Orinoco River: Physiography of the Orinoco: Tributaries include the Guárico, Manapire, Suatá (Zuata), Pao, and Caris rivers, which enter on the left bank, and the Cuchivero and Caura rivers, which join the main stream on the right. So much sediment is carried by these rivers that islands often form at the mouths. The Caroní…

northern Mexican Indian: … of the southwestern Chihuahua; the Guarijío, a small group which borders the Tarahumara on the northwest and are closely related to them; the Yaqui, in the Río Yaqui valley of Sonora and in scattered colonies in towns of that state and in Arizona; and the Mayo of southern Sonora and…

Palenque, Indian tribe of northern Venezuela at the time of the Spanish conquest (16th century). The Palenque were closely related to the neighbouring Cumanagoto (q.v.); their language probably belonged to the Arawakan family. They were a tropical-forest people known to eat human flesh, to be

Battista Guarini was a Renaissance court poet who, with Torquato Tasso, is credited with establishing the form of a new literary genre, the pastoral drama. Guarini, having studied, perhaps at Padua, before he was 20 became professor of rhetoric in Ferrara. In 1567 he entered the service of Alfonso

Guarino Guarini was an Italian architect, priest, mathematician, and theologian whose designs and books on architecture made him a major source for later Baroque architects in central Europe and northern Italy. Guarini was in Rome during 1639–47, when Francesco Borromini was most active. Later he

Battista Guarini was a Renaissance court poet who, with Torquato Tasso, is credited with establishing the form of a new literary genre, the pastoral drama. Guarini, having studied, perhaps at Padua, before he was 20 became professor of rhetoric in Ferrara. In 1567 he entered the service of Alfonso

Guarino Guarini was an Italian architect, priest, mathematician, and theologian whose designs and books on architecture made him a major source for later Baroque architects in central Europe and northern Italy. Guarini was in Rome during 1639–47, when Francesco Borromini was most active. Later he

Guarino Veronese was an Italian humanist and Classical scholar, one of the pioneers of Greek studies in Renaissance western Europe and foremost teacher of humanistic scholars. Following studies in Italy and the establishment of his first school in Verona in the 1390s, Guarino studied at

Guarino Veronese was an Italian humanist and Classical scholar, one of the pioneers of Greek studies in Renaissance western Europe and foremost teacher of humanistic scholars. Following studies in Italy and the establishment of his first school in Verona in the 1390s, Guarino studied at

Guarino Veronese was an Italian humanist and Classical scholar, one of the pioneers of Greek studies in Renaissance western Europe and foremost teacher of humanistic scholars. Following studies in Italy and the establishment of his first school in Verona in the 1390s, Guarino studied at

Guarino Veronese was an Italian humanist and Classical scholar, one of the pioneers of Greek studies in Renaissance western Europe and foremost teacher of humanistic scholars. Following studies in Italy and the establishment of his first school in Verona in the 1390s, Guarino studied at

Battista Guarino was an Italian Renaissance scholar who left an account of contemporary goals and techniques of proper education. He was the son of Guarino Veronese. Appointed professor of rhetoric at Bologna at the age of 21, Battista succeeded his father at the school in Ferrara upon his father’s

Guarneri Family, celebrated family of violin makers of Cremona, Italy. The first was Andrea (c. 1626–98), who worked with Stradivari in the workshop of Nicolò Amati (son of Girolamo). His son Giuseppe (1666–c. 1739) at first made instruments like his father’s but later made them in a style of his

Guarneri Family: …was a nephew of Andrea, Giuseppe, known as “Giuseppe del Gesù” (1698–1745), whose title originates in the “I.H.S.” inscribed on his labels. He was much influenced by the works of the earlier Brescian school, particularly those of G.P. Maggini, whom he followed in the boldness of outline and the massive…

