Born 3Oth of July 1948 at Skinnastadur, Iceland. Baccalaureate from The Reykjavik College 1967.

Studied French in Toulouse and Paris 1967-1968. Studied literature and drama in the Institut d'Etudes Théâtrales, Sorbonne Paris 1968-1973 and from 1978-1982, obtaining maîtrise and D.E.A. degrees and also a diploma from the Conservatoire Libre du Cinéma Français.

Works as writer, director, translator, professor ( National Academy of Dramtic Art in Reykjavik and the University of Reykjavik ), television and cinema producer ; two full-length features: Á hjara veraldar (Rainbow's End) and Svo á jörðu sem á himni (As in heaven) by Kristín Jóhannesdóttir. As in heaven was selected in the Official Selection (Out of competition) in the Cannes Film Festival in 1992 and has since then won about twelve prizes in international film festivals (Mannheim, Brugge, Marseille, Sainte-Thérese Montreal etc..)

POETRY

Pálsson has published eight books of poetry in 1975, 198O, 1982, 1985, 199O, 1993, 1995. Translations into French, Swedish, English, Danish, German...
Nominated for the Nordic Council Prize for Literature ( the most important literary prize of the nordic countries) in 1993. Nominated for the Icelandic Literary Prize in 1995. Publication of selected poems in French in 1993; bilingual edition by the Editions de la Différence, coll.: Orphée "Poèmes des hommes et du sel". Translation by Professeur Régis Boyer, director of the Scandinavian Institute in the Sorbonne University.

THEATRE

Six theatre plays have been staged from 1975 to 199O. The last one, "Hotel Thingvellir" by the Municipal Theatre of Reykjavik. Pálsson has written the libretto " The Moonshine Island ". Music by Atli Heimir SVEINSSON. Concert performance in 1995.

STAGE AND TELEVISION DIRECTION

Pálsson has directed three TV films ( produced two of them), and several theatre plays and one opera ("Dido and Aeneas" by Purcell)

TRANSLATIONS

Fourteen titles translated from French into Icelandic. Works by Jean Genet, Arthur Adamov, Fernando Arrabal, Michel de Ghelderode, Georges Feydeau, Jean-Christophe Bailly, Yann Quéffelec, Jacques Prévert, Paul Éluard, Marc Augé, Régine Deforges, Jeanne Cordelier. Sigurdur PÁLSSON was President of the Alliance Française of Iceland from 1976 to 1977 and Chairman of the Writers' Union of Iceland from 1984 to 1988. He was awarded the three years Honorary Stipendium of the City of Reykjavik in 1987. He has several times been granted a Writer's Stipendium from the State of Iceland.

Pálsson was nominated Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in 1989 by the French Ministre de la Culture, Jack Lang.