Stephan G. Stephansson

Born in Iceland, Stephansson emigrated to the United States in 1873, then moved to Canada, settling near Innisfail, Alberta, in 1889. Ten years later, having endured the hardships of the pioneer and having won respect for his service to the community, he published his first volume of poetry in Reykjavik, Iceland. Between 1900 and 1920 six additional volumes were published. Self-educated, he mastered all the Scandinavian literatures, and critics said of him that he was “unsurpassed by any other Icelandic poet since the Middle Ages”. He died on his Alberta farm.

Né en Islande, Stephansson émigra aux États-Unis en 1873 puis au Canada en 1889. Il s’installa près d’Innisfail, en Alberta. Dix ans plus tard, après avoir connu la vie rude des pionniers et rendu d’éminents services à la collectivité, il publia son premier volume de poésie à Reykjavik, en Islande. Entre 1900 et 1920, il publia six autres ouvrages. Autodidacte, il connaissait à fond la littérature scandinave et il fut considère comme le meilleur poète islandais depuis le moyen-âge. Il mourut sur sa ferme, en Alberta.