Guarneri Family: Another son of Andrea, Pietro Giovanni (1655–c. 1728), moved from Cremona to Mantua, where he made violins that varied considerably from those of the other Guarneris. George Hart (1839–91) of the firm of London violin makers Hart & Sons pointed out that the breadth between the sound holes in…

Irnerius was one of the scholars who revived Roman legal studies in Italy and the first of a long series of noted legal glossators and teachers of law (late 11th–middle 13th century) at the University of Bologna. Originally a teacher of the liberal arts, Irnerius studied law in Rome at the

Guarneri Family, celebrated family of violin makers of Cremona, Italy. The first was Andrea (c. 1626–98), who worked with Stradivari in the workshop of Nicolò Amati (son of Girolamo). His son Giuseppe (1666–c. 1739) at first made instruments like his father’s but later made them in a style of his

Visigothic art: …and crosses known as the treasure of Guarrazar, owes nothing to the Germanic artistic traditions. Instead, plant and animal motifs from the Mediterranean and Eastern traditions are used.

South American forest Indian: Belief and aesthetic systems: …tribes of certain areas: the Guartegaya and Amniapé (Amniepe) of the upper Madeira, the tribes of the upper Xingu, the Karajá and the Tapirapé of the Araguáia River area, some Ge of central Brazil, and the Guaraní of southern Bolivia. The masks represent the spirits of plants, fish, and other…

Guarujá, city, southeastern São Paulo estado (state), Brazil, on the Atlantic coast of Santo Amaro Island. Although it contains shipyards, Guarujá is known primarily as a beach resort. Hotels and other attractions, there and at adjacent Praia Pernambuco, cater to visitors from inland Brazil. It is

Guarulhos, city, southeastern São Paulo estado (state), Brazil, on the Tietê River at 2,493 feet (760 metres) above sea level; it forms part of the greater São Paulo metropolitan area. Founded in 1560 and formerly called Nossa Senhora da Conceição dos Guarulhos, it was made the seat of a

Juan Guas was an architect, the central figure of the group of Spanish architects who developed the Isabelline (q.v.) style, a combination of medieval structure, Mudéjar (Spanish Muslim) ornament, and Italian spatial design. Considered the finest architect of late 15th-century Spain, he originated

Suwannee River, river, rising in the Okefenokee Swamp, southeastern Georgia, U.S., and meandering generally south-southwestward across northern Florida to enter the Gulf of Mexico at Suwannee Sound after a course of 250 miles (400 km). All but 35 miles (56 km) of the river’s course are in Florida.

Gaspard Dughet was a landscape painter of the Baroque period known for his topographic views of the Roman Campagna. He worked chiefly in Rome and its vicinity throughout his life, but, because his father was French, it is usual to class him among the French school. Dughet’s sister married Nicolas

Guastalla, town, Emilia-Romagna region, northern Italy, in the Po Valley, northeast of Parma. It was probably founded in the 7th century by the Lombards. In the 15th century it became the seat of a county that was granted to a branch of the Gonzaga family in 1539 and made a duchy in 1621. In 1746

Guatemala City, capital of Guatemala, the largest city in Central America, and the political, social, cultural, and economic center of Guatemala. Lying in a valley of the central highlands at an elevation of 4,897 feet (1,493 meters) above sea level, it has a temperate and invigorating mountain

Guatemala, country of Central America. The dominance of an Indigenous culture within its interior uplands distinguishes Guatemala from its Central American neighbours. The origin of the name Guatemala is Indigenous, but its derivation and meaning are undetermined. Some hold that the original form

Guatemala City, capital of Guatemala, the largest city in Central America, and the political, social, cultural, and economic center of Guatemala. Lying in a valley of the central highlands at an elevation of 4,897 feet (1,493 meters) above sea level, it has a temperate and invigorating mountain

