Þórbergssetur at Hali in Suðursveit

Þórbergssetur opened on July 1, 2006, at the farm Hali in south-eastern Iceland. It was built in memory of the author Þórbergur Þórðarson (1888-1974), who was born at the site. The centre houses a restaurant, souvenir shop and two exhibition spaces.

One of the spaces is used for various exhibitions, while the other offers an retrospective of Þórbergur's life. With props and backdrops evoking impressions of past ages, it tells the story of Þórbergur's life, from his childhood years at Hali at the turn of the century, to his twilight years in postwar Reykjavík. While the exhibition provides an overview of an remarkable artistic career, it also tells the larger story of the changes wrought on Icelandic society by the twentieth century.

The guided tours through Þórbergssetur offer the following:

• An introduction to the Icelandic literary heritage, ancient literature and the Icelandic public's interest in reading. The northern wall of the building, shaped like book spines, symbolizes Iceland's most precious cultural heritage, literature.
• An introduction to local conditions in the area up until 1970, when the age of technology brought about the end of subsistence farming, and roads and bridges breached the area's isolation. Local culture is examined, as are the area's unique work practices, shaped by the isolation and harsh environment.
• An introduction to the life Þórbergur Þórðarson's, showing how 20^th century writers came of age in a cultural environment emphasizing ancient literature, poetry and the narrative tradition, and in which literacy was near-universal.
• An introduction to the individual works of Þórbergur Þórðarsson. The exhibition highlights the originality and rich vocabulary of Þórbergur. It also examines his famously lively nature description, some of which are inscribed on the windows of the museum's restaurant.
• A specific exhibition on the area's settlement and history. Although a thousand years had passed since the time of the Irish monks and the early settler Hrollaugur, their stories were still so alive in Þórbergur'sThórbergur's time it was as if they had just left the homestead of his grandfather's farm, Breiðabólsstadur.

Þórbergssetur is open all year round. Visits between September 15 and May 15 must be booked in advance. Þórbergssetur has two websites: www.thorbergssetur.is (English site available) and www.thorbergur.is (Icelandic only). For room and board at Hali see www.hali.is.