Eyvindur grew up in Hornstrandir in the North-West of Iceland. After school he obtained a BA in English and Danish from the University of Iceland, and later a Masters degree in Icelandic grammar from the same university. In between his degrees, Eyvind taught in schools around Iceland. After his Masters he became a lecturer at the University of Helsinki for one winter, and then at the University of Copenhagen. Since 1987 he has dedicated himself to writing, supplementing his income with teaching. He has also worked in television and radio. His first book, Hvenær? (When?), came out in 1974 and his first novel, Múkkinn (The Fulmar), in 1988. In 1997 he won the Halldór Laxness Literary Prize for his novel Landið handan fjarskans (The Land Beyond Distance), which was also nominated for the Icelandic Literary Prize. Eyvindur lives with his partner alternately in Reykavík and Dalane in Norway. He is divorced, with four children and three grandchildren.