Author and poet Ofeigur Sigurdsson was born in Reykjavik 1975. He received his BA degree in 2007, with a thesis on the taboo and transgression in the works of Georges Bataille.

A prolific poet, Ofeigur has published several collections including Toast to the Midwinter (2001) and Redness (2006). In 2005 his first novel was published but his second novel, A Novel of Jon (2010), became the first Icelandic novel to receive the European Union Prize for Literature, in 2011. The best-seller Oraefi: The Wasteland (2014) was the runaway literary sensation of the year, becoming a massive bestseller, snatched up the Icelandic Literary Prize in 2014, and won The Icelandic Booksellers‘ Prize the same year. It was a Best Translated Book Awards Finalist 2019 in the US and nominated for the National Translation Award, ALTA, in 2019.

Besides publishing several award-winning novels, Ofeigur has translated literature and written for radio.

“Sigurdsson is without a doubt one of the best writers of his generation, the best chapters are pure joy to read. Dashes frequently split up the text…and the staccato is so powerful at times that it literally makes the reader dizzy.”
FRETTABLADID (ABOUT SPIRIT GUARDIANS OF THE LAND)

AWARDS AND NOMINATIONS

2014 – The Icelandic Booksellers‘ Prize (The Wasteland)
2014 – The Icelandic Literary Prize (The Wasteland)
2011 – European Union Prize for Literature (A Novel of Jon)
2019 – Best Translated Book Awards Finalist, US
2019  – Nominated for the National Translation Award, ALTA, US