Sjón

This is an Icelandic name. The last name is a patronymic, not a family name; this person is properly referred to by the given name Sigurjón or Sjón.

Sjón

Born	Sigurjón Birgir Sigurðsson (1962-08-27) 27 August 1962 Reykjavík, Iceland
Occupation	Poet Novelist Lyricist
Nationality	Icelandic
Genre	Fiction Surrealism
Notable works	The Blue Fox (2003) From the Mouth of the Whale (2008) "I've Seen It All" (2000)

Sigurjón Birgir Sigurðsson (born 27 August 1962), known as Sjón (/ˈʃoʊn/ SHOHN), is an Icelandic poet, novelist, and lyricist. His pen name (meaning "sight") is an abbreviation of his given name (Sigurjón). Sjón frequently collaborates with the singer Björk and has performed with The Sugarcubes as Johnny Triumph. His works have been translated into more than 35 languages.^[1]

Biography

Born in Reykjavík, Iceland, Sjón began his writing career early and published his first book of poetry, Sýnir (Visions), in 1978. He was one of the founding members of the neo-surrealist group Medúsa and became significant in Reykjavik's cultural scene.^[2]

Active on the Icelandic music scene since the early 1980s, Sjón has collaborated with many of the best known artists of the era and was featured as guest vocalist on a rare Sugarcubes 12" single "Luftgitar" in 1987 using the name Johnny Triumph; this was accompanied by a music video of Sjón playing an air guitar with Björk and Einar Örn Benediktsson. Sjón would occasionally reprise this role for the final encore of The Sugarcubes concerts, including the band's one-off 2006 reunion show in Reykjavík. Still involved in the Icelandic music scene, Sjón is on the board of the record label Bad Taste (Smekkleysa) and a member of the advisory board for the Kraumur Music Fund.

Sjón was featured in the documentary Inside Björk. In 2007, he contributed the original story and wrote the screenplay for the animated film Anna and the Moods. He also joined the cast, voicing the character Dr. Artmann.^[3]

Sjón has lived and worked in London. He currently resides with his wife and two children in Reykjavík.

Works

Bibliography

Night of Steel ("Stálnótt", Mál og menning, 1987)
Angel, Stovehat and Strawberries ("Engill, pípuhattur og jarðarber", Mál og menning, 1989)
Night of the Lemon (Greyhound Press, 1993)
Made in Secret / Your Eyes Saw Me ("Augu þín sáu mig", Mál og menning, 1994)
The Story of the Great Cap ("Sagan af húfunni fínu", Mál og menning, 1995)
Númi and his Seven Heads ("Númi og höfuðin sjö", Mál og menning, 2000)
With a Quivering Tear ("Með titrandi tár", Mál og menning, 2001)
The Story of the Strange Bird ("Sagan af furðufugli", Mál og menning, 2002)
The Blue Fox ("Skugga-Baldur", Bjartur, 2003)
The Whispering Muse / The Splinter from Argo ("Argóarflísin", Bjartur, 2005)
From the Mouth of the Whale / The Marvels of Twilight ("Rökkurbýsnir", Bjartur, 2008)
Moonstone – The Boy Who Never Was ("Mánasteinn – drengurinn sem aldrei var til", JPV/Forlagið, 2013)

Poetry

Visions ("Sýnir", 1978)
Madonna (1979)
Birgitta (Medúsa, 1979)
How Does One Make Love to Hands? (with Matthías Sigurður Magnússon) ("Hvernig elskar maður hendur?", Medúsa, 1981)
The Blind Man's Bicycle ("Reiðhjól blinda mannsins", 1982)
The Book of Illusions ("Sjónhverfingabókin", Medúsa, 1983)
Oh, Isn't it Wild? (Medúsa, 1985)
Toy Castles ... ("Leikfangakastalar", Medúsa, 1986)
The Boy with the X-Ray Eyes, poems from 1978 to 1986 ("Drengurinn með röntgenaugun", Mál og menning, 1986)
there is something I can't remember about the clouds ("Ég man ekki eitthvað um skýin", Mál og menning, 1991)
obscure figures ("myrkar fígúrur", Mál og menning, 1998)
the song of the stone collector ("söngur steinasafnarans", Bjartur, 2007)
Collected Poems 1978–2008 ("Ljóðasafn 1978–2008", Bjartur, 2008)

Stage

"Shadow Play" ("Skuggaleikur") - a libretto based on the short story "Skyggen" by H. C. Andersen - Strengjaleikhúsið - Reykjavík 2006
"Gargoyles" ("Ufsagrýlur") - a play - Lab Loki - Reykjavík 2010
"Tales from a Sea Journey" - a play written in collaboration with the theatre group - New International Encounter - Oslo 2011
"The Motion Demon" - a libretto based on the short stories of Stefan Grabinski - Figura Ensemble - Copenhagen 2011
"Red Waters" - a libretto co-written with Keren Ann and Barði Jóhannsson - CDN Orleans - Rouen 2011
"Folie à Deux" - a libretto in six songs created with composer Emily Hall for opera company - Mahogany Opera Group - premiered Bergen 2015

