Ragnheiður Gestsdóttir

Ragnheiður Gestsdóttir (b. Reykjavik 1 May 1953) is an Icelandic author, noted for her children's books.

Ragnheiður graduated as a teacher from the Kennaraskóli Íslands in 1973, and took a degree in art history at Aarhus University in 1979. She also studied literature at the University of Iceland.

Ragnheiður worked as a teacher in Reykjavík for several years, and was editor of Iceland's National Centre for Educational Materials 1990-96. She has both illustrated and written books for children and teens.

Her first book, Ljósin lifna, was published in 1985. Ragnheiður has retold and illustrated various Icelandic folktales, pre-eminently in her book Sagan af Hlina konungssyni. Amongst other prizes, Ragnheiður won the Icelandic Children's Book Prize for her 2000 book Leikur á borði; and the Nordic Children's Book Prize in 2005 for her novel Sverðberinn. Her most recent novels include the 2009 Hjartsláttur and the 2012 Myndin í speglinum.

Ragnheiður lives in Hafnarfjörður. She is married and has four children.

• 2005 - Nordic Children's Book Prize: Sverðberinn
• 2005 - Vorvindar IBBY
• 2004 - Barnabókaverðlaun Fræðsluráðs Reykjavíkur: Sverðberinn
• 2001 - Barnabókaverðlaun Fræðsluráðs Reykjavíkur: 40 vikur
• 2000 - Íslensku barnabókaverðlaunin: Leikur á borði