Meg Matich – American Poet & Translator Based in Reykjavík, Iceland

All Things Iceland

Meg Matich is a poet and translator in Reykjavik. She earned her Master’s of Fine Arts from Columbia University and has received support for her work from the Banff Centre, PEN America, and the Fulbright Commission, and she is a frequent collaborator with Reykjavik UNESCO and a friend of UNESCO Lviv. Meg is the author of the poetry chapbook COLD (2022 Eulalia Books).

Among other projects, Meg has collaborated with poet Magnús Sigurðsson on an anthology of Icelandic poetry, translated a book of essays in honor of former President Vigdís Finnbogadóttir, and translated the 2021 novel Magma. Meg is one of a few immigrants in the Icelandic Writers’ Union and considers that membership quintessential to her life in Iceland.

Meg’s Most Recent Book She Translated

If you haven’t already, I highly recommend listening to the podcast episode I did with the Auður Jónsdóttir, author of Quake.

Questions I Asked Meg Matich During the Interview

1. You were born and raised in the US, what inspired you to move to Iceland?
2. What has your experience been like living in Iceland?
3. You are poet, which is awesome. Where do you get ideas for your poetry?
4. You have translated many poems, a book of essays in honor of the former president Vigdís Finnbgadóttir, and the book Magma, just to name a few. What is your process when you are translating?
5. You are one of the few immigrants in the Icelandic Writer’s Union. Was it difficult to get into?
6. What advice do you have for people that want to be translators?
7. What advice do you have for people who want to move to another country?
8. What is your favorite Icelandic word or phrase?

Meg Matich mentioned meeting Kári Stefánsson, an Icelandic pioneer in human genetics that I interviewed some years ago. Click here to listen to that fascinating interview with him.

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