Júlíana Jónsdóttir was an Icelandic poet, famous for being the first Icelandic woman to publish a book. She was born in Borgarfjörður in the west of Iceland in 1838. Júlíana was mostly brought up at the home of her maternal grandfather and his wife. After confirmation around 14 years old, she started working as a maid of all work both in Borgarfjörður and in Hrútafjörður in the North of Iceland. Despite being a working maid Júlíana started early to compose poetry. Documented poems from her twenties show that she was able to write poetry in letters about local events and characters, as well as about her loved ones and her own feelings, using mature meters (Guðrún P. Helgadóttir 21).
When Júlíana was 22 years old, she was hired to become a maid in Akureyjar, small
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Citation: Pálsson, Oddur. "Júlíana Jónsdóttir". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 13 November 2024 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=15198, accessed 21 November 2024.]