The Beck Lecture Series: Lecturers and other people involved in this site

Lecturers and other people involved in this site

The Aquarius Trio is an experimental Swedish music group including Solveig Agren, soprano, Tommie Lundberg, bass clarinet, and Lennart Agren, piano. They have recorded a number of albums, and one album, called Predictable? (2010), is available on music streaming apps.
Dr. Bo Gunnar Almqvist was a Swedish folklore scholar. He studied at Uppsala University. He was a professor at University College Dublin and Director of the Folklore Archive (later the National Folklore Collection).
Helga Arnalds is a cross-disciplinary Icelandic artist who works in the field of visual theatre. She studied at the Insitute of Theatre in Barcelona and the Icelandic University of the Arts. Her theatre group is called 10 FINGERS.
Dr. David Arnason is a Canadian author and poet of Icelandic descent, and he is professor emeritus at the University of Manitoba. He studied at the University of Manitoba and the University of New Brunswick. He co-founded the Journal of Canadian Fiction with John Moss.
Dr. Birna Arnbjörnsdóttir is a professor emerita of Second Language Studies at the University of Iceland. She studied at the University of Iceland, the University of Reading, and the University of Texas at Austin from where she received her PhD. She is also Project Director of Icelandic Online.
Dr. Kristín Aðalsteinsdóttir is a professor of Education at the University of Akureyri. She has published scholarly papers on the education system in Iceland. She studied at the University of Bristol from where she received her PhD.
Trish Baer is an adjunct professor of the Medieval Studies Department at the University of Victoria. She received her Interdisciplinary PhD in the departments of English and History in Art from the University of Victoria in 2013. Her Interdisciplinary dissertation An Old Norse Image Hoard: From the Analog Past to the Digital Present was nominated for the Governor General’s Gold Medal Award.
Dr. Colleen E. Batey is a professor at the University of Highlands and Islands. Currently, she is a visiting fellow of St John’s College and an honorary fellow in archaeology at the University of Durham. She is also an honorary professor at Hunter College in New York and a former President of the Scottish Society for Northern Studies. Her area of interest is Viking and Late Norse archaeology.
Dr. Haraldur Bessason was the first Chair of the Icelandic Language and Literature Department at the University of Manitoba and the first President of the University of Akureyri in Iceland. He studied at the University of Iceland.
Dr. Soffía Auður Birgisdóttir is a literary researcher and associate professor at the University of Iceland. She studied Icelandic literature at the University of Iceland.
Dr. Birna Bjarnadóttir is a research specialist at the University of Iceland where she also teaches. She is a former Head of the English Department at the University of Manitoba. She has had various editorial positions, and she has written numerous prefaces, chapters, and scholarly papers.
Dr. Árni Björnsson is a scholar and lecturer in Icelandic language and literature, and was Director of the Folklore Department of the National Museum of Iceland between 1969–2002. He received his Cand. mag. in Icelandic studies and his PhD in cultural history from the University of Iceland in 1961 and 1995. One of his major writings is Wagner and the Volsungs (2003).
Dr. Ulfar Bragason is a professor at Árni Magnússon Institute for Icelandic Studies at the University of Iceland. He was Director of the Sigurur Nordal Institute in Reykjavík. He held degrees from Iceland, Oslo, and Berkley.
Dr. Thomas Bredsdorff is a Danish literary scholar and critic. He studied at the University of Copenhagen. His research specialized in eighteenth-century literature and he wrote Chaos and Love: The Philosophy of the Icelandic Family Sagas.
Alexandria Brooks as a work-study student is a data editor for the project, and she is an English Honours student at the University of Victoria.
Dr. Carol Clover is an American professor of Medieval Studies and American Film at the University of California, Berkeley. She is the author of three books: Men, Women, and Chainsaws: Gender in the Modern Horror Film (1992), The Medieval Saga (1982), and Old Norse Icelandic Literature: A Critical Guide (1985). She is a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences and has honorary doctorates from Lund University and the University of Iceland.
