Spring 2003 CES Events

The Center for European Studies
is pleased to present
a reading from and discussion of the book

Bard of Iceland:
Jónas Hallgrímsson, Poet and Scientist

by the author

Dick Ringler
(Department of Scandinavian Studies)

Monday, 10 February 2003
5:00 p.m.
Memorial Library, Room 126

Professor Ringler's book was recently published by the University of Wisconsin Press. Ringler will also talk about the process of writing the book. Copies of the book will be available at a discount.

Some quotations from the dust jacket of Ringler's book:

"Bard of Iceland makes available for the first time in any language other than Icelandic an extensive selection of works by Jónas Hallgrímsson (1807-1845), the most important poet of modern Iceland. Jónas was also Iceland's first professionally trained geologist and an active contributor in a number of other scientific fields: geography, botany, zoology, and archaeology. He played a key role as well in Iceland's struggle to gain independence from Denmark. 'Descriptive power and fulness of spirit were the hallmarks of his souul,' wrote a contemporary admirer."

"A major undertaking brilliantly accomplished. The scholarship is massive, but worn lightly. Ringler has essentially created (for English-speakers) the field of modern Icelandic literature." --Joseph Harris, Harvard University.

"Ringler's work is simply groundbreaking. It makes the most important poet of Iceland available to readers of English throughout the world." Sveinn Yngvi Egilsson, University of Iceland.

This event is jointly sponsored by the UW Library, the Department of English,
the Department of Scandinavian Studies, the Center for European Studies,
the Medieval Studies Program, and the University of Wisconsin Press.

Questions may be addressed to John Niles, Professor of English (jdniles@wisc.edu; phone 265-9836).