Þórdís Gísladóttir, also Thordis Gisladottir, (born 14 July 1965) is an Icelandic children's book author, poet, novelist and school book writer.
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She is known for her children's stories about Randalin and Mundi and her poetry has also been well received. Þórdís has worked as a project manager and university teacher at the University of Iceland and the Uppsala university in Sweden, been a web editor for the Nordic Council and she has translated 13 books,edited a journal about children's literature, written about literature for the Norwegian newspaper Klassekampen and made radio programs for The Icelandic National Radio. In 2010 Þórdís Gísladóttir received the Tómas Guðmundsson Award for her first poetry work Leyndarmál annarra ("Secrets of Others"). Her second book of Poetry, "Velúr" (2014) and her children's book Randalín, Mundi og afturgöngurnar(2015) were nominated for the Icelandaic literature prize.
Biography
Þórdís studied language and literature at the University of Iceland. She is noted for her children's stories about Randalín and Mundi which earned her the Icelandic Women Literature Prize in 2013. and the Booksellers Prize. She also has a degree in bilingual studies from Uppsala University in Sweden. In 2010, she received the Tómas Guðmundsson Award for her poetry work Leyndarmál annarra ("Secrets of Others"). It provides guidance to those who are interested in investigating what goes on behind the neighbour's curtains, revealing the unexpected sides of domestic life. Her next book of poetry, Velúr (Velvet), presents verses with a soft, often sensual texture delving into the past or into the world of fantasy.
Randalín og Mundi ("Randalín and Mundi") is a lively, humorous work for children, providing answers to questions such as "Who lives in a box and swallows a mouse every Sunday?" The story continues in Randalín og Mundi í Leynilundi ("Randalin and Mundi in the Secret Garden") when the two friends leave town for a few days, meeting strange people and interesting but fearful creatures.
Þórdís Gísladóttir has also worked as a secondary school teacher and has translated a number of books. She has been an editor for the children's journal Börn og menning.