Dr. Patricia Conroy was an associate professor emerita of Scandinavian Studies at the University of Washington. She studied at Rutgers University and the University of California, Berkeley, from where she received her PhD. She was an active member of the Society for the Advancement of Scandinavian Study, the International Congress on Medieval Studies, and the Modern Language Association.
Dr. Robert G. Cook was a professor of English literature at the University of Iceland, and also taught at Tulane University in New Orleans. His translations of Njalʼs Saga (2001) was published by Penguin Books. He served on the editorial board for The Complete Sagas of Icelanders I–V (1997), and together with Mattias Tveitane edited Strengleikar.
Sigrún Davíðsdóttir is an Icelandic journalist and writer. She was the London correspondent for Icelandic National Broadcasting (RÚV) and has been nominated as RÚVʼs Reporter of the Year. She runs a blog called Icelog.
Dr. Matthew James Driscoll is a professor of the Department of Nordic Studies and Linguistics at the University of Copenhagen. He studied at the University of Iceland in Reykjavík, the University of Stirling in Scotland, and the University of Oxford from where he received his PhD. He has published numerous scholarly papers on Icelandic literature.
Dr. Ástráður Eysteinsson is a professor of Icelandic and Comparative Cultural Studies at the University of Iceland. He studied at the University of Iceland, the University of Warwick, the University of Cologne, and the University of Iowa from where he received his PhD. His is a former Dean of the School of Humanities at the University of Iceland.
Dr. Hólmfríður Garðarsdóttir is a professor of Spanish, and Latin American Literature and Cultures at the University of Iceland. She studied at the University of Iceland and the University of Texas at Austin. She is a former Head of the Faculty of Foreign Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics.
Nelson Gerrard is a Canadian historian and genealogist. He specializes in the Icelandic immigrant experience in North America. He is the author of Icelandic River Saga and The Icelandic Heritage, and he is the illustrator of Icelandic Settlers in America.
Dr. James Graham-Campbell is professor emeritus of medieval archaeology at University College London. He specialized in the Viking Age and taught at University College Dublin and the University of Aarhus. He studied at Trinity College at the University of Cambridge.
Dr. Finnbogi Gudmundsson was the first Chair of Icelandic at the University of Manitoba.
Kristjana Gunnars is an Icelandic-Canadian writer. She studied at Oregon State University, the University of Regina, and the University of Manitoba, and taught creative writing at the University of Alberta.
Sturla Gunnarsson is an Icelandic-Canadian film and television director and producer. He directed the film Beowulf & Grendel (2005) and won the Canadaʼs Top Ten Film Festival Peopleʼs Choice Award in 2015 for Monsoon.
Elsa Guðjónsson specializes in Icelandic wool and medieval embroidery. She wrote Traditional Icelandic Embroidery and Knitting with Icelandic Wool.
Ari Trausti Guðmundsson is an Icelandic geologist, author, and journalist. He studied at the University of Iceland and received his MA from the University of Olso. He has published many books on Icelandic nature, volcanology, environmental protection, and travel. Also, he was a candidate for the 2012 presidential elections of Iceland.
Böðvar Guðmundsson is a writer and studied Icelandic history, literature, and language history at the University of Iceland and The Christian Albrechts University in Kiel, Germany. He received his MA from The University of Iceland.
Dr. Ágúst Guðmundsson is an Icelandic film director and screenwriter. He studied at the National Film School in London and has created eight films and one mini-series. He maintains the position as Director of the Federation of Icelandic Artists.
Dr. Guðrún Björk Guðsteinsdóttir is an English professor at the University of Iceland from where she received her BA; she received her MA and PhD from the University of Alberta. She has published many scholarly papers and held various editorial positions. Her areas of interests include Canadian and American writers of Icelandic descent; and adaptation and translation of stories, fantasy, and folklore.
Þorvaldur Gylfason is a professor emeritus of economics at the University of Iceland. He studied the University of Manchester and Princeton University from where he received his PhD. He is a prolific writer and composer.
