Historical Timeline

Birth of explorer and ethnologist Knud Rasmussen in Jakobshavn (Greenland) in 1879.

Birth in Manermiut (Greenland) in 1883 of the pastor, writer and politician Mathias Storch.

Birth of the poet, novelist and politician Augo Lynge in Qeqertarsuatsiaat in Greenland.

Publication of Singnagtugaq by Mathias Storch, first novel of Greenlandic literature. The novel has been translated into Danish (1915), French (2016) and English (2016).

Publication of the Danish translation of Singnagtugaq by Mathias Storch, En Grønlænders drøm. It isfirst novel of Greenlandic literature. The novel has also been translated into French (2016) and English (2016).

Birth of author, historian, teacher, translator, school principal and judge Christian Berthelsen in Nuuk (Greenland) in 1916.

Birth of author, translator, ethnologist and journalist Mâliâraq Vebæk on April 20th, 1917 in Frederiksdal (now Narsarmijit) (Greenland).

Birth of writer, visual artist, reindeer herder, director and museum curator Jens Rosing in Jakobshavn (today’s Ilulissat, Greenland) in 1925.

Publication of the novel Ukiut 300-nngornerat by Augo Lynge, second novel published in Greenland in Greenlandic.

Death of explorer and ethnologist Knud Rasmussen in Gentofte (Denmark) in 1933.

Birth of the poet, translator, museum director and politician Mariane Petersen in Sukkertoppen (now Maniitsoq, Greenland) in the municipality of Qeqqata in 1937.  

Birth of author, translator, journalist and teacher Hans Anthon Lynge in Qullissat (Greenland) in 1945.

Birth of visual artist and author Germaine Arnaktauyok in Maniitsoq (Greenland) in 1946.

Birth in Aasiaat (Greenland) in 1947 of the Greenlandic poet, professor and politician Aqqaluk Lynge.

Death of the poet, novelist and politician Augo Lynge in Nuuk (Greenland) in 1959.

Birth of activist, lawyer, clothing designer and musician Aaju Peter in Arkisserniaq (Greenland) in 1960.

Birth of writer, poet, interpreter and politician Kelly Berthelsen in Ammassivik (Greenland) in 1967.

Birth of author, environmental activist and multimedia artist Lana Hansen in Qaqortoq (Greenland) in 1970.

Birth of the Greenlandic singer, actress and author Julie Berthelsen in Aarhus (Denmark) in 1979.

Publication of the feminist Greenlandic novel Bussimi naapinneq by Mâliarâq Vebaek. The novel has been translated into Danish in 1982, then into Russian and Sami in 1988.

Publication of Danish translation of the novel Trehundrede år efter by Augo Lynge, first published in Greenlandic under the title Ukiut 300-nngornerat in 1931.

Publication of an anthology of stories by Greenlandic women in Danish by Mâliâraq Vebæk, entitled Navaranaaq og andre. De grønlandske kvinders historie. This anthology was translated into Greenlandic in 1996 under the title Navaranaaq allallu. Kalaallit arnat oqaluttuassartaat.

Birth of the Greenlandic writer Niviaq Korneliussen in Nanortalik (Greenland) in 1990.

Publication of the Greenlandic novel Ukiut trettenit qaangiummata by Mâliarâq Vebaek, a sequel of the novel Bussimi naapinneq.

Publication of Sassuma Arnaanut pulaarneq, a children's book depicting a variant of the legend of Sedna, by Mâliâraq Vebæk. First published in Greenlandic in 1995, this book has been translated into Danish under the title Besøg hos havets moder in 1995 and into English under the title A Journey to the Mother of the Sea in 1999.

Publication in Greenlandic of the collection of short stories Tarningup ilua. Allallu eqqumiitsullu by Kelly Berthelsen. The book has been translated into Danish in 2002 under the title En sjæls inderste kammer, and into French in 2015 under the title Je ferme les yeux pour couvrir l'obscurité.

Publication of the Danish translation of the collection of short stories En sjæls inderste kammer by Kelly Berthelsen, first published in Greenlandic in 2001 under the title Tarningup ilua. Allallu eqqumiitsullu.