Guatemala syphilis experiment, American medical research project that lasted from 1946 to 1948 and is known for its unethical experimentation on vulnerable human populations in Guatemala. The intent of the study was to test the value of different medications, including the antibiotic penicillin and

vertically striped blue-white-blue national flag; when used for official purposes, it incorporates the national coat of arms in the centre. The flag has a width-to-length ratio of 5 to 8.Following brief rule by Mexico (1821–23), the Central American provinces united in a federation, but by 1840

history of Guatemala, a survey of important events and people in the history of Guatemala from the time of European settlement. Bounded to the north and west by Mexico, to the northeast by Belize and the Gulf of Honduras, to the east by Honduras, to the southeast by El Salvador, and to the south by

Guatemala, country of Central America. The dominance of an Indigenous culture within its interior uplands distinguishes Guatemala from its Central American neighbours. The origin of the name Guatemala is Indigenous, but its derivation and meaning are undetermined. Some hold that the original form

Guatemala, country of Central America. The dominance of an Indigenous culture within its interior uplands distinguishes Guatemala from its Central American neighbours. The origin of the name Guatemala is Indigenous, but its derivation and meaning are undetermined. Some hold that the original form

Guatemala City: …the principal faculties of the San Carlos University of Guatemala (established 1676 in Antigua Guatemala); the major institutions for artistic, commercial, vocational, and military education; the Society of Geography and History; and several important museums. Public buildings of note include the National Palace, the post office, police headquarters, the National…

avocado: Major types: americana, variety americana), and Guatemalan (P. americana, variety guatemalensis) races, with more than 1,000 cultivars between them. The Mexican race is native to Mexico and is characterized by the anise-like odour of the leaves and by small (weighing 90–240 grams [3–8 ounces]), thin-skinned fruits of rich flavour and excellent…

Guatemala: Civil war years: …in the formation of the Guatemalan National Revolutionary Unity (Unidad Revolucionario Nacional Guatemalteco; URNG). A series of attempted military coups were put down by the defense minister, Gen. Héctor Alejandro Gramajo. Labour and peasant unrest also increased during the Cerezo presidency. Some painful economic progress was made, but the insurgency…

trogon: …(or Guatemalan) quetzal, also called resplendent trogon (Pharomachrus mocinno), which is about 125 cm (50 inches) long. The graduated tail, of 12 feathers, is carried closed (square-tipped) and typically has a black-and-white pattern on the underside (as in cuckoos). The wings are rounded, legs short, feet weak. Uniquely, the second…

Cuauhtémoc was the 11th and last Aztec emperor, nephew and son-in-law of Montezuma II. Cuauhtémoc became emperor in 1520 on the death of Montezuma’s successor, Cuitláhuac. Hernán Cortés, with powerful Indian allies, was then marching on Tenochtitlán, the Aztec capital. Cuauhtémoc’s frontier forces

Guató, Indians of the lowlands and marshes of the upper Paraguay River (along the modern-day border between Brazil and Bolivia). Traditionally, the Guató were riverine nomads who spent much of their lives in dugout canoes. Subsistence was based on fishing, hunting aquatic mammals, and collecting

Pierre-Félix Guattari was a French psychiatrist and philosopher and a leader of the antipsychiatry movement of the 1960s and ’70s, which challenged established thought in psychoanalysis, philosophy, and sociology. Trained as a psychoanalyst, Guattari worked during the 1950s at La Borde, a clinic

Magnoliales: Timber: Guatteria boyacana (solera, or Colombian lancewood) has most of the same properties and uses, though it is not as well known in the timber trade. Enantia chlorantha (African whitewood), a yellowwood from Liberia, Ivory Coast, and Cameroon, produces a sulfurous yellow dye; the wood also is used…

lancewood: The black lancewood, or carisiri, of the Guianas, Guatteria virgata, grows to a height of about 50 feet (15 m) and has a remarkably slender trunk that is seldom more than 8 inches (20 cm) in diameter. The yellow lancewood tree (Duguetia quitarensis), or yari-yari, of…

guava, (Psidium guajava), small tropical tree or shrub of the family Myrtaceae, cultivated for its edible fruits. Guava trees are native to tropical America and are grown in tropical and subtropical areas worldwide. Guava fruits are processed into jams, jellies, and preserves and are common pastry