Christopher Hale was a professor emeritus at the University of Alberta. He studied at the College of William and Mary in Virginia and the University of Chicago. His academic research centered on Norwegian language and Scandinavian philology, literature, and culture. The king of Norway named him an officer of the Royal Norwegian Order of Merit.
Dr. Alaric Hall is a senior lecturer in the School of English at the University of Leeds. He is also Director of the Institute for Medieval Studies. He studied at Magdalene College at the University of Cambridge and the University of Glasgow from where he received his PhD.
Dr. Helga Hallgrímsdóttir is Deputy Provost and a professor at the University of Victoria. She studied at the University of Western Ontario and the University of Calgary. She was President of the University of Victoria’s Faculty Association and is Dean of the Faculty of Human and Social Development.
Dr. Gunnar Ólafur Hansson is an associate professor of the Department of Linguistics at the University of British Columbia and a faculty associate of the Peter Wall Institute of Advanced Studies. His primary field of research is theoretical phonology and the interfaces of phonology with other levels of linguistic structure. He studied at the University of Iceland and received his PhD from the University of California, Berkeley.
Egill Helgason is an Icelandic journalist and television presenter. He has worked on a few talk shows and a series called Siglufjörður, saga bæjar (Siglufjörður, the story of a town). He writes about politics, international affairs, literature, history, travel, and music.
Dr. Jón Karl Helgason is a professor at the University of Iceland. He studied at the University of Iceland and the University of Massachusetts from where he received his PhD. He was a producer at Icelandic National Broadcasting (RÚV), an administrator at The Reykjavík Academy, and an editor at Bjatur publishing house.
Bill Holm was an American poet and third-generation Icelandic immigrant. He studied at Gustavus Adolphus College and the University of Kansas, and was an English professor at Southwest Minnesota State University. The 1985 Plains Press edition of The Music of Failure is a topic in one of Viðar Hreinssonʼs 1994 guest Beck lectures at the University of Victoria.
Martin Holmes is the project programmer, working from the Humanities Computing and Media Centre at the University of Victoria.
Viðar Hreinsson is an independent literary scholar and environmental activist. He has written biographies, scholarly papers, and he was General Editor of The Complete Sagas of Icelanders I–V (1997). He received his MA from the University of Copenhagen and is the former Director of the Reykjavík Academy.
Hjördís Björk Hákonardóttir is an Icelandic lawyer and served as a judge of the Supreme Court of Iceland. She studied at the University of Iceland, the University of Oxford, and Rutgers University.
Dr. Sverris Hólmarssonar studied at the University of Edinburgh. He taught secondary school English and English literature; he was an Icelandic translator of poetry and novels; and he co-wrote the Concise Icelandic-English Dictionary alongside Chirstopher Sanders and John Tucker.
Guðrún Ingimundardóttir is a scholar, lecturer, composer, and the vice-principal of a music school. She received her PhD in music composition with a minor in ethnomusicology from the University of Arizona. She led the creation of Stemma - The Icelandic Traditional Music Association and in her spare time participates in the organization of Vaka.
Aðalstein Ingólfsson is an art historian and critic, a curator, a poet, and he lectures on art theory at the University of Iceland. He studied at the University of St. Andrews, Scotland, the Courtauld Institute of Art in London, and the University of Lund, Sweden. He is a prolific writer with hundreds of articles, numerous anthologies, over fifty exhibition catalogues, and over twenty books. He was chief curator of the National Gallery of Iceland.
Dr. Þorgerður Jennýjardóttir Einarsdóttir (known as Dr. Þorgerður Einarsdóttir during her visits to UVic) is a professor of Gender Studies at the University of Iceland. She studied at the University of Iceland and the University of Göteborg from where she received her PhD. She was a project lead at the Icelandic Technological Institute and a teacher at Breidholt College in Reykjavík.
