The Icelandic Canadian - 01.12.1961, Qupperneq 59

THE ICELANDIC CANADIAN
57
The doctor and the staff were white
clad. White predominated.
Life in the White Mansion appeared
to be simple and uneventful, hut, as
a matter of fact, there was always some-
thing doing All waged the same war,
against the same illness, but all were
not equally strong for that combat.
The White Mansion knew both sorrow
and joy. Had I known when I named
the place how often death called, I
suspect I would have named it the
Mansion of Death. Yet, it would not
have been rightly termed so, and it
would have created a wrong impres-
sion.
About the Author and Her Book
Elinborg Larusdottir was born, Nov-
ember 12, 1891, in Skagafjordur, in the
north of Iceland. At the age of fifteen
she entered the Ladies Academy at
Blonduosi, where she studied for two
years. Following this she engaged in
private tutoring for two years. In 1912
she enrolled at the Teachers’ College,
Reykjavik, where she had studied for
■two years when she contracted tubercu-
losis. She spent two and a half years
at the Sanatorium at Vifilstadir, near
Reykjavik. She was seriously ill, but
regained her health fully.
In 1928 Elinborg married Ingimar
Jonsson, a theology student. On ordain-
ment, he assumed a charge in Arnes-
sysla, where the couple remained till
1928. In that year Jonsson was appoint-
ed principal of a secondary school in
Reykjavik, which post he retained till
1955. Their home is in Reykjavik.
Fru Elinborg’s first book, a collection
of short stories, was published in 1935.
Since then books by her have appeared
almost yearly and altogether she has
published twenty-one books. At the
time of writing she is engaged on a
tree-volume novel with an eighteenth
century background.
The White Mansion, published in
1944, is an authentic account. In
response to specific questions, fru Elin-
borg says: “It may be said that every-
thing in this book is authentic, except
for the fact that I have clothed the
events in my words. It is a picture of
the Sanatorium at Vifilstadir, where I
was a patient from 1914 to 1917. The
story of the dog is true. “She was
Famous” is true. “Soley” is a true story,
only the name has been changed, as
names generally have been changed.
“The Star of Death” is a true account.
The young lady in that story was my
very good friend. I trust that all these
people will forgive me fox writing
about them as I have done.”
In The White Mansion, the author
reveals her own courage, optimism, and
human sympathy. The numerous char-
acters in this series of narrative sketches
range from the high to the low, from
nobility and dignity to pettiness, but
human worth is prominent. Its light
shines bright against the background
of much suffering and tragedy inevit-
able at a place such as the White Man-
sion. W. Kristjanson