My name is Jan Alexander van Nahl, and I am a scholar specialized in medieval (Icelandic) literature and culture, the history of 20th-century (German) scholarship, and the digital humanities. This is my university blog where you can find up-to-date information on my academic activities. Scroll down for my most recent posts, have a look at the archives, or check out the categories above. Thanks for your interest!
Hugvísindaþing 2022: Hending og óvissa í fornsögunum
Breytingar og byltingar áttu sér stað í samfélagi, trúarbrögðum, vísindum og heimspeki allsstaðar í Evrópu fr.o.m. 12. öld. Bókmenntir á þjóðtungum hófust á sama tímabili í Mið- og Norður-Evrópu og óhætt er að segja að þróun þeirra sé tengd þeim breytingum. Staðan manneskjunnar í heiminum sýndist ekki lengur óbreytanleg, heldur voru nýir möguleikar fyrir hendi, en á sama tíma fólu þessar breytingar mikla óvissu í sér. Virðast bókmenntir hafa verið ein leið til að velta þeirri óvissu fyrir sér. Í málstofunni verður fjallað um mismunandi fornsögur í ljósi þeirrar áskorunar.
https://hugvisindathing.hi.is/malstofur/hending-og-ovissa-i-fornsogunum/
Public lecture: The Domestication of Uncertainty. A New Reading of the Old Norse Kings’ Sagas
March 10th, 4:30pm, Lögberg 101, everyone welcome!
I talk about core ideas in my newest book "Contingency and Chance in the Old Icelandic Kings’ Sagas" on occasion of this lecture in the Center for Medieval Studies at the University of Iceland. More information here.
On the radio: Mannlegi þátturinn
I speak with Þorgerður Ása Aðalsteinsdóttir about my current research on the role of darkness in the Sagas of Icelanders and in (medieval) Iceland; you can listen to it here.
On TV: Skemmtilegt spjall í "Saga & Samfélag" við Björn Jón
Samtal við Björn Jón Bragason um myrkur, konunga, miðaldirnar og sjálfan mig; þátturinn er hér.
Public lecture: Um hlutverk tilviljunar í norrænum konungasögum
(The role of chance in the Old Norse Kings' sagas)
New review: "Landscape, Tradition and Power in Medieval Iceland"
Review of: Chris Callow: Landscape, Tradition and Power in Medieval Iceland. Dalir and the Eyjafjörður region c. 870 – c. 1265. In: H-Soz-Kult, 04.02.2022, open access.
New publication: "A waste of effort"? Towards a Reassessment of the Old Norse Kings’ Sagas
Jan Alexander van Nahl 2021: »A waste of effort«? Towards a Reassessment of the Old Norse Kings’ Sagas (With a Comment on a ›Living Handbook of Old Norse Studies‹). In: Andreas Schmidt, Daniela Hahn (eds.): Unwanted Neglected Approaches, Characters, and Texts in Old Norse-Icelandic Saga Studies (Münchner Nordistische Studien 50). München, pp. 272-307. (open access)
Interview: Shedding light on darkness in the Icelandic sagas
New publication: "Nordisches Mittelalter und Ideologie(n)"
Review: Nicolas Meylan/Lukas Rösli (eds.): Old Norse Myths as Political Ideologies. Critical Studies in the Appropriation of Medieval Narratives.
open access
Public book discussion
New book
After seven years of reading, researching, and writing, my book on the role of contingency and chance in the Old Icelandic Kings' sagas has been published with de Gruyter!
Public book discussion
Talking about my latest book on Monday, 17 January 2022, at 4:30 PM (GMT). The discussion is open to the public and will be held online via Zoom: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/85771531243
Konungasögur sem mannfræðileg heimild
Út er komin bókin Kontingenz und Zufall in den altisländischen Königssagas eftir Jan Alexander van Nahl, dósent í íslenskum bókmenntum fyrri alda við Íslensku- og menningardeild Háskóla Íslands. Það er De Gruyter sem gefur bókina út.
Full Member of the Academy of Sciences and Letters in Agder, Norway
Opening lecture
