Jökull - 01.12.1993, Blaðsíða 72

FLOSIBJÖRNSSON, 13 Dec. 1906 - 22 May 1993
An Appreciation
Flosi Björnsson
I write in appreciation of Flosi Bjömsson, as one
of the many scientists who visited Öræfi and benefited
from his knowledge and the warm hospitality which
he and his family showed so readily to visitors. I
first met him in 1970 when making a reconnaissance
visit to Breiðamerkurjökull in preparation for a pro-
gramme of glaciological work. I had been told that he
had a fund of knowledge from which I might learn,
and recall standing with him outside his door in light
rain for two hours whilst I was introduced, with in-
creasing fascination, to the view of the world from
Kvísker: on the character of the Icelandic weather;
on the natural history of the region; on the vagaries of
the North Atlantic cod; on the settlement of Öræfi; on
the plumbing of volcanoes, and on the Vietnam war.
Though he had used his English very little, its clarity
and elegance was extraordinary. It was as if Charles
Dickens was standing behind him and handing him a
carefully composed script. He would determine what
he wanted to say, compose a pithy sentence, and de-
liver it in the lilting tones of Öræfi. Silence would
then ensue until he had more to say. Though the na-
tive speaker, my gabbling haste compared ill with his
measured and elegant delivery. One learned to mea-
sure onef s speech more, and to appreciate the role of
silence in conversation.
There is too ready an assumption amongst experts
that it is for us to opinionate and for others to listen.
Flosi Björnsson was a representative of a culture of
learning and study, used to observing events in the
life of the dramatic natural environment around him,
and to draw his own conclusions based on his expe-
rience and his studies. He could readily recall the
precise date and nature of this flood, that glacial ad-
vance or meteorological event, and speculate on pos-
sible causes with a simple logic that demanded re-
spect and revealed strong insight. Moreover, if there
was a problem which he felt he could do more jus-
tice to than in a brief conversation, it was not unusual
for him to write, many months later, after consult-
ing his notes and books, and discussing with other
members of his family or people in the region. I
recall, for instance, a letter he wrote, reconstructing
with forensic care, from parish records and from his,
70 JÖKULL,No.43,1993