Saroyan Celebration in Iceland Features Life and Works of the Noted Author

Ingibjorg Thorisdottir
Special to Hye Sharzhoom

William Saroyan’s works have been translated into many languages and his centennial is being widely celebrated around the world in 2008. Iceland is no exception. On this little island in the North Atlantic, populated by 300,000 inhabitants, some of Saroyan’s works have been translated into Icelandic.

The first translations are from the 1940s when Saroyan’s star shone the brightest. At least two Icelandic writers, Tómas Gudmundsson and Jónas Árnason, knew him personally even though he never visited the country.

The works that have been translated are The Human Comedy, My Name is Aram, and many of his short stories. Several plays have been translated as well and performed on national radio. The last translation of Saroyan’s work was Madness in the Family in 2004.
Saroyan’s centennial was celebrated by the Vigdís Finnbogadóttir’s Institute of Foreign Languages at the University of Iceland and the event was called “Armenian Culture Days.” It included a seminar about William

Saroyan and a viewing of the documentary film about the Armenian genocide De kaller meg mor by Magnus Swärd Jornheim. The film was shown at the Nordic House in Reykjavík with an introduction by Dr. Dickran Kouymjian, Berberian Professor Emeritus of Armenian Studies at Fresno State.

The seminar was held at the National Museum of Iceland in the heart of Reykjavík on Saturday, September 6. The main speaker on this event was Dr. Dickran Kouymjian who was invited specially to Reykjavík, along with his wife Angèle. Dr. Kouymjian talked about Saroyan’s life and works, including his dreams of film making. At the end of the seminar the audience saw the short film The Good Job by Saroyan.

Other speakers at this seminar were Ingibjorg Thorisdottir, who in a brief introduction talked about her experience with Armenians in Fresno and how she came to know about Saroyan’s work. A scene from Saroyan’s play Beautiful People was read and two Icelandic poets read from their translations. Gyrdir Eliasson read the short story, Old Country Advice to the American Traveller from his translation of My Name is Aram and Oskar Arni Oskarsson read his translation of the short story Snake which is found in a book of collected short stories translated by him. The seminar was well received by the audience and was followed by a reception for Dr. Kouymjian and his wife at the home of the former president of Iceland, Mrs. Vigdís Finnbogadóttir.