Jón Thoroddsen is regarded as the father of the modern Icelandic novel. He studied at the school at Bessastaður and then went to Copenhagen to read law. He became the sýslumaður (sheriff/governer) of Barðaströnd in the West Fjords of Iceland. Jón was a talented poet, but is best known for his novels Piltur og stúlka (Boy and Girl), which was published in 1850, and Maður og kona (Man and Woman), published posthumously in 1876. Both are romantic love stories set in the Icelandic countryside.
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