Born: 23 April 1902 · Died: 8 February 1988 · Age at death: 85
How old was Halldór Laxness when he died?
Halldór Laxness died aged 85. He was born on 23 April 1902 and died on 8 February 1988.
Nobel Prize-winning Icelandic author of Independent People
Did you know?He remains the only person from Iceland to have ever received a Nobel Prize.
Quick facts
Date of birth23 April 1902
Date of death8 February 1988
Age at death85
Cause of deathAlzheimer's disease
NationalityIcelandic
BirthplaceReykjavík, Iceland
Occupationlinguist, novelist, translator
Editor's Take:
Halldór Laxness gave modern Iceland a literature to match its medieval sagas. Independent People follows a sheep farmer whose fierce pride costs his family dearly. It is funny, cruel and moving. Laxness travelled widely and flirted with Catholicism and then communism, before growing disillusioned with both. His books draw on Iceland's history and folk tradition. The Nobel Prize made him a national treasure, and his home is now a museum.
Key Milestones
1927: Publishes The Great Weaver from Kashmir
1934: Publishes Independent People
1943: Begins Iceland's Bell
1955: Wins the Nobel Prize in Literature
Halldór Kiljan Laxness (Icelandic:; born Halldór Guðjónsson; 23 April 1902 – 8 February 1998) was an Icelandic writer and winner of the 1955 Nobel Prize in Literature. He wrote novels, poetry, newspaper articles, essays, plays, travelogues and short stories.
