German, Nordic, and Slavic+
College of Letters & Science

Elliott J. Brandsma

Credentials: Scandinavian Studies

Position title: Graduate Student

Email: ejbrandsma@wisc.edu

Address:
Languages: Icelandic, Swedish, Finnish

Area(s) of Study: 20th Century Icelandic, Swedish and Finnish literature, Nordic literature of decadence, the Baroque, Swedish and Finnish Religious History, Biblical Adaptation in Scandinavian Literature

Pronouns: he/him/his

About Me: I am a Ph.D. Candidate in the Nordic section of GNS+, specializing in twentieth-century Swedish, Finnish and Icelandic literature. Writers of interest to my research include Halldór Laxness, Mika Waltari, Gunnar Gunnarsson, Harry Martinson, Eyvind Johnson, Verner Von Heidenstam, Selma Lagerlöf, August Strindberg, and Pär Lagerkvist, among others. I graduated from Texas State University in 2013 with a B.A. in English and Art, and I graduated from the University of Iceland in 2016 with an M.A. in English. I am a former public-school teacher, community college instructor, journalist, Fulbright scholar, and AmeriCorps National Service Program volunteer, and I aspire to a career in academia or the Foreign Service.

Website: linkedin.com/in/elliott-brandsma-511676119/

Education:

– M.A. English, University of Iceland, (First-Class)
– B.A., English and Art, Texas State University (summa cum laude)

Courses Taught:

– Miami Dade College: Freshman Composition I and II
– University of Wisconsin—Madison: First-year Swedish
– University of Wisconsin—Madison: First Semester Swedish (NORD Summer)
– University of Wisconsin-Madison: The Vikings: Summer Session
– University of Wisconsin-Madison: The Writings of Hans Christian Andersen

Awards:

– American Scandinavian Foundation Grant to Sweden, 2024-2025
– Finlandia Foundation National Scholarship, Finlandia Foundation, 2024
– 2 Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) Fellowships to Sweden, U.S. Dept. of Education, 2023-2025
– Writer-in-Residence, Villa Martinson, Jonsered, Sweden, University of Gothenburg, June 2023
– 2 Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) Summer Fellowships to Finland, U.S. Dept. of Education, 2023, 2024
– Swedish Institute Travel Grant to Stockholm, Örebro and Uppsala, March 2023
– University of Wisconsin Graduate School Fellowship, Spring 2023
– Dr. Herbert E. Harper, Jr. Memorial Scholarship, San Antonio Area Foundation, 202-2025
– Näbbeboda Fellowship, Olofström, Sweden, Harry Martinson Society, 2019
– University of Wisconsin Graduate School Fellowship, 2019-2020
– University of Wisconsin Graduate School Welcome Scholarship, 2019-2020
– Institute for Regional and International Studies Training Fellowship, 2019-2020
– Teach for America/Americorps Fellowship, Miami-Dade, 2016-2018
– Research Fellow, Skriðuklaustur Cultural Center in Egilsstaðir, Iceland, 2013
– Fulbright Research Grant, Iceland, 2013-2014/Icelandic Ministry of Education, Science, and Culture Fellowship, 2013-2014
– Finalist, Lyndon Baines Johnson Outstanding Senior Award, Texas State University, 2013

Selected Publications: