar Benediktsson was buried at Þingvellir. This is Iceland's national shrine. His family members live today in Iceland, other parts of Europe, and the United States. One notable descendant is Einar Benediktsson, who was born in 1931 and became an ambassador.
Einar Benediktsson lived in the Höfði house in northern Reykjavík for twelve years. This was from 1913 to 1925. A statue of Einar, made in 1964 by Ásmundur Sveinsson, now stands near the house. It was moved there in 2015 from Miklatún park.
His Books
- 1897: Sögur og kvæði (Stories and poems)
- 1901: Pétur Gautur, his translation of Henrik Ibsen's Peer Gynt.
- 1906: Hafblik, a collection of poems.
- 1913: Hrannir, another collection of poems.
- 1921: Vogar, more poems.
- 1930: Hvammar, his final collection of poems.
Images for kids
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