Vigdís Finnbogadóttir

Vigdís Finnbogadóttir

Vigdís Finnbogadóttir was my teacher of French in the Menntaskólinn við Hamrahlíð in the years 1967-1970. She was, needless to say, an excellent teacher, taking great care to educate her students not only in the French language but also about France as a country, French culture and French ways of living and thinking. Along with her teaching she also worked as a tourist guide in the summers.

In 1972 she moved on to become the director of The Reykjavík City Theatre. In 1980 she was elected the fourth president of The Republic of Iceland, thus becoming the first woman in the world to become a head of state in free, democratic elections. She proceeded to be our president for the next 16 years. After deciding to step out of office in 1996, she has devoted herself to work in a number of national as well as international humanitarian and cultural projects.