Rihanna: Other activities: acting and Fenty Beauty: …Donald Glover in the musical Guava Island; it premiered at the Coachella Valley Festival before streaming on Amazon.

feijoa, (Acca sellowiana), small evergreen tree of the myrtle family (Myrtaceae), related to the guava. It is native to southern Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, and parts of Argentina and is cultivated in mild dry climates for its sweet fruit. The feijoa was introduced into southern Europe in 1890 and

Guaviare, departamento, southeastern Colombia. Guaviare lies in an area of tropical, semideciduous rainforest merging into the Llanos (grassland plains) on the north. It is bounded on the north by the Guaviare River; on the east by the highlands of the mesas (tablelands) Cubiyú and Carurú; on the

Guaviare River, river, central and eastern Colombia, a major tributary of the Orinoco River. Initially known as the Guayabero River, it is formed in southwestern Meta departamento by the junction of the Tagua and the Duda rivers, which descend from the Andean Cordillera Oriental. As it flows

Guaviare River, river, central and eastern Colombia, a major tributary of the Orinoco River. Initially known as the Guayabero River, it is formed in southwestern Meta departamento by the junction of the Tagua and the Duda rivers, which descend from the Andean Cordillera Oriental. As it flows

Ciboney: …Ciboney of Cuba, called variously Cayo Redondo or Guayabo Blanco, was based on shell, while that of the Haitian Ciboney was based on stone. The typical artifact of Cayo Redondo was a roughly triangular shell gouge made from the lip of a Strombus shell, a tool also quite common in…

Aché, nomadic South American Indian people living in eastern Paraguay. The Aché speak a Tupian dialect of the Tupi-Guaranian language family. They live in the densely forested, hilly region between the Paraguay and Paraná rivers. In pre-Spanish times, the Aché lived a more settled, agricultural

Aché, nomadic South American Indian people living in eastern Paraguay. The Aché speak a Tupian dialect of the Tupi-Guaranian language family. They live in the densely forested, hilly region between the Paraguay and Paraná rivers. In pre-Spanish times, the Aché lived a more settled, agricultural

Guayama, town, southeastern Puerto Rico. It is situated on the divide between the Sierra de Cayey and the dry southern coastal plain. The town was founded in 1736 as San Antonio de Padua de Guayama. It produces clothing, furniture, and lenses. Chief crops of the surrounding area include tobacco,

Ciudad Guayana, city and industrial port complex, northeastern Bolívar estado (state), Venezuela, at the confluence of the Caroní and Orinoco rivers in the Guiana Highlands. Taking its name from the Guiana (Guayana) region, the traditional designation of Bolívar state, it was founded by the state

Guiana Highlands, plateau and low-mountain region of South America located north of the Amazon and south of the Orinoco River. Comprising a heavily forested plateau, they cover the southern half of Venezuela, all of the Guianas except for the low Atlantic coastal plain, the northern part of Brazil,

Orinoco River: Physiography of the Orinoco: …the Colombian Llanos, and the Guayapo, Sipapo, Autana, and Cuao rivers from the Guiana Highlands.

Guayaquil, largest city and chief port of Ecuador. It is situated on the west bank of the Guayas River, 45 miles (72 km) upstream from the Gulf of Guayaquil of the Pacific Ocean. The original Spanish settlement was founded in the 1530s at the mouth of the Babahoyo River, just east of the present

Guayaquil Conference, (July 26–27, 1822), meeting between Simón Bolívar and José de San Martín, leaders of the South American movement for independence from Spain. Late in 1821, when San Martín’s campaign for the liberation of Peru was faltering, he wrote to Bolívar, whose army was then in

Guayas River, river system of the coastal lowlands of Ecuador. Its eastern tributaries rise on the western slopes of the Andes and descend to drain the wet lowlands. Official usage as to how much of the system should be called the Guayas River differs; the name is certainly applied to the unified

