The Icelandic connection - 01.03.2018, Page 7

Vol. 70 #1
ICELANDIC CONNECTION
5
PHOTO COURTESY OF KRISTIN JOHANNSD0TTIR
The Kainn Group
symposium. Eleanor Geir Biliske and her
son Ed addressed the symposium. Mrs.
Biliske might be the only person alive
who actually knew Kainn. While Biliske
mother and son gave their talk a beautiful
picture of Eleanor sitting in the lap of
Kainn was shown on the screen above
her, clearly showing the love between old
man and child and the picture along with
Mrs. Biliske's memories of Kainn moved
everyone to tears. The surprise for the
Icelanders in the room was the completely
different picture of Kainn, pictured by
Mrs. Biliske. Reading the most known
of Kainn’s poems, it is hard not to draw
the conclusion that he was a drunk who
mostly thought of life’s pleasure. But that
was not the Kainn that the children on the
Geir family knew. That Kainn was a warm
and hardworking man, good with children.
Little Eleanor never saw him under the
influence of alcohol. Sure, he enjoyed his
drink, but just like there is so much more
to his poetry than his ditties of alcohol,
there was so much more to this man. The
Kainn Mrs. Biliske told us about was a
man we all wanted to have known.
After a musical interlude from
Vandrasdaskaldin (The trouble poets),
who performed a new song by Vilhjalmur
Bergmann Bragason to a poem by Kainn,
historian Jon Hjaltason gave an interesting
talk on why the Icelanders emigrated to
North America, and why possibly Kainn
went. Historian Jonas Lor then discussed
the North American society and how the
Icelanders managed to settle in. However,
literature theorist ViSar Hreinsson
discussed the question of whether Kainn
was a poet or just a skilled versifier. His
conclusion was that of course Kainn was a
poet. His brilliance is far beyond knowing
how to use alliteration.
After the lunch break, it was time