3.6.5 Faroese literature and language
Description
This article is from the Nordic countries FAQ, by Antti Lahelma and Johan Olofsson, with numerous contributions by others.
3.6.5 Faroese literature and language
The Faroese language resembles both Icelandic and Western Norwegian
dialects. It is almost mutually intelligible with other North Germanic
languages - at least in its written form. The written form of Faroese
was established in the 19th century by Venzel Hammershaimb and modeled
after Icelandic with almost the same alphabet. Written Faroese
apperared rather late and at a time when the language was under strong
pressure from Danish, which had become the established language for
the church and civil servants of the Faroes. But when written Faroese
was established, it meant a great boost for Faroese culture and
language. Today the Faroes have one of the highest number of books
published per capita. The best known authors are William Heinesen
(1900-1991) and Heðin Brú (alias Hans Jacob Jacobsen, 1901-1987).
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