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Audur Jonsdottir

(b. 1973) is one of the most accomplished authors writing in Icelandic today. Her novels have aroused interest in Iceland, as well as abroad, for their rare blend of incisive candor and humor.

She won the Icelandic Literary Prize for The People in the Basement and the Icelandic Women’s Literature Prize for Secretaries to the Spirits. Both of these novels were nominated for the Nordic Council’s Literature Prize. Audur’s novel, Quake, is probably her most successful publication to date and gathered a huge following among Icelandic readers of all ages, strengthening her position as an important writer of her generation. Quake was among World Literature Today‘s 75 most notable translations of 2022.

Several films have been made based on her novels.

“Audur is a great storyteller, writes incredibly well and … so good at describing ordinary people – making ordinary people interesting, making ordinary people exciting.”
 Egill Helgason, Kiljan/National TV, Iceland

Quake is an unflinching exploration of the human instinct to forget and deny trauma, as well as the power of mindful forgiveness; in this way, it is a thrillingly contemporary perspective on the choices we make, conscious and unconscious, that give our futures their shape.”
 Elizabeth Rae, World Literature Today (on Quake)