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Kári Gíslason

This is an Icelandic name. The last name is patronymic, not a family name; this person is referred to by the given name Kári.
Kári Gíslason
Born1972 (age 52–53)
Reykjavík, Iceland
OccupationWriter, academic
LanguageEnglish, Icelandic
NationalityAustralian, Icelandic
EducationUniversity of Queensland, Árni Magnússon Institute
Notable worksThe Promise of Iceland, The Ash Burner, Saga Land, The Sorrow Stone, Running with Pirates

Kári Gíslason is an Icelandic-Australian writer and academic. He is a Professor in the School of Creative Arts at the Queensland University of Technology.[1] Much of Gíslason's writing focuses on Icelandic sagas and Iceland in general, but he has also published other travel and culture-focused writing.

Family and early life

Gíslason was born in 1972 in Reykjavík, Iceland to an English mother who had moved to Australia during her youth and an Icelandic father.[2] His father had been in an affair with Gíslason's mother and also had a wife and children; one of Gíslason's half-brothers, Ólafur, later died in a car crash.[2] As a result of the affair, Gíslason's existence was kept hidden from his father's family.[2] Gíslason's biological parents split when he was a small child.[2]

As a child, Gíslason worked as a newspaper hawker in Reykjavík before moving to England with his mother, and then to Queensland, Australia several years later.[2]

After Gíslason left secondary school, he travelled to Iceland to meet with his biological father, and eventually made contact with his half-siblings.[2]

Writing

Gíslason's first book-length work was The Promise of Iceland (University of Queensland Press, 2011), a memoir focusing on his childhood family situation.[3]

This was followed by The Ash Burner (UQP, 2012), a novel set in Australia.[4]

In 2017, Gíslason published Saga Land: The island of stories at the edge of the world (ABC Books/HarperCollins) with co-author Richard Fidler. The book contains travel memoir material, Gíslason's recounting of his childhood and family situation, and retellings of Icelandic sagas.[5]

The Sorrow Stone (UQP, 2022) is a retelling of the story of a character in Gísla saga, Disa (Þórdís Súrsdóttir), who is forced to flee across Iceland with her son Sindri (Snorri Goði) after a revenge stabbing.[6][7][8]

Running with Pirates (UQP, 2024) is a travel memoir set in Corfu, Greece, telling the story of Gíslason and a friend named Paul travelling to Corfu, where they attempt to find work in the village of Karousades, and form a close alliance with a man known as The Pirate.[9]

Gíslason's short-form travel writing has been published in numerous Australian outlets, including the Escape section of The Sunday Telegraph, The Courier-Mail and The Australian.[1]

Education and academic career

Gíslason obtained a PhD from the University of Queensland in 2003, and has held teaching posts at the University of Iceland, the University of Tübingen, Bond University, the University of Queensland and the Queensland University of Technology.[1] He has also worked as a secondary school teacher in Iceland.[1]

He also holds a Bachelor of Laws, a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Arts from the University of Queensland,[1] and conducted saga research at the Árni Magnússon Institute during his Australia-based studies.[2]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e "QUT - Academic profiles - Professor Kari Gislason". Queensland University of Technology. Retrieved 4 February 2025.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Fidler, Richard; Gíslason, Kári (2017). Saga Land: The island of stories at the edge of the world. ABC Books. ISBN 9780733339707.
  3. ^ "The Promise of Iceland". Female.com.au. Retrieved 4 February 2025.
  4. ^ Menzies-Pike, Catriona (April 2015). "The Ash Burner by Kári Gíslason". Australian Book Review (370). Retrieved 4 February 2025.
  5. ^ von Einem, Johnny (6 November 2017). "The Icelandic saga of Kari Gislason and Richard Fidler". InReview. InDaily South Australia. Retrieved 4 February 2025.
  6. ^ Ford, Catherine (21 April 2022). "This epic Icelandic saga is heavy on the drama and short on clarity". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 4 February 2025.
  7. ^ Francis, Susan (29 March 2022). "Book review: The Sorrow Stone, Kári Gíslason". ArtsHub. Retrieved 4 February 2025.
  8. ^ Skea, Ann (31 March 2022). "KÁRI GÍSLASON The Sorrow Stone. Reviewed by Ann Skea". Newtown Review of Books. Retrieved 4 February 2025.
  9. ^ Rossetto, Jacinta (8 October 2024). "'It's finally here!': Review of 'Running With Pirates' by Kári Gíslason". QUT Guild Glass. Retrieved 4 February 2025.
Quelle: Https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K%C3%A1ri_G%C3%ADslason