Benedikt Sveinbjarnarson Gröndal

Benedikt Sveinbjarnarson Gröndal^[a] (1826–1907) was an Icelandic naturalist, poet, illustrator, and author.^[1][2]

Oil painting of Benedikt by Ólafur Th Ólafsson [is]

Biography

Gröndal was born in Bessastaðir, which was then a Latin school.^[3] His father, Sveinbjörn Egilsson, was the rector.^[3]

Gröndal studied at the University of Copenhagen and was the first Icelander to receive a master's degree in Old Norse studies there.^[2]

He translated the works of Homer and wrote a satirical poem about the 1859 Battle of Solferino.^[3] During his lifetime he was known as a great poet, but his poetry has not remained so popular with modern audiences.^[4] He is still known for his comedic prose and for his autobiography Pastime (Dægradvöl).^[4] Gröndal was the main character in Guðmundur Andri Thorsson's 2013 novel Sæmd.^[4]

He collected biological specimen and wrote textbooks on natural history.^[2] He was a self-taught illustrator^[2] and made hundreds of drawings of animals and plants.^[3] His work Birds of Iceland includes 100 drawings and an overview of all known Icelandic birds.^[2]

In 1889, the Icelandic Naturist Society [is] was founded with Benedikt as the director.^[2]

Gröndal's residence in central Reykjavík now hosts an exhibition.^[3]

Notes

1. Gröndal is sometimes called "Benedikt Gröndal junior" to differentiate him from his grandfather, Benedikt Gröndal the elder [is], who was a judge and a poet.