Alþingi, the Icelandic Parliament, voted Thursday night to establish a cultural center in memory of Nobel laureate Halldór Laxness on the lot where the late writer’s house is located, RÚV reports. Minister of Education Illugi Gunnarsson will be in charge of launching the project, in cooperation with Mosfellsbær municipality. MP Ragnheiður Ríkharðsdóttir, former mayor of Mosfellsbær, presented the measure.
The purpose of the cultural center will be to honor the memory of Halldór Laxness, educate the public about his works, and emphasize that Mosfellsbær was his home town. The new building will also serve as a facility for research.
The measure was first introduced in Alþingi in October, on the 60th anniversary of Laxness’ being awarded the Nobel prize for literature. (Interestingly, he is probably the only Icelander to whom the nation most often refers by his last name.) A lot has already been provided for the building, which will include an annex to Gljúfrasteinn, the house he lived in for more than 50 years. His house has long been open to the public as a museum, unchanged since the writer lived there. Cultural activities have been limited by a lack of space in the house.
The new building may be funded in part by private donations.
