Born 30. 7. 1948 at Skinnastadur, Iceland. Died 19. 9. 2017. Drama and literature studies in, Sorbonne, Paris, obtaining maîtrise and D.E.A. Diploma in cinema from C.L.C.F. He worked mainly as a writer and translator and also as University professor. Fifteen books of poetry were published between 1975 to 2012. His poems have been translated into more than twenty languages. Nominated for the Nordic Council Prize for Literature in 1993. Nominated for the Icelandic Literary Prize in 1995, 2001 and finally in 2008 for Minnisbók (Notebook from Memory) for which he got the Prize. Another book of memoir, Bernskubók (Book of Childhood) was a huge success in 2011. The third one, Táningabók (Book of Teenagers) was published in November 2014. Literary Prize of the Icelandic Radio 1999 and the Booksellers' Prize for Poetry, 2001. A selection of Pálsson’s poems were published in French (1993), Bulgarian (2005), Italian (2006), Spanish (2008), Bengali and Hindi (2009), Arabic (2013), Italian (2013) and English (2014). Three novels published since 1998. He wrote eleven theatre plays that was staged from 1975 to 2008. For the last one Pálsson got the Icelandic Theatre Prize (Gríman) as Playwright of the Year. One opera libretto: The Moonlight Island, world premiere in Beijing 1997. Pálsson translated twenty-five titles from French into Icelandic. Sigurður Pálsson was President of the Alliance Française in Iceland from 1976 to 1977. Chairman of the Writers' Union of Iceland from 1984 to 1988. Honorary Stipend of the City of Reykjavik in 1987 and a Writer's Stipend from the State of Iceland several times. He was made a Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in 1990 by the French Minister of Culture and Chevalier de l’Ordre National du Mérite in 2007 by the President of France.