Judith Jesch is a professor of Viking Age Studies at the University of Nottingham. She studied at Durham University and University College London. She is a fellow of three learned societies and is a former President of the English Place-Name Society.
Dr. Kristín Margrét Jóhannsdóttir is an assistant professor at the University of Akureyri. She studied at the University of Iceland and received her PhD from the University of British Columbia. She has taught at Menntaskólinn við Sund (a secondary school in Reykjavík), the University of Iceland, and is a former deputy manager of language services for the Vancouver Organizing Comittee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC).
Dr. Már Jónsson is a professor of history at the University of Iceland. He received his PhD from the Agricultural University of Iceland. His specialties include but are not limited to medieval and early modern legal history, Árni Magnússon, secular and ecclesiastical court records, incest, and infanticide.
Rósa Kristín Júlíusdóttir is an Icelandic artist. She studied at the Brera Art Academy in Milan, and completed her postgraduate studies in Finland. She is one of the founders of the Red House, an art gallery that was run in Akureyri in the 1980s.
Dr. Unnur Birna Karlsdóttir is Academic Director and a research scholar at the University of Iceland Research Centre in East Iceland. She studied at the University of Iceland.
Dr. Helgi Skúli Kjartansson is professor emeritus at the University of Iceland. He studied at the university of Iceland from where he received his BA, MA, teaching certificate, and PhD. He has a couple publications from 2020 and 2022 on education in Iceland.
Helga Kress is professor emerita of general literature at the University of Iceland; and she was the first woman to be a permanent instructor in the Philosophy Department. Helga is also a former president of the Philosophy Department and the first woman to be elected as Dean of the University of Iceland. She studied at the University of Iceland and the University of Bergen in Norway.
Dr. Keneva Kunz is an Icelandic translator. She received her PhD from the University of Copenhagen. She has her own translation company, Scriptorium, but has also worked with the Icelandic Ministry for Foreign Affairs. She is also the translator of The Saga of the People of Laxardal and Bolli Bollason’s Tale and The Vinland Sagas.
Brad Leithauser is an American poet, novelist, and teacher. He studied at Harvard College and Harvard Law School. He lectures at the Johns Hopkins Writing Seminars, and he is on the editorial board of the literary magazine The Common, based at Amherst College.
Dr. Anatoly Liberman is a professor of the Department of German, Nordic, Slavic & Dutch at the University of Minnesota. His course topics include Old Norse, Icelandic Saga, Old High German, Old Saxon, Middle Dutch, Scandinavian myths, and German medieval literature (among other topics on such literatures and languages).
Dr. John Lindow is an American philologist and professor emeritus at the University of California, Berkeley. He studied at Harvard University and specializes in the study of Old Norse religion and literature. He is a member of the American Folklore Society, the Medieval Academy of America, and the Society for the Advancement of Scandinavian Study.
Hannes Lárusson is an Icelandic artist. He studied at the Iceland School of Fine Arts and Handicrafts, the Vancouver School of Art, the University of Florence, and the Whitney Museum Independent Study Program in New York. He received his BA and a teaching certificate from the University of Iceland, his MFA from the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design.
Dr. Lars Lönnroth is a Swedish literary scholar and was a professor at the Universtiy of California, Berkeley, the University of Aalborg, and the University of Gothenburg.
Sigurður A. Magnússon was chairman of many societies and clubs, and was a writer, a journalist, and an editor.
Rory McTurk is professor emeritus of Icelandic Studies at the University of Leeds. He studied at the University of Oxford and the University of Iceland. He taught at Lund University, the University of Copenhagen, and University College Dublin.
Dr. William Ian Miller is a professor of law at the University of Michigan and an honorary professor at the University of St. Andrews.
Ragnheiður Mósesdóttir is an information specialist at Copenhagen University Library with a focus on the library of the Department of Nordic Studies and Linguistics. She is the administrator in the Department of Nordic Studies and Linguistics, and the Department of English, Germanic and Romance Studies.
