THORODDSEN, JN (THORTHARSON)

born Oct. 5, 1818/19, Bardastrandarssla, Iceland died March 8, 1868, Leir writer commonly known as the father of the Icelandic novel. Thoroddsen studied law in Copenhagen, but an unhappy love affairwhich is reflected in his novelsled him to seek solace in literature. The novels of Sir Walter Scott caught his imagination and undoubtedly influenced him. His Piltur og stlka (1850; Lad and Lass), finished just before he went back to Iceland to become a district judge, is an unpretentious love story that reveals his gift for concise satirical sketches of people and places. It was the first full-scale Icelandic novel. His second novel, Madur og kona (1876; Man and Woman), was unfinished when he died. His two works make up an unsophisticated picture of the Icelandic society of his day that has not since been surpassed.