Iceland is just a tiny knoll on the lawn of the world at large, but should you turn a magnifying glass on this knoll you never know whether you might find the world at large right there.

Einar Már Gudmundsson received a great deal of attention at home and abroad for his provocative articles in the newspaper Morgunbladid during the weeks and months following the economic collapse in Iceland in the autumn of 2008. His lucid analysis of the situation spared no-one, neither right nor left, and frequently launched uncomfortable questions, not unlike the child in the fairytale that wonders why the emperor isn‘t wearing any clothes. Now Gudmundsson has transformed his newspaper articles into a book, extending and sharpening the text to create an informative manual as well as a bank of ideas for all of us.

The White Book by Einar Már Guðmundsson is a unique work, however we choose to look at it, lively, amusing and at the same time merciless in its description of Icelandic society and its development for the last few years. The book ranges far in space and time, entwining fragments from the author’s personal experience, chapters from the political history of the world, rock-music and economical debate, politics and literature, social criticism and healthy understanding of human nature. Sometimes you need a poet’s insight to be able to set things into the right context and indicate obvious solutions.

“… superbly well-written…”
THORVALDUR GYLFASON, FRETTABLADID DAILY