Ingibjörg Haraldsdóttir

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

Ingibjörg Haraldsdóttir (born 21 October 1942) is an Icelandic poet and translator. She lived in Cuba from 1970 to 1975 and also lived in the U.S.S.R. for a time. She has had six books of poetry published. In translations she is most known for her work translating Russian and Spanish works. She was born in Reykjavík and still resides there.

Her best known poem is Kona ('woman'), from 1983:

Þegar allt hefur verið sagt

þegar vandamál heimsins eru

vegin metin og útkljáð

þegar augu hafa mæst

og hendur verið þrýstar

í alvöru augnabliksins

- kemur alltaf einhver kona

að taka af borðinu

sópa gólfið og opna gluggana

til að hleypa vindlareyknum út.

Það bregst ekki.

When all has been said

When the problems of the world

Have been weighed gauged and settled

When eyes have met

And hands been pressed

In the sobriety of the moment

–some woman always comes

To clear the table

Sweep the floor and open the windows

To let out the cigar smoke.

It never fails.

External links

• Bokmenntir site on her