{"product_id":"herostories-9781646052288","title":"Herostories","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eHerostories\u003c\/i\u003e reveals tales untold by most history books: the harrowing journeys and vital triumphs of nineteenth - and twentieth century midwifery in the vast landscape of Iceland. \u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eComposed from the memoirs and biographies of 100 Icelandic midwives, poet-historian Kristíiacute;n Svava Tóoacute;masdóttir's found poems illuminate the dangers and valor of birthwork. Forgoing traditional sagas of androcentric conquest, these poems center the adventures of \u003ci\u003eljósm ður\u003c\/i\u003e, \"mothers of light.\" Tómasdóttir leverages epic elements-dashing mountain treks, rivers forded on horseback, unyielding compassion--to challenge how and by whom stories become legend. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe follow-up to Tómasdóttir and Thors' award-winning, PEN-nominated \u003ci\u003eStormwarning\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eHerostories\u003c\/i\u003e documents the professional achievements of Iceland's first women to work outside the home, precursors to today's midwives who remain central to contemporary health care on the island. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBeyond archival recognition, the text's formally ambitious poetics render gender-based battles for literacy and education alongside narratives of selfless womanly caretaking, pressurizing the fundamental tensions between feminine self-actualization and the romanticized service of these trailblazing figures.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eKristín Svava Tómasdóttir\u003c\/b\u003e is a poet and historian in Reykjavík, Iceland. She has published four books of poetry: \u003ci\u003eBlótgælur\u003c\/i\u003e (2007), \u003ci\u003eSkrælingjasýningin\u003c\/i\u003e (2011), \u003ci\u003eStormviðvörun\u003c\/i\u003e (2015) and \u003ci\u003eHetjusögur\u003c\/i\u003e (2020), the latest one being awarded the Icelandic Women´s Prize for Fiction. \u003ci\u003eStormviðvörun\u003c\/i\u003e was translated into English by K.B. Thors as \u003ci\u003eStormwarning\u003c\/i\u003e and published in a bilingual edition in the United States by Phoneme Media in 2018. For her translation, Thors won the American-Scandinavian Foundation's Leif and Inger Sjöberg Award and was longlisted for the PEN America Literary Award for translated poetry.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eK.B. Thors\u003c\/b\u003e is the author of \u003ci\u003eVulgar Mechanics\u003c\/i\u003e (Coach House Books, 2019) and translator of Soledad Marambio's \u003ci\u003eChintungo: The Story of Someone Else\u003c\/i\u003e (Ugly Duckling Presse, 2017and Kristín Svava Tómasdóttir's \u003ci\u003eStormwarning\u003c\/i\u003e (Phoneme, 2018), winner of the American Scandinavian Foundation's Leif and Inger Sjöberg Prize and nominee for the 2019 PEN Literary Award for Poetry in Translation.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Phoneme Media","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50496987431186,"sku":"9781646052288","price":12.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_d3ea954f-9ac6-47df-a775-cb2e5c61abab.jpg?v=1730704229","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/herostories-9781646052288","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}