Gyrdir Elíasson--poet, short-story writer, novelist, and translator--is a prolific writer, publishing one, two, even three books almost every year since the beginning of his career. His first published works were volumes of highly personal and original poetry, but he is also well known as a writer of fiction. He has received many literary awards, culminating in Íslensku bókmenntaverdlaunin (The Icelandic Literary Award) in February 2001 for his collection of short stories, Gula húsid (The Yellow House, 2000).

Gyrdir's writing defies easy definition. His poetry possesses an introspective, lyrical quality, which is enhanced by its philosophical nature. Some critics have defined his work as magic realism, but he prefers, as he explained in an interview with Einar Falur Ingólfsson in Morgunbladid on 13 October 1990, "'mystískur ruralismi'; sveitin andar í næturþokunni" (mystical ruralism, as if the country were...