Nordic Council Literature Prize
1 appearances
-
Edition 45 (2005) Winner
Sjón (Sigurjón Birgir Sigurðsson)
シグルヨン・ビルギル・シグルズソン
Sigurjón Birgir Sigurðsson
Pen Names:
Johnny Triumph（Stage name used in performances with The Sugarcubes）
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1962-08-27 （Reykjavík, Iceland）
- Nationality
- Icelandic
- Languages
- Icelandic
- Residence History
- Central Reykjavík → London (has lived)
Career
- Occupations
- poet, novelist, lyricist, screenwriter
- Active Years
- 1978-
- Influenced By
- David Bowie, André Breton, The Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew and similar popular adventure fiction
- Influenced
- Younger Icelandic writers and artists in contemporary literature and music
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | DV Newspaper Culture Prize for Literature | Made in Secret / Your Eyes Saw Me | — | DV (Icelandic newspaper) | winner |
| 1998 | Icelandic Broadcasting Service Writers Fund | — | — | Icelandic Broadcasting Service | recipient |
| 2002 | DV Newspaper Culture Prize for Literature | With a Quivering Tear | — | DV (Icelandic newspaper) | winner |
| 2005 | Nordic Council's Literature Prize | The Blue Fox | — | Nordic Council | winner |
| 2005 | Icelandic Bookseller's Prize for Novel of the Year | The Whispering Muse | — | Icelandic Booksellers | winner |
| 2001 | Academy Award for Best Original Song | I've Seen It All (from Dancer in the Dark) | — | Academy Awards (Oscars) | nominated |
| 2001 | Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song | I've Seen It All (from Dancer in the Dark) | — | Hollywood Foreign Press Association | nominated |
| 2016 | Future Library project contributor | — | — | Future Library | selected |
DV Newspaper Culture Prize for Literature
1995
Work:
Made in Secret / Your Eyes Saw Me
Organization:
DV (Icelandic newspaper)
Result:
winner
Icelandic Broadcasting Service Writers Fund
1998
Organization:
Icelandic Broadcasting Service
Result:
recipient
DV Newspaper Culture Prize for Literature
2002
Work:
With a Quivering Tear
Organization:
DV (Icelandic newspaper)
Result:
winner
Nordic Council's Literature Prize
2005
Work:
The Blue Fox
Organization:
Nordic Council
Result:
winner
Icelandic Bookseller's Prize for Novel of the Year
2005
Work:
The Whispering Muse
Organization:
Icelandic Booksellers
Result:
winner
Academy Award for Best Original Song
2001
Work:
I've Seen It All (from Dancer in the Dark)
Organization:
Academy Awards (Oscars)
Result:
nominated
Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song
2001
Work:
I've Seen It All (from Dancer in the Dark)
Organization:
Hollywood Foreign Press Association
Result:
nominated
Future Library project contributor
2016
Organization:
Future Library
Result:
selected
Awards & Nominations
Icelandic Literary Prize
3 appearances
-
Edition 25 (2013) Winner
Works
Major Works
The Blue Fox
2003 short novel / surreal fictionA brief fable-like novella that employs motifs of isolation and metamorphosis to evoke northern nature and mystery.
metamorphosisnature and the seaisolation
Translations
- English translation
- Translated into multiple languages
From the Mouth of the Whale
2008 historical fiction with surreal elementsA novel that intertwines past and present to explore personal histories and the memory of Iceland as an island nation.
memoryhistory and familyisland landscapes
Translations
- English translation
CoDex 1962
2016 novel / magic realismA trilogy-like work weaving 20th-century events and personal histories through multiple narrators.
identityfragmented historyfamily
Translations
- English translation
Moonstone – The Boy Who Never Was
2013 novel with YA elementsA coming-of-age tale about a boy, imagination and identity, incorporating mythic elements.
coming of ageimaginationmyth
Translations
- English translation
Red Milk
2019 contemporary novel with social themesExplores family history and the recent rise of the far right through the radicalization of a young Icelander.
far-right radicalizationfamily historymemory and guilt
Translations
- English translation
Bibliography
- Visions (Sýnir, 1978)
- The Blue Fox (Skugga-Baldur, 2003)
- From the Mouth of the Whale (Rökkurbýsnir, 2008)
- CoDex 1962 (2016)
- Red Milk (Korngult hár, grá augu, 2019)
Adaptations
- Lamb (film, co-writer)
- The Northman (film, co-writer)
Translations of Works
- The Blue Fox — translated into English
- From the Mouth of the Whale — translated into English
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- surrealist, poetic prose that favors metamorphosisfrequent use of fable and mythic motifs
- Recurring Motifs
- metamorphosiswhales and the seanorthern nature and volcanoesmemory and family history
Legacy
A highly regarded Icelandic writer active across poetry, fiction, lyrics and screenwriting; internationally translated and involved in film projects. Winner of the Nordic Council Literature Prize among other honors.
In Popular Culture
- Long-term collaboration with Björk (co-wrote numerous songs)
- Involvement in film screenwriting (Lamb, The Northman)
Quotes
-
If you're here, then you're in the belly of the whale.
Source: The New York Times (interview) (2022)
Trivia
- Published his first poetry collection Sýnir (Visions) in 1978 at age 16.
- Has collaborated with Björk since their teens and has written lyrics for many of her songs.
- Selected as a contributor to the Future Library project in 2016.