She graduated in French and comparative literature from the University of Iceland in 1992 with a BA thesis on Charles Baudelaire’s Les Fleurs du Mal.

[2] Gerður Kristný was editor of the magazine Mannlíf from 1998–2004 and wrote numerous books for children, short stories, and poetry during the same time.

Gerður Kristný travels regularly around the world to present her work, giving readings in places like Kampala, Cox's Bazar, Java, Maastricht and Colgata.

[12] The latter was also nominated to the Nordic Council Literature Prize in 2011, the same year Gerður Kristný delivered the Sigurður Nordal lecture at the Árni Magnússon Institute for Icelandic Studies.

[14] Gerður Kristný's play Ballið á Bessastöðum (The Bessastaðir Ball), which she adapted from her own children's book, premiered in the Icelandic National Theater in Reykjavík in February 2011 and was acclaimed by the public and critics alike.