Kristín Marja Baldursdóttir is an Icelandic writer born on 21 January 1949 in Hafnarfjörður. She received her degree in 1991 from the University of Iceland in the fields of German and Icelandic. Her first novel Mávahlátur (Seagull's Laughter) became a play and film. Her work has been translated into German, Dutch, Danish, and Swedish. Within Iceland, her 'work has [...] been important in breaking down the borders between elite and popular culture', her novels tending to focus on 'women's issues in contemporary urban society'.
On 16 November 2011 Kristín Marja received the Jónas Hallgrímsson Award, given every year to an important Icelandic writer. According to the jury's verdict, "Kristín Marja's subject matter is the reality of Icelandic women. She illuminates the life and work, dreams and longings of women."