Mbayá, South American Indians of the Argentine, Paraguayan, and Brazilian Chaco, speakers of a Guaycuruan language. At their peak of expansion, they lived throughout the area between the Bermejo and Pilcomayo rivers in the eastern Chaco. At one time nomadic hunters and gatherers, the Mbayá became

Guaycuruan languages, group of Guaycurú-Charruan languages spoken in Brazil, Argentina, and Paraguay. Of the Guaycuruan tribes, formerly inhabiting the Gran Chaco, the best known include the Abipón (Callaga), Caduveo (also called Mbayá and Guaycurú), Mocoví (Mocobí), Payaguá (Lengua), Pilagá, and

Villa Nueva, suburb east of the city of Mendoza, in north Mendoza provincia (province), western Argentina. It lies in the intensively irrigated Mendoza River valley, at the base of the Andes Mountains fronting on the west. It is both an agricultural centre, producing wine grapes, peaches, apples,

Guaymas, city and port, southwestern Sonora estado (state), Mexico. Located on a bay of the Gulf of California, it lies at an elevation of 13 feet (4 metres) above sea level and is surrounded by mountains. The city was established in 1769, and in the 19th century its port became one of the most

Guaymí, Central American Indians of western Panama, divisible into two main groups, the Northern Guaymí and the Southern Guaymí. The Guaymí language is one of the Chibchan group. The Northern Guaymí live in a tropical forest environment in which hunting and gathering of wild foods are nearly as

Guaymí: The Guaymí language is one of the Chibchan group. The Northern Guaymí live in a tropical forest environment in which hunting and gathering of wild foods are nearly as important as agriculture. The Southern Guaymí also gather wild plants but are more heavily dependent on agriculture.…

Guaynabo, town, northeastern Puerto Rico. It is part of the metropolitan area of San Juan, lying south-southwest of the city. Founded in 1769, the town is primarily a commercial centre. The ruins of Caparra, the first Spanish settlement on Puerto Rico (1508), including the remains of the residence

guayule, (Parthenium argentatum), rubber-containing desert shrub of the family Asteraceae, native to the north-central plateau of Mexico and the Big Bend area of Texas. It has small white flowers and narrow silvery leaves that alternate along the stem. Prehistoric Indians are believed to have

Xinkan languages: Guatemala: Chiquimulilla Xinka, Guazacapán Xinka, Jumaytepeque Xinka, and Yupiltepeque Xinka. Extinct and poorly attested Jutiapa Xinka may have been a dialect of Yupiltepeque Xinka or possibly an additional distinct language. Chiquimulilla Xinka and Yupiltepeque Xinka are extinct. The last speaker of Chiquimulilla Xinka died in the late 1970s.…

Sofia Gubaidulina was a Russian composer whose works fuse Russian and Central Asian regional styles with the Western classical tradition. During her youth, Gubaidulina studied music in the city of Kazan, the capital of her home republic. She had lessons at the Kazan Music Academy from 1946 to 1949,

Guban, coastal plain, northwestern Somalia, running parallel to the Gulf of Aden for about 150 miles (240 km) between Seylac (Zeila) in the west and Berbera in the east. The Guban (“burned”) plain narrows gradually from 35 miles (56 km) in the west to about 4 miles (6 km) in the east. Sandy and

Islamic arts: The modern period: Muḥammad al-Gubanshi.

Vladimír Remek: …cosmonaut along with Soviet cosmonaut Aleksey Gubarev. The crew docked with the Salyut 6 space station, where the cosmonauts conducted scientific research and experiments. After nearly eight days in space, Remek and Gubarev returned to Earth on March 10.

