Svein Pálsson’s diaries offer firsthand account of 1783 Skaftá fires

Diaries by Icelandic physician and naturalist Svein Pálsson include contemporary accounts of the devastating conditions when the Skaftá fires began in 1783, mbl.is reports.

For the past six years, work has been under way to publish books and writings by Pálsson, who lived in the 18th and 19th centuries. The works will be released in a specially designed volume this autumn.

Some of the material has never been published, including Pálsson’s diaries. Kristján B. Jónasson, who is overseeing the publication, said they provide valuable insight into everyday life in Iceland during the 18th and 19th centuries.

The diaries include descriptions of the conditions in 1783, when the Skaftá fires began. “We have preserved a letter from his mother from that winter in which she describes the situation, which is horrific. The livestock is more or less all dead, those that are still standing are being slaughtered, and there is widespread hunger and misery,” Kristján said.

The Skaftá fires began at the Lakagígar craters.