Matthías Jochumsson
Icelandic poet
- Lived
- 1835–1920
- Country
- Iceland
Updated September 2026
About Matthías Jochumsson
Matthías Jochumsson was an Icelandic Lutheran clergyman, poet, playwright, translator and a social reformer. He was a giant in Icelandic cultural life in the decades around 1900. He is best known for his lyrical poetry and for writing the national anthem of Iceland, "Lofsöngur", in 1874. Matthías was, along with writer Torfhildur Hólm, the first Icelandic writers to receive an artist salary from the Althing in 1891.
Biography from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photo via Wikimedia Commons.
Sources: book lists and dates from Wikidata and Open Library, ratings from Open Library readers. Last updated September 2026.