Guðrún Eva Mínervudóttir’s Iceland

THEn the occasion of trip to Iceland with iO Donna we met the author Guðrún Eva Mínervudóttirwhich he published with Iperborea Reykyavik, lovea novel that photographs the lives of five Icelandic women in a transitional moment in their lives. A precious opportunity to better understand this fascinating and remote country.

The author always keeps a candle lit when she writes and in her books it is the complexity of the human soul that guides her pen. In a magical and surprising land like Iceland, with a population of only 400,000 inhabitants, is the condition of women so different from the rest of Europe? Here’s what he told us Guðrún Eva Mínervudóttir during our meeting in Reykyavik.

The women of Guðrún Eva Mínervudóttir

Where do your stories come from?
Often from small meetings. A character from the book Reykyavik, loveAustin, the Mormon guy, I actually met him at a bus stop. He gave me some flyers, I initially threw them away, but then I met him again and thought better of it and asked to meet him at my house. Before entering he asked me if there was a man in the house, and I thought to myself, “This is the first time someone is afraid of me!” (laughs). The meeting stayed with me and I built a story around it. Life gives us little gifts, a person offers you a sentence and the beauty of being a writer is that you can build a story from that. Like the girl who asked me, on the sidelines of a meeting on feminism, what I thought of the “male gaze”, a situation that I took up in one of the stories of “Reykjavik, love”.

In her books she often addresses femininity, vulnerability and transformation. What does it mean for you to tell the perspective of Icelandic women?
It’s natural for me to write from women’s perspectives, simply because I’m a woman. In my first book, however, I also described male characters. When my editor read it, he told me that the male characters were “too feminine” and that something wasn’t working. Rereading the text, I realized that I had made them similar to women especially in two aspects: they were constantly apologizing and always questioning themselves. I mitigated these two sides of their character and when I took the book back to the editor he said to me: “Now they are perfect. What did you do?”. After all, we are human beings and the differences between men and women are much smaller than we think.

We often tend to idealize Northern peoples as more civilized or more cohesive. However, violence and gender violence emerge in his books. Is Icelandic society changing?
Human nature is the same everywhere. There is no society immune to violence or bad things. I also idealize Italy, I always tell myself, paraphrasing Hemingway, that “When good people die they go to Italy” (laughs). Jokes aside, in Iceland, what is changing is the way people react. Previously, there was a tendency not to report and to keep everything secret within the family or community. Today, however, it is reported more, especially in cases of domestic violence or when children are mistreated. Even in groups of people who have chosen themselves – friends, communities not based on blood ties – it is easier for someone to call the authorities if they see an uncomfortable situation.

How do you see the difference between the Icelandic family and the Italian one?
The Italian family seems very united to me, almost a clan: parents, grandparents, relatives. In Iceland families may be very close, but there isn’t the same sense of obligation. I love my parents and am grateful for their presence, and I am there for them. But without the weight, because that is something that deprives you of freedom. I am grateful to my family for the freedom they have always given me. No one is forced to attend family celebrations, you go if you feel like it, without repressed anger. If we need we ask and help each other. This freedom is something I am very grateful for.

The topic of alcohol often comes up when talking about the Nordic countries. What role does it have?
It is true that in some Nordic countries people drink less than the European average, but they drink everything together. In the past it was much worse, today the situation has improved, but alcohol remains a factor that can contribute to social and family problems.

In his books, unlike other Icelandic writers, nature is not a dominant element. Is it a choice?
Yes, it’s a choice. Light and environment enter my writing but are never center stage. I’m more interested in the human being, every person is interesting, you just need to look just a little beneath the surface. Obviously the environment, the alternation of light and dark, the climate influence who we are, but it’s not something I consciously decide to talk about. I grew up here, it’s normal for me. In this book, in particular, the city could be any small European city: my focus was on the people, not on nature.

Have women in Iceland achieved true equality?

Iceland is considered by some to be a feminist paradise, and in many ways it is, I never feel like I am a victim of patriarchy in my daily life. There is a more subtle inequality though. Women and men are equal at work, but at home there are many more women who take care of the family. In Iceland there is equal pay, and women are managers, executives, heads of companies and they are expected to work exactly like their male colleagues, for the same pay. The problem is that at home the burden of caring for children and the family still falls mainly on women. This has led to a true burnout epidemic. Women work as much as men, but then they also take care of the family.
This is why we are seeing, as in the United States, a return to more traditional models: women who choose to only be full-time wives and mothersbecause being excellent in everything at a certain point becomes impossible. As a writer I find this phenomenon interesting, although personally I would never want to find myself in a position of economic dependence.

Why, in your opinion, is feminism still necessary?
Care work – taking care of children, the elderly, others – are fundamental jobs for society, but they are paid less and carried out mainly by women. I once explained this to a friend who asked why women still have to fight for their rights. I asked him if he liked taking care of his children. He said yes, which was one of the best things in his life. I told him: “If you can do it today it’s thanks to feminism. Your father wouldn’t have done it.” The battles of women and men are battles for a more humane and fairer society for all.

In his books, sex is told in a very direct way. Why?
Sex is something animal and natural. My goal is to tell pieces of real life, without filters. Many have asked me if the stories were autobiographical, but they are five women of different ages and contexts. If they seem real, it means I did my job well.
As the mother of a teenage daughter, I see how the aesthetics of porn influence fashion, music and imagination, even if no one says to watch it. Children grow up immersed in this world, without tools to understand its origins. I try to tell all this without judging, showing both the beautiful and the violent parts.

In Italy there is a great debate on the topic of sexual education at school, is it also discussed in Iceland?
In Iceland we have sex education in school, but the debate remains heated. There are those who think that talking about sex exposes children too early and those who think that, since they see everything online, it is better to explain what sex really is and that porn does not represent it. Even in a small and progressive society like Iceland there is resistance, for example on homosexuality or gender identity education.

Before we say goodbye, do you have a writing routine?
Yes. I have to clear my mind first, so I meditate. Then I take a shower, I dress well – I never stay in my pajamas or tracksuits – like sign of respect for the work and for my work, the muses, the ancestors and goddess of creativity. I always light a candle on my desk: I need to see a living flame. I teach at university two days a week, so it’s not always possible to write every day, but I try to treat it like a real job. And if I write a page a day I feel satisfied.