Stephan G. Stephansson is among the paradoxes of Icelandic literary history. He was a hardworking immigrant and farmer all his life, but his literary, mainly poetic, output was prolific--more than 2,000 pages of poetry and 1,500 pages of prose (preserved letters, fiction, articles, and essays). The sheer amount of writing is, however, not unique among literary Icelandic farmers. Although he never received any formal education (except for the preparations for confirmation and a month of English lessons prior to his departure for North America), he became arguably the most philosophical among Icelandic poets, and his poetry has a great intellectual range. His main collection of poetry is titled Andvökur (1909-1938, often translated as Wakeful Nights), although andvaka in the singular means insomnia.

Stephan G. Stephansson was born Stefán Gudmundsson on 3 October 1853 on the tenant farm Kirkjuhóll in Seyluhreppur, located in Skagafjardarsysla, northern Iceland. His...