Erlendur Jónsson

Erlendur Jónsson (; 8 April 1929 – 17 Juli 2023) was an Icelandic writer and poet and former critic and teacher. He wrote novels, poetry, newspaper articles, essays and literary criticism.

Life Erlendur was born on 8 April 1929 in Geithól in Staðarhreppur in Vestur-Húnavatnsýsla. His parents were Jón Ásmundsson, a farmer and organist, and Stefanía Guðmundsdóttir (1895–1973), a midwife.

Erlendur took his matriculation exam from Menntaskólinn in Akureyri and after that began studying Icelandic and history at the University of Iceland. Then in pedagogy and finished his studies in 1953. He then studied English and American contemporary literature at the University of Bristol in England 1965–1966.

Erlendur worked at the French embassy from 1953 to 1955. He then worked as a teacher in a middle school and later at the Industrial School in Reykjavík from 1955 to 1999. He also worked as a literary critic at Morgunblaðið from 1963. From 1966 he worked on various social issues. He also gave lectures on specific literary topics at the Faculty of Philosophy of the University of Iceland in the years 1968–1975. In 1987, Erlendur won 4th prize in the National Radio's playwriting competition, for his play Minningar úr Skuggahverfi. Erlendur was married to Marta Ágústsdóttir, who was born on 29 June 1928 in Vestmannaeyjar.

Erlendur Jónsson died at Landakot Hospital on 17 July 2023 at the age of 94.