Richard Beck

Richard Beck (June 9, 1897 – July 20, 1980) was an Icelandic-born American literary historian, author, and poet. He was for many years a professor of Scandinavian languages and literature at the University of North Dakota and a prominent leader of the Icelandic American community.

Biography Richard Beck was born at Svínaskálastekkur in Reyðarfjörður, Iceland on June 9, 1897. His parents, Hans Kjartan Beck and Thorunn Vigfúsina Vigfúsdóttir, lived in Litlu-Breidavik at Reyðarfjörður. His father died in December 1907 while Richard was still a boy. Graduating from high school in Reykjavík in 1920, Beck married Olöf Daníelsdóttir on October 10, 1920. She died on March 22, 1921. Shortly afterwards Beck and his widowed mother emigrated to Winnipeg, Canada. She was the daughter of a family of Icelandic pioneers in Victoria, British Columbia. He was survived by his wife, two children and many grandchildren.

Selected works History of Icelandic Poets 1800–1940, 1950