Dr. Daisy Neijmann is a professor of the Department of Scandinavian Studies at University College London. She studied at the Free University of Amsterdam. Her research interests are primarily focussed on the area of contemporary Icelandic fiction and literary historiography.
Dr. Njörður P. Njarðvík is professor emiritus at the University of Iceland. He sat on the board and was the president of many societies and clubs.
Dr. Richard Perkins is a professor emeritus of Norse studies at University College London. He wrote Thor the Wind-raiser and the Eyrarland Image (2001) as well as other chapters, articles, and conference papers.
Dr. Russell Poole is a professor of English and Associate Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Humanities at the University of Western Ontario. His research focuses on Middle English and Old Icelandic language and literature. He has published many books, chapters, and articles on the subjects.
Dr. Gísli Pálsson is professor emeritus of anthropology at the University of Iceland and formerly taught at the University of Olso. He studied at the University of Iceland and the University of Manchester. He has been Chair of the Department of Anthropology and Director of the Institute of Anthropology.
Hermann Pálsson was an Icelandic language scholar and prolific translator. He was a professor of Icelandic at the University of Edinburgh and a contributor for the Encyclopædia Britannica.
Dr. Einar G. Pétursson is professor emeritus at the Árni Magnússon Institute for Icelandic Studies located on the campus of the University of Iceland. He studied at the University of Iceland and his writing specializes on the seventeenth century.
Ólafur Pétursson is a digital artist and developer. He received his BA in Graphic Design from the Icelandic College of Crafts and Arts and is currently the front-end lead developer at TripCreator. He has contributed to video game projects such as Godsrule, and two games for Nickelodeon Virtual Worlds Group.
Christopher Sanders was a writer and scholar. He co-wrote the Concise Icelandic-English Dictionary alongside Sverris Hólmarssonar and John Tucker.
Dr. Tom Shippey is a British medievalist and a retired scholar. He has many publications on the works of J. R. R. Tolkien. He studied at Queenʼs College at the University of Cambridge. He assisted the dialect coaches of Peter Jacksonʼs The Lord of the Rings film trilogy and was an expert medievalist for The Hobbit film trilogy.
Þorkell Sigurbjörnsson was a conductor and pianist, and the most prolific Icelandic composer.
Sturla Sigurjónsson is Icelandʼs Ambassador to Canada. He served in a variety of multilateral and bilateral positions abroad, as well as official positions in Iceland before becoming Ambassador.
Yrsa Sigurðardóttir is an Icelandic writer. She has written many crime fiction and childrenʼs fiction books as well as films such as I Remember You (2017) and Kuldi (2023).
Þórdís Alda Sigurðardóttir is an artist. She studied at the Art School in Reykjavík, the Iceland School of Fine Arts and Handicrafts, and the State Academy of Fine arts in Stuttgart, Germany. Þórdís Alda is a member of the Reykjavík Sculpture Association and the Union of Icelandic Visual Artists.
Sjón (Sigurjón) Birgir Sigurðsson is an Icelandic writer who won the Nordic Councilʼs Prize for his novel The Blue Fox and the Icelandic Literary Prize for the novel Moonstone – The Boy Who Never Was. His latest project was being a co-screenwriter for the Icelandic horror movie Lamb, which debuted in 2021 to critical acclaim and was Icelandʼs official submission to the Oscarʼs for the Best International Feature Film.
Dr. Þórir Sigurðsson is a lecturer at the University of Akureyri in the School of Health, Business, and Natural Sciences. He studied at Purdue University and Stockholm University, and he received his PhD from the University of Portsmouth.
Páll Stefánsson is an Icelandic photographer. He is a Sony Global Imaging Ambassador and has published thirty-seven books. He studied photography in Sweden.
Dr. Peter Stenberg was professor emeritus at the University of British Columbia. He was Head of the Department of German for twelve years. He was also very involved in the Scandinavian Studies Program.
