Gunnar Pálsson

Ármann Jakobsson (University of Iceland)

Ed. by Ármann Jakobsson, University of Iceland
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.3.4: Icelandic Writing and Culture.
Vol. editors: Ármann Jakobsson (University of Iceland), Sven Hakon Rossel (Universitat Wien), Herbert Rowland (Purdue University), Jakob Stougaard-Nielsen (University College London)

Dates

Born 1714
Died 1791

Places

Born in Iceland
Active in Iceland

Activities

Primary

Prose writer

Resources

Pálsson's Works

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Gunnar Pálsson was an Icelandic priest, scholar, and poet, born on 2 August 1714 on the Upsaströnd coast in Northern Iceland. He was the older brother of Bjarni Pálsson (1719–1779), later first chief surgeon of Iceland. Gunnar studied at Hólar, then became deacon at Munkaþverá between 1737-1742; he later left for eight months in 1740–1741 to study theology in Copenhagen. He finished his studies early, getting special license to do so due to poverty.

In 1741 Ludvig Harboe, a pietist priest known for his reforming zeal, was sent to Iceland as temporary Bishop of Hólar (1741–1745), to catalogue education in Iceland and reform it, and he noticed soon that the headmaster of Hólar, Sigurður Vigfússon, the so-called “troll of Iceland”, had no proper discipline; Gunnar

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736 words

Citation: Jakobsson, Ármann. "Gunnar Pálsson". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 17 January 2025 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=14817, accessed 18 January 2025.]