Comments on: Writing the kreppa from the inside

By: D_Boone

D_Boone — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 12:13:03 +0000

As an English speaking person who has visited Iceland several times in the last year I fully agree that the English news articles on Iceland’s Kreppa are often very shallow. In fact many appear to reflect the translated English articles written by the local press…. I get the feeling that the real back stories, widely known by the locals, are slow to emerge into English and often heavily censored. Is this the Icelandic way of controlling other countries perceptions? I suspect in part it is, but I also feel the locals don’t need a long background explanation, a few words or a reference to a family says it all. This robs the translated English articles of their real context. However, I am also surprised at how little progress has been made towards bringing to justice those whose actions primarily caused the crisis. This needs to change.

By: Tasha

Tasha — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 03:00:27 +0000

Please translate it (if you don’t mind)! Dr. Jóhannesson came and spoke to my class and gave a very abbreviated version of his book. I’m not economically-minded at all so I really appreciated his historical telling of the events (and he’s pretty funny too!).

By: Nancy USA

Nancy USA — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 23:13:21 +0000

Let me add my name to the list of people who would like to see this book published in English, with Alda Kalda as the translator. I think Iceland’s Kreppa (did I use that word correctly?) is a microcosm of what is happening in the rest of the world, and this is an important story.

By: Lee

Lee — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 11:43:29 +0000

Sounds very interesting. If it were released in English (ideally with an epilogue summarising what was revealed after January), then I’d order a copy. If the publisher isn’t interested but the author retained foreign exploitation rights, then maybe he should contact foreign publishers (surely a British publisher would be interested) or self-publish using one of the many companies on the Internet. Also, he may think that “most people aren’t paying a great deal of attention to us”, but I suspect he’s underestimating the foreign interest in such a book – I could easily imagine an English version being reviewed by The Economist, etc…

By: Alexander E.

Alexander E. — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 02:11:43 +0000

“Alexander – ditto. To translate or not to translate is not up to me.”

I understand. The summer is coming and you need an excuse to be outside.

But seriously – it shouldn’t be a problem to convince Icelandic publisher to do English edition now (after first prints were wiped out). Unless Dr. Guðni is going to do it himself. But he already has the job and must give other a chance

By: North Horsies

North Horsies — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 01:39:42 +0000

I second Alexanders idea — all in favor, say Jo!

Don’t know who we should suggest this to — the publisher? Someone who stands to make mega- kronur off the sale of it to the non- Icelandic speaking world?

But seriously, there’s such a need for a clear explanation of what went on- in the non-I. speaking world, to help us all have a better grasp of what’s ahead. So let’s get our favorite meteorologist on the job!

Yrs

Holly

By: Jessica

Jessica — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 23:07:18 +0000

I would suggest that this book be published in English (among other languages potentially) in order for it to be used as a textbook for business or finance courses at the university level. It would provide great case studies for ‘what not to do’ with banking!

By: alda

alda — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 21:12:17 +0000

Thanks, all, for the input.

Don – of course any book can be made into an e-book, but at the end of the day it’s what the publisher wants to do.

Alexander – ditto. To translate or not to translate is not up to me.

By: hildigunnur

hildigunnur — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 21:09:37 +0000

Yeah, I think Alda would be an excellent translator for this book. Somebody should find an English or US publisher to pay for translation and publish, this book really has relevance elsewhere.

By: Alp

Alp — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 20:59:18 +0000

Gudni’s rsponse to the last question (Is HRUNIÐ going to come out in English?) is much as I saw it when the crisis was underway: I had left Iceland only a few months earlier. I was frequently irritated by the superficiality of some reporting. However, to be fair to the foreign journalists who descended on Reykjavik in droves last October, their editors and sub-editors back home probably had as much to do with copy remaining simple, with a bit of added colour, as any desire, or laziness, on their part to file the obvious. I am sure that the general editorial view would have been that readers/viewers/listeners who knew little about finance and even less about Iceland would simply not engage with esoteric reports.

And while I don’t disagree with my friend Gudni’s analysis of what the crisis has done to Iceland’s image overseas (penultimate question), and have no wish to exaggerate the impact on perceptions, there’s no denying that as the kreppa was unfolding Iceland was the focus of world attention. And, unquestionably, the superficial reports and stereotyping have left lingering impressions of Iceland (not necessarily all negative) among some people, not least those who were affected by the financial turmoil. Many of whom knew very little, if anything, about Iceland before the financial crisis.