ABSTRACT
The autobiography of Guðrún Ketilsdóttir is by no means a conventional piece of writing, in any sense. The narrative is a written record of an oral account given by Guðrún, who was born in Iceland in the mid-18th century. Documents of this nature, in which a woman expresses herself with such openness and sincerity about her own life, are a rarity, and they can shed valuable light on the daily life of women in past times. Guðrún's story was probably written down around 1840, when she was 80 years old. When first published in print, it was said to have been written down by Sigfús Jónsson of Syðra-Laugaland, leader of the Öngulsstaðir district council, in north Iceland. Guðrún is said to have been a visitor in Sigfús's home and to have been asked to tell the story of her life; her host is said to have written down what she said, word for word. There is, however, no documentary proof of this. 1
