The Icelandic connection - 01.06.2014, Síða 40

182
ICELANDIC CONNECTION
Vol. 66 #4
Stephan G. Stephansson:
Pacifist Poet
Cowardly or Courageous?
Borgajakobson
Edited by Kristine Perlmutter
In 2003, I reviewed The Wakeful Poet
(Andvokuskaldid), vol. 2, a biography
of Stephan G. Stephansson by ViSar
Hreinsson. My reading of that book has
informed my opinions about Stephan’s
attitude toward war and how he became so
much at odds with the Icelandic community
in Canada over this issue. This is based on
material prepared at that time. SBJ
When Stephan G. Stephansson
reached middle age, his poetry had filled
volumes, had become varied in scope and
had been acclaimed by Icelandic readers on
both sides of the Atlantic. However, things
changed and he was suddenly despised or
reviled by many Canadians of Icelandic
descent. Volume two of ViSar Hreinsson’s
biography of Stephansson explains why
this occurred.
Stephan G. Stephansson was born
in Iceland in 1853 and spent his early
life there. During these formative years,
there had been an ongoing struggle with
Denmark over the question of Home
Rule. A negotiated settlement came into
force in 1874. Iceland had not known
warfare for 600 years. When he emigrated
to the United States, on the other hand,
the country was still recovering from the
horrors of the American Civil War. He was
exposed to many new ways of thinking in
this new country and it is not surprising
that political freedom and freedom of
thought were of particular concern.
In Iceland, Stephan and his father
belonged to “reading societies” which
circulated books among members. He was
a voracious reader. In the United States, he
quickly taught himself to read English and
he came under the influence of the “Free
Thinkers”. One of his mentors was Ralph
Waldo Emerson who stressed independent
thinking, a questioning attitude and
moral courage. This questioning attitude
and Stephan’s support of women’s rights
brought him into conflict with the
Lutheran church.
The year 1889 marked the beginning
of a new chapter in Stephan’s life. His
wrangles with the church leaders on a
variety of issues played a part in his decision
to move his family to an unsettled part
of Canada, now the foothills of Alberta.
Sadly, the family had to leave behind many
relatives and friends and two graves, that of
Stephan’s father and of his own young son,
Jon.
At the time, the area where he
settled was still largely unsurveyed and
unorganized. After five years, he received
papers offering him the opportunities and
obligations of a British citizen in Canada.
Stephan never accepted the offer. He felt
that he no longer had a fatherland. He saw