Bryndís Schram
I have had many jobs in my life though. Which might sound very suspicious to you. So be it, but most of my jobs, I quit because of politics, believe or not!
My first working place was the National Theatre of Iceland – first as a dancer and then as an actress as well. But that blooming career came to a sudden end, when my husband was entrusted with the job of establishing a college in the Westfjords, the first one of its kind in that part of Iceland. So I became a teacher with a bachelor´s degree in languages from The University of Iceland. For eight years I taught, mostly French, which was my favorite language, besides running a little theatre workshop with my pupils at the college. But my teaching career was suddenly cut short, when we were out of the blue on the street with our four lovely children. My husband moved into the students´hostel and I was forced to og back to Reykjavík and find a new job. Politics? When I look back, I say yes, it was. I was forty at that time and got a job right away with the Icelandic TV (RÚV). And I was a so called “TV personality“ for the next 13 years, at RÚV and then the private Stöð 2. But both RÚV and Stöð 2 cut it short because of politics! My husband was by then the chairman of the SDP in Iceland and a minister in the Icelandic government, if you understand what I mean. I was possibly too influentious. Anyway, in ´92 I was lucky enough to get a job as the director of the Icelandic Film Fund, on the condition that I would not show up in TV shows any more. O.K. I accepted. Four years later I quit – again beause of politics! I was not wanted anymore. By that time my husband was out of government. During his time in government he managed to recruite many „enemies“, many of whom were now in government. Two years later they made us an offer we could not refuse: to get out of the country, first as Iceland´s ambassadors in the US for five years and then as ambassadors to Finland and the Baltic countries (and Unkraine as well) for three years. That period was extremely fruitfull and happy. We were like free spirits in an atmosphere totally different from what we left behind at home. Since then we have been what is officially classified as „retired persons“. If that means idle it is somehow a misconception. Or as the sage put it: You don´t stop playing, because you get old – you get old, because you stop playing
A picture taken with unknown friends and admirers of Jón Baldvin in Vilnius.