Guðrún Helgadóttir

Guðrún Helgadóttir (7 September 1935 – 23 March 2022^[1]) was a prominent writer of children's literature and politician in Iceland.^[2] She was born in Hafnarfjörður, Iceland.^[3] Her first book, Jón Oddur og Jón Bjarni, appeared in 1974,^[4] when she worked at the National Health and Insurance Office. It concerned scheming twins. Several more books in this series were released. In 1981, they became the basis for a film.^[5] By the late 1980s, she had won several awards, and was nominated for the Hans Christian Andersen Award in 1988.^[2] She was also awarded the honorary Saga Stone from IBBY for her contributions.^[6] She has written a small amount of drama for adults, but most of her work is for young children.

As a politician, she became the first woman to be Speaker of the Althing in 1988 and held that position until 1991.^[7][8] Before that, she had served in the legislative assembly and held a position on the Reykjavík City Council, representing the People's Alliance.^[9]