B i o g r a phy >
Born 1962 in Iceland, Sjón published his first collection of poetry at the tender age of fifteen.
He joined the surrealist/punk/dada/performance poetry group Medusa in 1979. During his stay with Medusa, 1980-1986, he published several volumes of poetry. Notably; "The Blind Man's Bicycle" - 1982, "OH! Isn't It Wild" - 1985. Sjón's first novel "Night Of Steel" was published in 1987. It is a futuristic story of the death of four teenagers in a Reykjavík of the never-ever. His second novel "Angel, Tophat, And Strawberries" published in 1989 tells a love story where death gains the upper hand in the end.
Sjón's third novel "Thyne Eyes Saw Me" tells the story of Leo Loew, a fugitive from the Terenzienstadt concentration camp, and a girl who's forced to nurse him before he's put on the ship that'll take him to a save haven. "Thyne Eyes Saw Me" was awarded the "DV Newspaper Prize" as the best Icelandic novel of 1994. That year Sjón also published his weird short story "Under The Wings Of The Valkyre". (It tells the story of an Icelandic boy's love affair with Gudrun Ensslin of Baader-Meinhof fame.)
Apart from writing novels and poetry Sjón's activities include the scripting of a TV drama "Everything's So Strange Without You Babe" and three full-length stage plays. He's also had three private art exhibitions.
Sjón wrote the lyrics to Bjork's hit-songs "Isobel", "Joga" and "Bachelorette". His last project with Bjork was the Danish film “Dancer in the dark”. He co-wrote all the lyrics with Director Lars Von Trier, and has been at the centre of media attention all over the world. Their work has been given recognition with nominations for the Brits, BAFTA, Golden Globes and the Oscars.
Sjón's screenplay "Regina" is in pre-production for a shooting in the summer 2001. His screenplay "Neutron" is to be directed by Fridrik Thor Fridriksson.
Sjón is currently working on the follow up to "Thyne Eyes Saw Me" to be published in the fall.