Guðjón Friðriksson named honorary citizen of Reykjavík
Mayor Heiða Björg Hilmisdóttir presented historian and author Guðjón Friðriksson with the title of honorary citizen during a formal ceremony today at Höfði.
Guðjón Friðriksson is the ninth person Reykjavík City has named an honorary citizen. With this title, Reykjavík City recognizes his invaluable contributions to history, culture, and the city itself.
Through the honorary citizen designation, Reykjavík City acknowledges and celebrates individuals whose profound impact has meaningfully shaped and improved the community.
Teacher, journalist, and author
Guðjón was born and raised in Reykjavík. He graduated from Menntaskólinn í Reykjavík, a junior college, in 1965 before earning a BA in history and Icelandic from the University of Iceland in 1970 and completing a diploma in pedagogy in 1971. After working as a teacher throughout the 1970s, he transitioned to journalism and spent nearly a decade at the newspaper Þjóðviljinn, including a stint as editor of its Sunday edition. In 1985, Reykjavík City appointed him editor of Saga Reykjavíkur, the history of Reykjavík, a role he held until 1991. He has worked as an independent author and historian ever since. This independent career has produced a substantial body of work spanning books, articles, essays, and programs for radio and television.
Making Reykjavík's history more accessible
Guðjón Friðriksson ranks among Iceland's leading historians and authors. He has remained a prominent figure in Icelandic cultural life for more than half a century, first as a journalist and later as the author of historical works that deepen public understanding of Reykjavík's history and Icelandic society. His work brings history to a general audience, bridging the gap between scholarly research and everyday life. Few individuals have done more to elevate Reykjavík's historical identity, and in recent years he has cultivated a dedicated social media presence to share the stories behind the city's buildings.
A distinguished career
His writing covers a broad swath of Icelandic history. Notable titles include the two-volume Saga Reykjavíkur, Bærinn vaknar (The Town Awakens), and biographies of Einar Benediktsson, Jón Sigurðsson, Hannes Hafstein, and Halldór Ásgrímsson. He has also written with distinctive insight about the history of Icelandic media, the cooperative movement, the municipal sewer system, the Port of Faxaflói, the Red Cross in Iceland, and, notably, the history of children in Reykjavík. Collectively, these works illuminate the development of Icelandic society.
He has received numerous honors for his writing and stands as one of Iceland's most recognized academic authors. He received the Icelandic Language Award from the Björn Jónsson Memorial Fund in 1985, the Visa Iceland Cultural Award in 2000, and has earned four Icelandic Literary Awards from seven nominations. Other honors include the Jón Sigurðsson Award, the Knight's Cross of the Icelandic Order of the Falcon, and the Jónas Hallgrímsson Award for exemplary service to the Icelandic language. In 2025, he was named an honorary member of the Historical Society of Iceland. Mayor Heiða Björg closed her remarks by noting the honor of bestowing a title he so richly deserves.
Congratulations to Guðjón Friðriksson, honorary citizen of Reykjavík City.
Honorary citizens of Reykjavík, 1961-2024
