Biography.guide
Home › People › Translator › Eiríkur Örn Norðdahl
Portrait of Eiríkur Örn Norðdahl

Eiríkur Örn Norðdahl

b. 1978

Icelandic writer

Don't just read it — keep itBiographies to ownE-book · Audio · Video From $7 →

About Eiríkur Örn Norðdahl

Born 1978. Eiríkur Örn Norðdahl is an Icelandic translator, writer and poet.

Eiríkur Örn Norðdahl (born 1 July 1978) is an Icelandic writer. For a long time most noted as an experimental poet, in the 2010s he came to prominence as one of Iceland's foremost prose writers.

Biography Born in Reykjavík, Eiríkur Örn grew up in Ísafjörður. By Eiríkur's account he committed to a career as a writer around 2000, though he has necessarily often found an income through a wide range of other jobs, experiencing some periods of considerable hardship. He lived in Berlin from around 2002-4, In 2004 Eiríkur was a founder member of the Icelandic avant-garde poetry collective Nýhil, which organised poetry events and publishing; the co-operative continued until around 2010. He was a prominent contributor to The Reykjavík Grapevine in 2009-11.

Eiríkur Örn has married; his first child was born in 2009.

Eiríkur and his family members are in a band called Sjökvist, and they have made 3 songs that have all gained recognition.

Awards In 2008, Eiríkur Örn received the Icelandic Translators Award for his translation of Jonathan Lethem's tourettic novel, Motherless Brooklyn. His poetry-animation Höpöhöpö Böks received an Honorable Mention in 2010 at the Zebra Poetry Film Festival Berlin.

Eiríkur Örn won the 2012 Icelandic Literary Prize in the category of fiction and poetry and the 2012 Book Merchants' Prize for his novel Illska (lit. Evil).

Writing

Poetry Eiríkur Örn is best known internationally for his poetry, much of which is sound-poetry or multi-media, and which he performs widely. Much of it has been translated, into a variety of languages. His published collections are:

Óratorrek: Ljóð um samfélagsleg málefni (Reykjavík: Mál og menning, 2017) Plokkfiskbókin (Reykjavík : Mál og menning, 2016) Hnefi eða vitstola orð, Mál & menning, 2013 IWF! IWF! OMG! OMG!, a collection of poems translated into German by Jón Bjarni Atlason and Alexander Sitzmann Ú á fasismann - og fleiri ljóð, Mál & menning, 2008 Þjónn, það er Fönix í öskubakkanum mínum, Nýhil, 2007 Handsprengja í morgunsárið, with Ingólfi Gíslasyni, Nýhil, 2007 Blandarabrandarar, Nýhil, 2005 Nihil Obstat, Nýhil, 2003 Heimsendapestir, Nýhil, 2002 Heilagt stríð: runnið undan rifjum drykkjumanna, self-published, 2001

Novels Eiríkur Örn is best known in Iceland for his novels, of which he has so far published six:

Hans Blær, Mál og Menning, 2018 Heimska, Mál og Menning, 2015 Illska, Mál og Menning, 2012 Gæska: Skáldsaga, Mál og Menning, 2009 Eitur fyrir byrjendur, Nýhil, 2006 (in Swedish as Gift för nybörjare, trans. by Anna Gunnarsdotter Grönberg (Rasmus) and in German as Gift für Anfanger) Hugsjónadruslan, Mál og Menning, 2004

Translations Hvítsvíta by Athena Farrokhzad, Reykjavík : Mál og menning, 2016 Erfðaskrá vélstúlkunnar by Ida Linde, Meðgönguljóð, 2014 Friðlaus by Lee Child, 2010 Spádómar Nostradamusar by Mario Reading, 2010 Enron by Lucy Prebble, 2010 Í frjálsu falli by Lee Child, 2009 Maíkonungurinn - valin ljóð eftir Allen Ginsberg, Mál & menning, 2008 Doktor Proktor og prumpuduftið by Jo Nesbø, Forlagið, 2008 Súkkulaði by Joanne Harris, Uppheimar 2007 131.839 slög með bilum -ljóðaþýðingar, Ntamo, 2007 Móðurlaus Brooklyn by Jonathan Lethem, Bjartur, 2007 Heljarþröm by Anthony Horowitz, Forlagið, 2007 Eminem - ævisaga by Anthony Bozza, Tindur, 2006 Heimskir hvítir karlar by Michael Moore, Edda-Forlagið, 2003

Essays Booby, be Quiet!, Helsinki: Poesia, 2011 Ást er þjófnaður, Perspired by Iceland/SLIS (Sumarbúðir LIsthneigðra Sósíalista), 2011

Editing Eiríkur Örn is an editor of the webzine Starafugl Af steypu, with Kári Páll Óskarsson, Nýhil, 2009 Af ljóðum, Nýhil, 2005

Biography shop

Don’t just read it —
keep it.

Full-length biographies made to live with: read them, listen on the way to work, watch them tonight.

  • E-book
  • Audio
  • Video
Browse the shop — from $7

Instant download · yours to keep · every purchase keeps this site free

Important facts

Birth century
Nationality
Also known as
Eiríkur Örn Norddahl

People in Eiríkur Örn Norðdahl's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Eiríkur Örn Norðdahl's

Frequently asked questions

Who is Eiríkur Örn Norðdahl?

Icelandic writer

When was Eiríkur Örn Norðdahl born?

Eiríkur Örn Norðdahl was born on 1 July 1978 in Reykjavík.

What is Eiríkur Örn Norðdahl's occupation?

Eiríkur Örn Norðdahl is a translator, writer and poet.

What nationality is Eiríkur Örn Norðdahl?

Eiríkur Örn Norðdahl is Icelandic.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Eiríkur Örn Norðdahl

· Wikidata: Q12361798

· DBpedia: Eiríkur Örn Norðdahl

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Eiríkur Örn Norðdahl. https://biography.guide/eirikur-orn-norddahl/

MLA: "Eiríkur Örn Norðdahl." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/eirikur-orn-norddahl/.

Chicago: "Eiríkur Örn Norðdahl." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/eirikur-orn-norddahl/.

Data last updated: 2026-09-22 · Spot an error? Report a correction.

Page generated 2026-09-27 05:31 UTC