Dr. Bjarki Sveinbjörnsson is an Icelandic musicologist and Director at Iceland Music History Museum. He studied in the USA as well as at Aalborg University from where he received his PhD in musicology. He has taught the Iceland Academy of the Arts. He was the music manager at RÚV and produced many programs on the history of Icelandic music.
Maureen Thomas is a dramatist, screenwriter, interactive story-architect, director, and professor at the Norwegian Film School. She was Advisor for the Icelandic film Outlaw: The Saga of Gísli Súrsson (1981). One of her more recent projects is the interactive game Queenʼs Game for which she serves as Project Leader an Senior Creative Practice Researcher in Interactive Narrativity.
Dr. John Tucker is professor emeritus of English at the University of Victoria. He studied at the University of Oxford and the University of Toronto. He was the founding Director of the Medieval Studies Program at the University of Victoria and served a term as Chair of the English Department.
Dr. Torfi Tulinius is a Professor of Medieval Icelandic Studies at the University of Iceland. Educated in France and Iceland, he taught French literature and literary theory in the early part of his career before specializing in medieval Icelandic literature. He has published three books and numerous articles and book chapters on the subject, as well as translations into French of two major sagas.
Dr. Richard Unger is a professor emeritus of the Department of History at the University of British Columbia. He studied at Haverford College, the University of Chicago, and Yale University. His research interests include medieval and Early Modern economic history, history of technology, energy consumption since 1300, and maritime history.
Dr. Natalie Van Deusen holds the inaugural Henry Cabot and Linnea Lodge Scandinavian Professorship in the Department of Modern Languages and Cultural Studies at the University of Alberta. She serves as Director of Undergraduate Programs and Program Advisor for Scandinavian, Norwegian, and Swedish. She is also adjunct professor of Religious Studies in the Department of History & Classics and Editor for Scandinavian-Canadian Studies / Études scandinaves au Canada.
Birgitta Linderoth Wallace is a Swedish-Canadian archeologist. She received her MA from Uppsala University and is best known for her work on the LʼAnse aux Meadows, a Norse site located in North America. She gave one of her guest lectures on this Norse site.
Dr. Andrew Wawn is professor emeritus of Anglo-Icelandic literature at the University of Leeds. He studied at the University of Birmingham from where he received his PhD. He wrote The Vikings and the Victorians: Inventing the Old North in Nineteenth-century Britain (2000).
Dr. Margaret Willson is an affiliate associate professor of the Department of Anthropology at the University of Washington. Her most recent book, Seawomen of Iceland: Survival on the Edge (2016) was a finalist for the 2017 Washington State Nonfiction Book of the Year. She has taught at various universities, worked in ethnographic film, and was International Director of an NGO for 16 years working for gender, racial and international equality.
Dr. Fred E. Woods studied at Brigham Young University and the University of Utah from where he received his PhD. The bulk of his publications deal with Mormon immigration to America in the nineteenth century. He also co-produced a film for his book Divine Providence: The Wreck and Rescue of the Julia Ann.
Dr. Vilhjálmur Árnason is professor emeritus of philosophy at the University of Iceland. In his research, he has primarily focused on the fields of ethics and existentialism, as well as social and political philosophy. Vilhjálmur has frequently directed his attention to bioethics and public health ethics and has published a lot of material related to these topics.
Fríður Ólafsdóttir is an associate professor at the University of Iceland and was the costume designer for the Icelandic film Dot Dot Comma Dash (1981).
Dr. Vésteinn Ólason is a former Director of the Árna Magnússon Institute for Icelandic Studies. He studied law at Laugarvatn College and received his PhD from the University of Iceland. He taught at the University of Copenhagen, the University of Olso, and the University of Iceland and has published numerous books including the Literary History of Iceland.
Árni Þórarinsson is an Icelandic author, journalist, and media personality. He has written several crime novels including Tími nornarinnar (2005) which was translated into English as Season of the Witch in 2012, and he has written two TV scripts. He has been on the board of the Reykjavík Film Festival and was the editor of Mannlif magazine.