Andri Snær Magnason

Andri Snær Magnason (b. 14 July 1973) is an Icelandic writer. He has written novels, poetry, plays, short stories, essays and CDs. His work has been published or performed in more than 30 countries. He was a candidate in the 2016 Icelandic presidential election.

His most recent work is the novel "Tímakistan" was chosen Children's book of the year in 2013. He also wrote the book Dreamland, a highly praised work of non-fiction dealing with many issues in modern Iceland, mostly environmentalism but also the influence of the US military base in Iceland. His novel, LoveStar, was chosen “Novel of the year” by Icelandic booksellers 2002, and received the DV Literary Award and a nomination to the Icelandic Literary Prize. His children's book, The Story of the Blue Planet, was the first children's book to receive the Icelandic Literary Prize and has been published in 30 countries. The Story of the Blue Planet received the Janusz Korczak Honorary Award 2000 and the West Nordic Children's Book Prize 2002. The play from the story has been staged in Toronto, Chicago, Aalborg, Wasa and Lucerne. Andri has collaborated with various artists, mostly with a band called múm. Andri was vice-president of The Icelandic Writers Union and a board member of The Culture House in Reykjavik. He has been active in the fight against the destruction of the Icelandic Highlands. Andri has recently published the book Dreamland - Self-help for a frightened nation. It is a book that criticises the fast destruction of the Icelandic nature by the damming of rivers for the gain of aluminium companies.

Andri was born in Reykjavík on 14 July 1973. He comes from a family of doctors and nurses. His father is a doctor, his mother is a nurse, his sister is a brain surgeon, his brother is a student but his wife is a nurse. Andri is married to a nurse, her sister is in med school, his mother-in-law is a nurse and her sister too. His great grandfather was a doctor in the Westfjords of Iceland. His grandfather, Björn Thorbjarnarson, is married to a nurse from Toronto, was a chief surgeon at the New York Hospital and professor at Cornell University. Björn wrote the bestseller Surgery of the Bilinary Tract, 1975. Andri lives in Reykjavík; he has four children.