Ingibjörg Haraldsdóttir

This is an Icelandic name. The last name is patronymic, not a family name; this person is referred to by the given name Ingibjörg.

Ingibjörg Haraldsdóttir (21 October 1942 – 7 November 2016) was an Icelandic poet and translator. She lived in Cuba from 1970 to 1975 and also lived in the U.S.S.R. for a time. She has had six books of poetry published. In translations she is most known for her work translating Russian and Spanish works. She was born in Reykjavík. In 2002, she was awarded the Icelandic Literary Prize.

Her best known poem is Kona ('woman'), from 1983:

Þegar allt hefur verið sagt þegar vandamál heimsins eru vegin metin og útkljáð þegar augu hafa mæst og hendur verið þrýstar í alvöru augnabliksins ─kemur alltaf einhver kona að taka af borðinu sópa gólfið og opna gluggana til að hleypa vindlareyknum út. Það bregst ekki.[1]

When all has been said When the problems of the world Have been weighed gauged and settled When eyes have met And hands been pressed In the sobriety of the moment –some woman always comes To clear the table Sweep the floor and open the windows To let out the cigar smoke. It never fails.[2]