Publication of the collection of transcriptions of the folk tales from Southern Greenland in the South Greenland dialect and in English entitled The Southernmost People of Greenland : Dialects and Memories. Qavaat - Oqalunneri Eqqaamassaallu, by Mâliâraq Vebæk.

Death of writer, visual artist, reindeer herder, director and museum curator Jens Rosing in Humlebæk (Denmark) in 2008.

Publication in Greenlandic and in French of the book of poetry Taqqat uummammut aqqutaannut takorluukkat apuuffiannut /The Veins of the Heart to Pinnacle of the Mind by Aqqaluk Lynge.

Publication of Sila. Pissusiata allanngornera pillugu oqaluttualiaq, a Greenlandic tale about climate change by Lana Hansen.

Danish translation of the Greenlandic tale about climate change Sila by Lana Hansen. This book has also been translated into English and into Inuktitut.

English translation of the Greenlandic tale about climate change Sila by Lana Hansen. This book has also been translated into Danish and into Inuktitut.

Publication of the trilingual (Danish, Greenlandic, English) book of poetry Arrornartoq / Opløsninsmiddel / Solvent by Kelly Berthelsen.

Publication in French of the book of poetry Des veines du cœur au sommet de la pensée by Greenlander Aqqaluk Lynge, first published in 2008 in Greenlandic and in English under the title Taqqat uummammut aqqutaannut takorluukkat apuuffiannut / The Veins of the Heart to Pinnacle of the Mind.

Death of Greenlandic author, translator, ethnologist and journalist Mâliâraq Vebæk in Søborg (Denmark) in 2012.

Publication of the original Greenlandic version of the novel Homo Sapienne by Niviaq Korneliussen. This novel was first published in Greenlandic, and it was also translated in Danish, German, French, English and Czech.

Publication of the collection of speeches in English An Inuit Voice. A Collection of Quotations from Speeches on Behalf of the Inuit Circumpolar Council, 2002-2014 by Greenlandic poet and politician Aqqaluk Lynge.

Death of author, historian, teacher, translator, school principal and judge Christian Berthelsen in Nuuk (Greenland) in 2015. 

Publication of the life story book entitled in Danish “Health balance", Sund balance, by Greenlandic singer, actress and author Julie Berthelsen.

Publication of the French translation of the novel Trois cents ans après. Grønlandshavn by Augo Lynge, first published (1931) in Greenlandic under the title Ukiut 300-nngornerat.

Publication of the French translation of the collection of short stories Tarningup ilua. Allallu eqqumiitsullu by Kelly Berthelsen first published in Greenlandic in 2001, under the title Je ferme les yeux pour couvrir l'obscurité.

Publication of the French translation of Singnagtugaq by Mathias Storch, Le rêve d'un Groenlandais. It is first novel of Greenlandic literature. The novel has also been translated into Danish (1915) and English (2016).

Publication of the English translation of Singnagtugaq by Mathias Storch, Singnagtugaq. A Greenlander’s Dream It is the first novel of Greenlandic literature. The novel has also been translated into Danish (1915) and French (2016).

Publication of the French translation of the Greenlandic novel Homo Sapienne by Niviaq Korneliussen, first published under the same title in Greenlandic in 2014.

Publication of the French translation of the Icelandic essay Deux îles aux confins du monde. Islande et Groenland, by Sumarlidi R. Ísleifsson, on Images of Greenland and Iceland.

Publication of the English translation of the Greenlandic novel Homo Sapienne by Niviaq Korneliussen, under the title Crimson (UK) and Last Night in Nuuk (USA). This novel was first published in Greenlandic in 2014.

First pocket book edition of an Inuit book, the novel Homo Sapienne by Greenlander Niviaq Korneliussen, tralated into French in the 10/18 series in France.

Inuktitut translation of the Greenlandic tale about climate change Sila by Lana Hansen. The translation of this tale is the first literary translation between two Inuit languages, here from Greenlandic to Inuktitut.

Publication of the French version of Sila by Greenlander Lana Hansen under the title Sila, un conte groenlandais sur les changements climatiques, with a presentation by Daniel Chartier, an afterword by Lisa Qiluqqi Koperqualuk and drawings by Georg Olsen.

Publication of the essay Inuksiutiit. A Half-Century of Inuit Studies written by Louis-Jacques Dorais and Bernard Saladin d'Anglure.