side by side with Romanticism, without, however, ousting it from the
literary scene. But owing to the realistic technique and the tragic
endings of much in the ancient literature--Eddaic poetry and sagas
alike--Realism was never the novel force it generally was felt to be
elsewhere. Still, it brought social criticism into our literature.
This was introduced through the activity of young literary-minded
students who, while studying at the University of Copenhagen, had
become full of enthusiasm for Georg Brandes and his school.

One of these young men was Einar H. Kvaran (1859-1938), a
clergyman's son from the North, who, after beginning as a student of
politics, soon turned his attention to literature and journalism. He
became editor of Icelandic newspapers in Canada (1885-95), and,
later, in Iceland, mainly in Reykjavík. His chief preoccupation,
however, became the composition of short stories and novels, and
besides these he also wrote some plays and poetry. The delicacy and
the religious bent of his nature could not for long remain the soil
for the satirical asperity and materialism of the realist school,
though his art was always marked by its technique. As he advanced in
years, brotherhood and forgiveness became an evergrowing element in
his idealism, and he became the first bearer of the spiritualist
message in this country. With his stories he had a humanizing
influence on his times, especially in the education of children, and
in the field of culture he remained actively interested right up to
a ripe old age. If somewhat lacking in creative fervour and
colourful raciness of style, he made up for it by the abundance of
his intelligence, his humanity and culture.

He wrote A Dry Spell (Ðurrkur) at the beginning of the present
century, when he had disengaged himself from the strongest influence