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A bleak moral portrait
In Iceland, Einar Már Guðmundsson's quest for the roots of the Icelandic bank crash was published as Hvíta bókin / The White Book. The title is a reference to “white papers”, an informal term for documents containing government policy.
In the German media, a translation by Gudrun Marie Hanneck-Kloes, bearing the title How to Run a Country into the Ground: The Story of Iceland's Ruin, has been mentioned in numerous stories on Iceland's current situation. For instance, in his article “Orpheus in the Blunderworld” / “Orpheus in der Schuldenwelt” Der Spiegel commentator Wolfgang von Höbel points out that:
[Gudmundsson] claims he doesn't want to preach, and yet he goes on to say: “I believe that the majority of Icelanders are happier today than they were during the economic boom. It's as if a weight has been lifted from their shoulders.
Das Parlament, the newspaper of the German parliament, sums the work up in the following way:
Gudmundsson's account of the crash is a 208-page outburst of fury, a polemic. The 55 year old Gudmundsson is one of the most known writers of his country. When he speaks, people listen. Here, he is funneling a rage shared by many. […] The book is interesting, depicting the chummy and corrupt interrelations which abounded in the financial and business sectors of the small, 300.000 inhabitant society. You learn of the exploits of “financial barons” who traveled around in private jets, hiring Elton John or 50 Cent to perform at their parties.
The Austrian State Radio, ORF, also had its say:
For decades, Gudmundsson writes, he hardly bothered with politics. Then, the financial crisis made him, along with his colleague Hallgrímur Helgason, a mouth piece for the protest movement opposing the old regime. Perhaps it is no coincidence that two writers found themselves on the front lines of the so-called “Kitchenware Revolution”, just like another colleague of theirs, Václav Havel, stood at the forefront of the Velvet Revolution 20 years earlier. In both cases, an entire system had been discredited.
Outstanding essays on the crisis of capitalism
For many years, Gudmundsson's works have enjoyed a strong reputation in Denmark. As can be seen from the following excerpts from the major Danish papers, The White Book continues in the same vein:
Tremendously gripping. When Iceland's most prominent living author speaks, you listen.
****Martin Krogh Andersen, Berlingske Tidende
With an almost rabid passion, Einar Már Guðmundsson dissects his country's capitalistic fantasies... his powers of rhetoric, humor, and indignation are refreshing ... The White Book is exemplary ... a lesson in how terribly awry things can go when they go all the way.
Henrik Wivel, Weekendavisen
Outstanding essays on the crisis of capitalism .... The White Book is an extremely well written work ... hits its mark with remarkable precision regarding the crisis debate, which also takes place in Denmark.
***** Poul Aarøe Pedersen, Politiken''