Vigdís: Kona verður forseti

In October 1950, a twenty-year-old woman, struggling abroad, wrote a letter to her parents, ending it with the words: “What might that day be called when I can become even the slightest source of pride to you?” Thirty years later, Vigdís Finnbogadóttir took the oath of office as the fourth President of Iceland and became the first woman in the world to be elected head of state in a free democratic election.

What is the story of the woman who captivated not only her fellow Icelanders in her role as president, but half the world as well, through her poise, warmth, and brilliant words? This book offers an in-depth account of her childhood and family, the people who influenced her, the forces that shaped her, and the hardships Vigdís endured before, as a single and divorced mother, she took on the role to which the nation elected her. What did that role entail, and what sacrifices did it demand?

The book presents a unique and multifaceted portrait of Vigdís Finnbogadóttir as a person—her sorrows and her triumphs—bringing her story close to the reader and making it deeply memorable.

Páll Valsson, a scholar of Icelandic literature and an author, is best known for his book Jónas Hallgrímsson – A Biography, which earned him the Icelandic Literary Award.

This book was originally published in 2009.

ISBN 9789979355427

Author Páll Valsson

Publisher Mál og menning, 2026

Format Softcover

Pages 475