Káinn (born Kristján Níels Jónsson, later Kristjan Niels Julius) is an unusual figure in Icelandic literary history. He was an inebriate, a farmhand, and a grave digger, but he is generally regarded as the greatest humorist among Icelandic poets. His poetry is, however, much more than merely humor, as the wisdom, poetic melancholy, and warm humanism go hand in hand with his highly original permutations of expression. As an immigrant to Canada and later to the United States, he broadened his horizon and perception of language, developments that further contributed to these poetic qualities.

Káinn was born Kristján Níels Jónsson on 7 April 1860 in northern Iceland in Akureyri, which, at that time, was a tiny village. His father, Jón Jónsson, was a blacksmith and a nephew of the self-taught...