Poet and entrepreneur, born near Reykjavík, Iceland. He studied law at Copenhagen and became a country magistrate in Iceland. A fervent nationalist, he became convinced that only foreign investment could bring prosperity to Iceland. He devoted many years to touring Europe seeking capital (unsuccessfully) for his ambitious industrial schemes to exploit Iceland's natural resources of hydro power and fishing. He published five volumes of ornate poetry that harked back to the skaldic tradition.
Einar Benediktsson (1864–1940) was an Icelandic poet and lawyer.
Einar Benediktsson's poetry was a significant contribution in the nationlistic revival leading to Iceland's independence. To this end, he was active both in establishing Landvarnarflokkurinn in 1902 and as the editor of Iceland's first daily newspaper, Dagskrá, from 1896 to 1898.
His translations included English and American poetry and a masterpiece in rendering Henrik Ibsen's epic, Peer Gynt, into Icelandic. He has descendants living today in Iceland, other European countries, and the United States, most notably including former ambassador and namesake Einar Benediktsson. 1906: Hafblik, poems 1913: Hrannir, poems 1921: Vogar, poems 1930: Hvammar, poems
(See Í.A.
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