Jón Helgason Biography

Icelandic philologist and poetThis is an Icelandic name. The last name is patronymic, not a family name; this person is referred to by the given name Jón.

Jón Helgason (June 30, 1899 - January 19, 1986) was an Icelandic philologist and poet. He was head of the Danish Árni Magnússon Ins*ute for Icelandic Studies from 1927 to 1972 and professor of Icelandic studies at the University of Copenhagen from 1929 to 1969. He made significant contributions to his field. As a poet, he was not prolific but noted for his highly polished and effective traditional poetry. His best-known poems are Áfangar and Í Árnasafni.

One of his discoveries at the ins*ute is the pair of glossaries that are the only do*entation on Basque–Icelandic pidgin.

In 1923, he married Þórunn Ástriður Björnsdóttir (1895-1966) and in 1975 married Agnete Loth (1921-1990).

References

Höfundur: Jón Helgason