Le Nord : revue internationale des Pays de Nord - 01.06.1941, Blaðsíða 165

ICELAND IN THE NORTH
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translated into Icelandic. In the iyth century learned Icelanders
were engaged by the Swedish government to collect Icelandic
medieval manuscripts, and to their labours we owe the fact that
in Uppsala and Stockholm there exist fine collections of that
kind. Sweden has produced a great number of scholars, who have
distinguished themselves in the field of old Icelandic language
and literature, and one of the best books on modern Iceland has
been written by a Swedish scholar, Professor Hjalmar Lindroth
(Island, motsatsernas ö, 1930 — an English translation by Adolph
B. Benson, published by the American-Scandinavian Foundation
with the title: Iceland, a land of contrasts; Princeton 1937). Some
years ago the “Föreningen Sverige-Island” (Swedish-Icelandic
Society) was founded in Sweden; this society has already issued
some good publications on Iceland, both in old and in modern
times, and important works are in preparation. The Swedish
Finlanders J. L. Runeberg and Z. Topelius are special favorites
with the Icelandic public. A number of the “Fánrik Stals ságner”
(Ensign Stal’s tales) and other of Runebergs lyrics have been
translated into Icelandic, and of Topelius the fine cycle of
historical novels “Tales of an Army Surgeon” (Fáltskárns berát-
telser) has also been translated. (See the article on Finland and
Iceland by Prof. Jón Helgason in Le Nord, 1939, p. 455—458).
We will now turn to Denmark, a country with which Ice-
land has been united during many centuries under a common king.
Although now politically separate, equal rights of citizenship
and other ties make the relations between Denmark and Iceland
peculiarly intimate. Iceland has learnt more from Denmark than
From any other country, and to the honour of Icelandic politicians
and leading men it must be said that in spite of Iceland’s long
struggle for political independence and a consequent animosity
towards Denmark during centuries, they have always been
ready to acknowledge the cultural superiority of that country in
many fields, and to try to imitate Danish institutions, when they
considered them suitable for Iceland. And as long as Denmark
culturally and socially occupies one of the highest places among
the nations of Europe, the Icelanders show their good sense in
learning from such experienced masters; especially during the
last decades, when the old animosity has gradually given way
to feelings of mutual friendship and respect, our culture ties with
Denmark have in reality become more intimate. Most Icelanders
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