Svava Jakobsdóttir

Svava Jakobsdóttir (October 4, 1930, – February 21, 2004) was one of Iceland's foremost 20th Century authors and feminist politicians. As a writer her work was characterized by "unique brand of surreal feminism." Her father (Hans) Jakob Jónsson was a Lutheran minister. From 1935 to 1940 he and his family lived in Wynyard, Saskatchewan where he served as the pastor of the Icelandic-Canadian congregation. She graduated from Smith College in 1952. She was a member of the Althing, the Icelandic parliament, from 1971 to 1979 for the left-wing party Alþýðubandalagið (People's Alliance). Her best-known works are the novel Gunnlaðar saga (The Saga of Gunnlod), the novella Leigjandinn (The Lodger) and the macabre short story "Saga handa börnum" ("A Story for Children"). Besides prose she also wrote poetry and plays. She won the Henrik Steffens Award in 1997.