Jón Helgason

Jón Helgason (* June 30, 1899 on the farm Rauðsgil in Reykholtsdalur / Hálsasveit; † January 19, 1986 in Copenhagen) was an Icelandic poet and literary scholar.

After high school he went to Copenhagen to study literature. He completed his master's degree in 1923, in 1926 he received the doctoral degree from the University of Iceland in literature.

He became in 1927 director of the major literary collection of the Árni Magnússon Foundation, which focuses on the development of medieval Icelandic literature and documents. He held this position until 1971.

At the same time he published his own poems regularly. His first anthology appeared in 1939 under the title Ur landsuðri and gained equal popularity. Even today, he is represented in many textbooks and anthologies and is often read.

Today, parts of the river and the canyon Reykjadalsá Rauðsgil standing next to the same court under protection.