Gubbio, town, Umbria regione of central Italy, lying at the foot of Mount Ingino, just northeast of Perugia. Gubbio (medieval Eugubium) grew up on the ruins of Iguvium, an ancient Umbrian town that later became an ally of Rome and a Roman municipium; the Roman theatre is the chief relic of the

Beijing: City site: …being Juyong (northwest of Beijing), Gubei (northeast), and Shanhai (east in Hebei, on the Bo Hai)—and are so situated that all roads leading from Mongolia and the Northeast to the North China Plain are bound to converge on Beijing. For centuries, therefore, Beijing was an important terminus of the caravan…

Russia: Government administration under Catherine: Each of these units (guberniya) was put under the supervision and responsibility of a governor or governor-general acting in the name of the ruler, with the right of direct communication with him. A governor’s chancery was set up along functional lines (paralleling the system of colleges) and subordinated to…

Gubkin, city, Belgorod oblast (region), Russia. It was founded in the 1930s in connection with the development of the Kursk Magnetic Anomaly (KMA), one of the largest iron-ore mining basins in Russia. Gubkin is still an important iron-ore mining centre, with most of its ore mined by open-pit

Byblos, ancient seaport, the site of which is located on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea about 20 miles (30 km) north of the modern city of Beirut, Lebanon. It is one of the oldest continuously inhabited towns in the world. The name Byblos is Greek; papyrus received its early Greek name (byblos,

Gucci, luxury fashion house based in Florence. Founded in 1921 by Guccio Gucci, the company began as a leather goods and luggage retailer before rapidly expanding under the direction of Gucci’s sons. The company went public in 1995 after a long and dramatic period of family infighting and is now

Aleksandr Ivanovich Guchkov was a statesman and leader of the moderate liberal political movement in Russia between 1905 and 1917. The son of a wealthy Moscow merchant, Guchkov studied at the universities of Moscow and Berlin, traveled widely, fought against the British in the South African (Boer)

Gudbrands Valley, valley, south-central Norway. Comprising the valley of the Lågen (river), it extends for about 100 miles (160 km) from the famed Dovre Mountains and Lake Lesjaskogen on the north to Lake Mjøsa on the south and is flanked on the west by the Jotunheim Mountains and on the east by

Gudbrandur Thorláksson: …important of which was the Gudbrandsbiblia, a complete Bible in Icelandic, using Oddur Gottskálksson’s New Testament. Much of the Old Testament he translated himself, and the work, published in 1584, adorned with woodcuts and ornamented initials, was a monument of literature and craftsmanship. Copies commanded the price of two or…

Gudbrands Valley, valley, south-central Norway. Comprising the valley of the Lågen (river), it extends for about 100 miles (160 km) from the famed Dovre Mountains and Lake Lesjaskogen on the north to Lake Mjøsa on the south and is flanked on the west by the Jotunheim Mountains and on the east by

Lågen, river, south-central Norway. The name Lågen is applied to the portion of the river in Oppland fylke (county); it rises in small lakes and streams in the Dovre Plateau at the northern end of Gudbrands Valley and flows southeast for 122 miles (199 km) through Gudbrands Valley to Lake Mjøsa at

Indus River: Irrigation of the Indus River: The Guddu Barrage is just inside the Sindh border and is some 4,450 feet (1,356 meters) long; it irrigates cultivated land in the region of Sukkur, Jacobabad, and parts of Larkana and Kalat districts. The project has greatly increased the cultivation of rice, but cotton also…

Mesopotamian art and architecture: Sculpture: …and, under its famous governor Gudea, to have successfully maintained the continuity of the Mesopotamian cultural tradition. In particular, the sculpture dating from this short interregnum (c. 2100 bce) seems to represent some sort of posthumous flowering of Sumerian genius. The well-known group of statues of the governor and other…

Denmark: Drainage: …river in Denmark is the Gudenå. It flows a distance of 98 miles (158 km) from its source just northwest of Tørring, in east-central Jutland, through the Silkeborg Lakes (Silkeborg Langsø) and then northeast to empty in the Randers Fjord on the east coast. There are many small lakes; the…