Collaborations with Björk

"Isobel" on the album Post (1995)
"Bachelorette" on the album Homogenic (1997)
"Jóga" on the album Homogenic (1997)
"Scary," an extra track on the original "Bachelorette" UK single (1997)
Lyrics for the songs featured in the film Dancer in the Dark and its soundtrack, Selmasongs, written in collaboration with Lars von Trier (2000)
"Oceania," written for the opening ceremony of the 2004 Summer Olympics and featured on the album Medúlla (2004)
"Wanderlust" on the album Volta (2007)
"The Comet Song" featured in the film Moomins and the Comet Chase (2010)
"Cosmogony," "Virus," and "Solstice" on the album Biophilia (2011)

Awards

Winner of the Nordic Council Literature Prize 2005

1995: DV Newspaper Culture Prize for Literature for Made in Secret
1998: Icelandic Broadcasting Service Writers Fund for contribution to Icelandic literature
2002: DV Newspaper Culture Prize for Literature for With A Quivering Tear
2005: Nordic Council's Literature Prize for The Blue Fox
2005: Icelandic Bookseller's Prize for Novel of the Year for The Whispering Muse

Sjón was nominated for an Academy Award and a Golden Globe for the song "I've Seen It All" from the film Dancer in the Dark.^[4]

In 2016 Sjón became the third writer chosen to contribute to the Future Library project.^[5]

References

↑ "Sjonorama". Web. Retrieved 28 February 2013.
↑ "literature.is - Höfundar". Web. Bjartur. Retrieved 28 February 2013.
↑ "Anna and the Moods". Web. CAOZ Ltd. Retrieved 28 February 2013.
↑ "Awards - Sjonorama". Web. Retrieved 28 February 2013.
↑ Cowdrey, Katherine (October 14, 2016). "Icelandic writer Sjón named next Future Library contributor". The Bookseller.

External links

Official website
Sjón's biography at the Reykjavík City Library
Sjón on Words Without Borders
Sjón at the Internet Movie Database
Words Without Borders interviews Sjón
Forlagið
Licht & Burr

Nordic Council Literature Prize winners

1960s	1962: The Days of His Grace – Eyvind Johnson 1963: Under the North Star 3: Reconciliation – Väinö Linna 1964: The Ice Palace – Tarjei Vesaas 1965: From Hell to Paradise – Olof Lagercrantz and The Good Hope – William Heinesen 1966: Diwan on the Prince of Emgion – Gunnar Ekelöf 1967: Nye noveller – Johan Borgen 1968: Flight of the Eagle – Per Olof Sundman 1969: The Legionnaires – Per Olov Enquist

1970s	1970: Anna, I, Anna – Klaus Rifbjerg 1971: Coast of Slaves, Ships of Slaves & Islands of Slaves – Thorkild Hansen 1972: Sju ord på tunnelbanan – Karl Vennberg 1973: Kersantin poika – Veijo Meri 1974: Uden mål – og med – Villy Sørensen 1975: Siinä näkijä missä tekijä – Hannu Salama 1976: Að laufferjum & Að brunnum – Ólafur Jóhann Sigurðsson 1977: I de mörka rummen, i de ljusa – Bo Carpelan 1978: Dalen Portland – Kjartan Fløgstad 1979: Pubertet – Ivar Lo-Johansson

1980s	1980: Vredens barn – Sara Lidman 1981: Hauströkkrið yfir mér – Snorri Hjartarson 1982: Samuels bok – Sven Delblanc 1983: Om fjorten dage – Peter Seeberg 1984: The Christmas Oratorio – Göran Tunström 1985: A Day in Ostrobothnia – Antti Tuuri 1986: Líkasum – Rói Patursson 1987: Hudløs himmel – Herbjørg Wassmo 1988: Justice Undone – Thor Vilhjálmsson 1989: Roman 1987 – Dag Solstad

1990s	1990: For the Living and the Dead – Tomas Tranströmer 1991: The Sun, My Father – Nils-Aslak Valkeapää 1992: Night Watch – Fríða Á. Sigurðardóttir 1993: Byen og verden – Peer Hultberg 1994: Blackwater – Kerstin Ekman 1995: Angels of the Universe – Einar Már Guðmundsson 1996: Hva skal vi gjøre i dag og andre noveller – Øystein Lønn 1997: Bang. En roman om Herman Bang – Dorrit Willumsen 1998: After Having Spent a Night Among Horses – Tua Forsström 1999: Queen's Gate – Pia Tafdrup

2000s	2000: Drømmebroer – Henrik Nordbrandt 2001: The Discoverer – Jan Kjærstad 2002: The Half Brother – Lars Saabye Christensen 2003: Revbensstäderna – Eva Ström 2004: Juoksuhaudantie – Kari Hotakainen 2005: The Blue Fox – Sjón 2006: The Ocean – Göran Sonnevi 2007: Drömfakulteten – Sara Stridsberg 2008: Baboon – Naja Marie Aidt 2009: I Curse the River of Time – Per Petterson

2010s	2010: Purge – Sofi Oksanen 2011: Between the Trees – Gyrðir Elíasson 2012: Days in the History of Silence – Merethe Lindstrøm 2013: The Prophets of Eternal Fjord – Kim Leine 2014: Mirage 38 – Kjell Westö 2015: Wakefulness, Olav's Dreams & Weariness – Jon Fosse

List of Nordic Council's Literature Prize winners and nominees

Authority control	WorldCat Identities VIAF: 87346773 LCCN: n88104822 GND: 132523604 SUDOC: 057175160 BNF: cb129908529 (data) MusicBrainz: 2c00cd43-2ec7-49d3-8668-4000c000cdb6 NKC: jo2006333815

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