Mom's Letters #70823
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Mother's Letters. By Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson.
In the basement of Bessastaðir was kept an old blue bag. Made of thin metal, dented and worn, the locks a little rusty. This bag had accompanied Ólafur Ragnar's family since his childhood in Ísafjörður but was never opened until after the end of his presidency. Then came to light a number of letters that his mother, Svanhildur Hjartar, wrote to her husband, Grímur, for years while suffering from tuberculosis, most of the time at Vífilstaðir but also at Kristnes and hospitals in Reykjavík and Akureyri. The letters are a unique source of information about the nation's struggle with the white death, as the epidemic was often called.
In the first half of the last century, tuberculosis was one of the leading causes of death in Icelanders. Thousands died, especially young women. The letters reveal in an open, poignant and painful way the story of Svanhildur and her family, and at the same time describe the difficult times of the nation. They lead the reader into the world of the sick in personal stories that touch the hearts of everyone.
Ólafur Ragnar's origins and youth are revealed here in a new light. He writes introductory chapters and interludes that connect the letters to the present day.
In the basement of Bessastaðir was kept an old blue bag. Made of thin metal, dented and worn, the locks a little rusty. This bag had accompanied Ólafur Ragnar's family since his childhood in Ísafjörður but was never opened until after the end of his presidency. Then came to light a number of letters that his mother, Svanhildur Hjartar, wrote to her husband, Grímur, for years while suffering from tuberculosis, most of the time at Vífilstaðir but also at Kristnes and hospitals in Reykjavík and Akureyri. The letters are a unique source of information about the nation's struggle with the white death, as the epidemic was often called.
In the first half of the last century, tuberculosis was one of the leading causes of death in Icelanders. Thousands died, especially young women. The letters reveal in an open, poignant and painful way the story of Svanhildur and her family, and at the same time describe the difficult times of the nation. They lead the reader into the world of the sick in personal stories that touch the hearts of everyone.
Ólafur Ragnar's origins and youth are revealed here in a new light. He writes introductory chapters and interludes that connect the letters to the present day.