Heinz Guderian was a German general and tank expert, who became one of the principal architects of armoured warfare and the blitzkrieg between World Wars I and II and who contributed decisively to Germany’s victories in Poland, France, and the Soviet Union early in World War II. After serving

Heinz Guderian was a German general and tank expert, who became one of the principal architects of armoured warfare and the blitzkrieg between World Wars I and II and who contributed decisively to Germany’s victories in Poland, France, and the Soviet Union early in World War II. After serving

Godfrey was a king in Denmark who halted the northward extension of Charlemagne’s empire. He may have ruled over all Denmark, but his centre of power was in the extreme south of Jutland. There, Hedeby became an important station on the new Frankish trade route to the Muslim states of the East via

gudgeon, (species Gobio gobio), common small fish of the carp family, Cyprinidae, found in clear, fresh waters of Europe and northern Asia. A grayish or greenish fish, the gudgeon has a barbel at each corner of its mouth and a row of blackish spots along each side. Rarely exceeding a length of 20

South Asian arts: Medieval temple architecture: North Indian style: …of two broad types: the gūḍhamaṇḍapas, which are enclosed by walls, light and air let in through windows or doors; and open halls, which are provided with balustrades rather than walls and are consequently lighter and airier. The sanctum almost invariably, and the maṇḍapas generally, have śikharas; those on the…

Hindu temple, sacred space in Hinduism for devotional worship of Hindu deities. Temples are considered to be homes for deities and powerful locations where the divine and human realms are bridged. Unlike in places of worship in many Western religions, attendance at a Hindu temple is not a ritual

Ugadi, Hindu festival celebrating the new year in the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and Karnataka. In Maharashtra and Goa states it is known as Gudi Padwa. Ugadi is celebrated on the first day of the Hindu month of Chaitra (March–April) following the South Indian Amavasyant calendar,

Western sculpture: Latin America: …and his nephew Zacarias, and Gudiño of Querétaro. Many were both sculptors and architects, a necessity of the times. In the 18th century considerable artistic stimulus was provided by the Spanish-born Neoclassicist Manuel Tolsa, first director of the Academy in Mexico City, first to produce an equestrian statue in the…

Halldór Laxness was an Icelandic novelist who was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1955. He is considered the most creative Icelandic writer of the 20th century. Laxness spent most of his youth on the family farm. At age 17 he traveled to Europe, where he spent several years and, in the

Björk is an Icelandic singer-songwriter and actress best known for her solo work covering a wide variety of music styles. Integrating electronic and organic sounds, her music frequently explored the relationship between nature and technology. Björk recorded her first solo album, a collection of

Kristmann Gudmundsson was an Icelandic novelist who gained an international reputation with his many works of romantic fiction, several of which were written in Norwegian. Gudmundsson was born out of wedlock to a country girl who left him in the care of her impoverished family. At age 13 he ran

Tómas Gudmundsson was a poet best known for introducing Reykjavík as a subject in Icelandic poetry. His poetic language is characterized by Neoromantic expressions and colloquial realism. Gudmundsson, who was born in the countryside, graduated in law from the University of Iceland in Reykjavík and

Gudmundur G. Hagalín was an Icelandic novelist, short-story writer, and essayist. His works constitute a social history of Iceland from World War I to the post-World War II period. Hagalín was born in northwestern Iceland, where men live by fishing in wild weather and farming the half-barren land.

Gudmundur Kamban was one of Iceland’s most important 20th-century dramatists and novelists. His work, which is anchored in a deep historical awareness, frequently criticized modern Western values and spoke in favour of compassion and understanding. He wrote his works in both the Icelandic and

Albrecht Rodenbach: …wrote a grandiose verse play, Gudrun, which was published posthumously in 1882. Rodenbach’s militant poems and songs were taken up with enthusiasm by the Roman Catholic Flemish youth movement in the 1880s. His collected works (Verzamelde werken), edited by F. Baur, were published in three volumes from 1956 to 1960.