List of novels for adults, which were written in Faroese. The written form of the Faroese language is rather recent. The spelling rules, as devised by V.U. Hammershaimb, have been in use since the mid 19th century, but no novels were written in Faroese until the early 20th century. The first novel in Faroese was Bábelstornið by Regin í Líð, published in 1909. The well-known Faroese writers William Heinesen and Jørgen-Frantz Jacobsen wrote their novels in Danish, and therefore their novels are not on this list. They are considered, however, to be an important part of the Faroese literature, leaving linguistic considerations aside. Below is a list of Faroese novels which were written in Faroese and were published over a period of 100 years from 1909 to 2012. ("Skaldsøga" is the Faroese word for novel.)
Faroese is a North Germanic language spoken as a first language by about 69,000 Faroe Islanders, of which 21,000 reside mainly in Denmark and elsewhere.
Andreas William Heinesen was a poet, writer, composer and painter from the Faroe Islands.
Katrin Ottarsdóttir is a Faroese movie director and author.
Faroese literature, in the traditional sense of the word, has only really developed in the past two hundred years. This is mainly because of the islands' isolation, and also because the Faroese language was not written down in a standardised format until 1890. Until then the Danish language was encouraged at the expense of Faroese. Nevertheless, the Faroese language soon became a vehicle for literature in its own right and has produced writers in several genres.
Heðin Brú was the pen-name of Hans Jacob Jacobsen, a Faroese novelist and translator.
Christian Matras was a Faroese poet and academic. He was the founding professor of the University of the Faroe Islands. He is one of the most important poets in Faroese literature.
Jørgen-Frantz Jacobsen was a Faroese writer. He has a distinct place in Scandinavian literature, as he is the only Faroese writer to achieve international best-seller status. This status derives from his sole novel, Barbara: Roman, which has the added cachet of being one of the few Scandinavian novels to be translated twice into English within the space of fifty years. The novel was translated into five other languages shortly after the first edition in the Danish language. It was also adapted as a motion picture directed by Nils Malmros in 1997.
Jákup Dahl was a Faroese Provost and Bible translator. In 1908 he became known as a linguist with the first Faroese grammar lessons for school students.
Uni Jógvanson Arge is a Faroese journalist, writer, musician, singer and a former international football striker.
Jákup Pauli Gregoriussen was the leading architect of the Faroe Islands. He was also a graphic artist and author of publications about the Faroese church.
Jens Hendrik Oliver Djurhuus, called Janus Djurhuus, was the first modern Faroese poet. He and his younger brother Hans Andreas Djurhuus, also a poet, are called the Áarstova brothers after the house where they grew up.
Poul Frederik Joensen was a Faroese poet and writer.
Barnamentanarheiðursløn Tórshavnar býráðs is a Faroese cultural prize, which is given by the City Council of Tórshavn to a Faroese writer, artist, musician, orchestra etc. who the board wish to award for their artistic work with children. The prize was earlier called Barnabókaheiðursløn Tórshavnar býráðs, but in 2010 the rules were changed and the title of the award was changed; the word bók (book) was changed to mentan (culture) in order not to exclude people who are not writers, but still have done a great cultural work for Faroese children.
Sigri Mitra Gaïni is a Faroese poet, actress and school teacher.
Jógvan Isaksen is a Faroese writer and literary historian. He is best known for his crime novels and for his book about Faroese literature Færøsk Litteratur. He is leader of the Faroese publication house Mentunargrunnur Studentafelagsins which has its address in the Faroe Islands, though its committee is located in Copenhagen. It publishes Faroese books and is the oldest Faroese publishing house, having been founded in 1910.
Jens Pauli Heinesen was a Faroese writer. He received the Faroese Literature Prize four times and the Faroese Cultural Prize once. From 1968 to 1975, Heinesen was president of the Association of Writers of the Faroe Islands. He wrote novels, short stories, poems, plays, a children's book, and translated books from foreign languages into Faroese.
Ebba Hentze was a Faroese writer of children's books and a poet and translator.
Hans Andrias Djurhuus was a Faroese poet and teacher. Hans Andrias Djurhuus was one of the most productive Faroese poets. He is well known for his national poems and for his children's songs, but he also wrote psalms, short stories, plays, fairytales and one novel.
Rasmus Christoffer Effersøe was a Faroese agronomist, poet, and politician.