Auður Laxness

Auður Sveinsdóttir Laxness (20 July 1918 – 29 October 2012) was an Icelandic writer and craftswoman, credited with influencing the design and popularity of the Icelandic Lopapeysa sweater during the mid-20th century. Her husband was Icelandic Nobel Literature laureate Halldór Laxness, and Auður worked as his secretary and writing collaborator for many years. In 2002, Auður received the Grand Cross of the Order of the Falcon for her contributions to Icelandic culture.

Early life and marriage Auður was born in the Icelandic village of Eyrarbakki on 20 July 1918, to Halldóra Kristín Jónsdóttir and Sveinn Guðmundsson. Her father was a blacksmith and when she was seven years old they moved to Vesturbær, the west-end of Reykjavík. She attended the University of Iceland and passed an examination at the in the late 1930s and would work there for twelve years. In 1937, she met the writer Halldór Laxness at her work. While she was working, she also enrolled in courses at the Icelandic Arts and Crafts School. Auður was active in social affairs and women's rights campaigns during her lifetime. Another theory suggests that Auður brought back a version of the sweater after a trip to Greenland and replicated it herself during the late 1940s, inspired by old Icelandic patterns and imported embroidery techniques.

Death After spending her final years at a home for the elderly in Reykjavík, Auður died aged 94 on 29 October 2012.