Ritmennt - 01.01.2002, Page 193

RITMENNT
Abstracts
Ögmundur Helgason: Handrit Halldórs Laxness.
Varðveisla þeirra og vistun í handritadeild
Landsbókasafns. Ritmennt 7 (2002), pp. 9-22.
Halldór Laxness's first book was published in
1919, the last work he prepared for publication
appeared in 1980, and his collected worlcs con-
sist of more than 50 volumes. His works are sur-
veyed briefly with especial reference to the pres-
ervation of the manuscripts, most of which have
now been deposited with the National and Uni-
versity Library of Iceland (Department of Manu-
scripts).
Sveinn Einarsson: Vorið geingur í lið með kálf-
um. Um Laxness og leiklistina. Ritmennt 7
(2002), pp. 23-49.
Although Halldór Laxness is by most people
best remembered as a novelist, it is shown here
that his contribution to the Icelandic theatre is
an important part of his achievement: most of
his major novels have been dramatized and he
wrote some of the most innovative plays of his
time in Iceland. Contrary to views sometimes
expressed, he was perhaps Iceland's most out-
standing playwright for a considerable part of the
20th century.
Jökull Sævarsson: Laxness í leikgerð. Leiksýn-
ingar, útvarpsleikrit, sjónvarpsmyndir og kvik-
myndir byggðar á verkum Halldórs Laxness. Rit-
mennt 7 (2002), pp. 50-58.
An alphabetical list of Halldór Laxness's plays
and their performances, including dramatiz-
ations of his works for the theatre, radio, cinema
and television.
Aðalsteinn Ingólfsson: Af eingli með mónokkel.
Hugleiðing um helstu portrettmyndir af Halldóri
Laxness. Ritmennt 7 (2002), pp. 59-69.
Halldór Laxness, who showed an active inter-
est in the visual arts and wrote extensively on
the subject, was acquainted with a large number
of Icelandic artists, many of whom painted his
portrait. The earliest portraits date from 1925,
and up to 1985 his portrait was painted by some
of the best-known painters of Iceland. He was
also a popular subject with Icelandic and foreign
caricaturists.
Árni Bergmann: Utan við markaðslögmálin.
Verlc Llalldórs Laxness á rússnesku. Ritmennt 7
(2002), pp. 70-85.
Already in 1938 Halldór Laxness tried to have
his works published in the Soviet Union, but
without success, and his first book in Russian
did not appear until 1954. The reception of his
works in the Soviet Union is most interesting as
from the beginning it depended very much on
political attitudes and decisions, apparently
without much influence of the market. In the
discussion of his works a gradual shift in em-
phasis can be seen: at first he was hailed as a
friend of the Soviet Union and an ally in the
world struggle, but as time went by he was more
often regarded as a guardian of the ancient legacy
of the saga tradition, the eternal Icelander, a
leader of this people of books.
Árni Heimir Ingólfsson: Og fuglinn sýngur. Tón-
listin við ljóð Halldórs Laxness. Ritmennt 7
(2002), pp. 86-104.
The poems of Halldór Laxness have always
been popular choices for Icelandic composers.
Some of the musical settings of Laxness's texts,
which are as varied from a musical perspective
as they are from a literary one, are discussed, and
an appendix lists the compositions to Laxness's
poems by Icelandic and foreign composers.
Ólafur J. Engilbertsson: Innra lífið uppmálað.
Myndlýsingar og kápur verka Halldórs Laxness.
Ritmennt 7 (2002), pp. 105-15.
Illustrations and dust-jackets of Icelandic and
foreign editions of tlie books by Halldór Laxness
are discussed, and it is pointed out that the
importance of illustrations differs from one
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