Reykjavík Grapevine - 01.07.2016, Page 26

In the wake of the recent presidential
elections, Guðni and family have been
pretty busy people. As he’s our first
new head of state in a generation, we
wanted to find out what we were all get-
ting into, so the Grapevine snagged a
few minutes out of his hectic schedule
to talk about history, football, and the
future of Iceland.
I’ve seen more than a few
people draw comparisons
between your campaign and
those of Sanders, Corbyn,
and Trudeau, as all having in
common this break from the
past. Do you see yourself as a
part of that?
Yes and no. We’re talking about a post
here in Iceland that’s partly ceremo-
nial, and partly political. The Presi-
dent of Iceland does play a role in the
political process, and he or she has in-
direct influence by being able to put on
the agenda issues of concern. So yes, I
think people wanted change in this
regard. I am of course of a different
generation than the outgoing Presi-
dent. I’m the first President of Iceland
born while Iceland was a republic. I ask
people to keep in mind though that the
President of Iceland does not play a
political role similar to Trudeau, or po-
litical players like Corbyn or Sanders.
So there is a difference there.
I understand you’ve just
returned from watching
Iceland play against England
in France. What was the
environment like down there,
surrounded by all these
Icelanders celebrating this
incredible game?
It was unbelievable. I am a sports fan,
so it’s nothing new to me to go to a
game and cheer on the national team,
wearing the team jersey and all that. I
was actually given the option of sitting
in the second tier of VIP personnel—
behind the glass, presumably being
able to sip champagne or something.
But I much prefered being in the thick
of it. I realise that once I’m President,
my room to maneuver changes a bit,
but since I haven’t officially assumed
office yet, I was thrilled to be able to
cheer on the team with my fellow Ice-
landers, hug people I’ve never met be-
fore, cheer and cry tears of joy, and all
the other things you do when you wit-
ness a spectacular event such as this.
What are you most looking
forward to when you do
officially assume office?
I most look forward to being able to
influence society. I have worked for
decades now as an academic and an
historian, and my aim has always been
to connect with the public. There’s al-
ways a danger in academia that you
end up losing touch with the public,
or you only write for a very specialised
field of academics. You get stuck in the
ivory tower. I, however, have always felt
that it is the duty of academics to in-
fluence the public vision of your field,
and in my case it happens to be his-
tory, so I wanted to be able to say that
my work changes the way people look
at the past. Now, I want to change the
way people look at the present and the
future. It’s the same object, but a dif-
ferent time frame.
When we last spoke, your book
on the 2008 economic crash,
'Hrunið', had just come out.
Looking back now, what are the
lessons that we need to learn
from this time going forward,
to keep history from repeating
itself?
Pride comes before a fall. As a histo-
rian, I felt that in the years prior to the
collapse, almost as a nation but defi-
nitely the business and political elite
had lost their footing a bit. They had
created the false image of an economic
boom based on Icelandic superior-
ity. This idea that Icelandic business-
men—not businesspersons, because it
was a male-dominated world—some-
how had an advantage in the world of
international finance because they
were the descendents of vikings and
voyagers who dared when others hesi-
tated. And we learned that this was all
untrue. They were just better at bor-
rowing money than others and worse
at repaying. So let us be proud, as a
nation, but let’s show modesty as well.
Let’s keep both feet on the ground, be-
cause people with confidence do not
need to boast. That is the lesson we can
take from the collapse, and that is the
message I want to bring when I influ-
ence the present and the future.
INTRODUCING THE 6TH PRESIDENT OF ICELAND
Guðni Th. Jóhannesson
AND FIRST LADY
Eliza Reid
WRITTEN BY PAUL FONTAINE, PHOTOGRAPHY BY ART BICNICK
From The Past
To The Future
AN INTERVIEW WITH OUR NEW PRESIDENT,
GUÐNI TH. JÓHANNESSON