Autograph of Jónas Hallgrímsson. Jónas was a revered and influential poet and writer in the early nineteenth century, as well as a renowned naturalist, sometimes called the nation's love interest. Jónas grew up in Iceland but studied at the University of Copenhagen and graduated in 1838. He initially studied law, but natural science quickly took over his entire interest. He wrote many poems throughout his life, including Ferðalok (1845), which was published in the magazine Fjölnir; earlier drafts of the poem were titled "Gomul saga" and "Ástin mín". Legend has it that Jónas and Þóra, daughter of Reverend Gunnar Gunnarsson, a priest in Laufás in Eyjafjörður, traveled north together in the summer of 1828 and the idea for the poem was born on the way. Ferðalok has been called the most beautiful love poem in the Icelandic language. Jónas died the same year the poem was published, at the age of only 37.

Website about Jónas Hallgrímsson