I've photographed a few outcasts in society, Edda was one of them. She passed away this April, she was 57 years old. I took these pictures of her around 2003. She suffered from a mental problem and used to walk up and down the main street in Reykjavik every day. Sometimes she would sit at the bus terminal and drink a few beers. I always noticed her because of the sadness in her eyes. I talked to her for a while and she opened up a bit and there was some joy inside of her.
I got to know a man last year that knew her before she became insane. He told me that she was a lesbian and one of the first to come out of the closet in Iceland. He believes that the social rejection drove her to substance abuse and the mental problems followed. I know that many people left Iceland back then because they were gay, she was one of them.
3 comments:
Edda suffered from scitzofrenia and never ever did she abuse any drugs. She didn´t even drink alcohol. Her drinking started long after she got sick. Edda did travel some and live abroud in periods. She was loved by her family who bent over backwards in atempts to help her on her terms. Doctors failed her in her sicknes and she died off cancer. Her sister held her in her arms when she took her last breath. I cared for her the best I could untill she past and I morne her every day. Do not make this about drugs or the fact she was a lesbian. Did you know she was an excelent artist? I would like to see your photos of her, she was my aunt and I loved her very much.
Hallo, my name is Michael Chapman. I just chanced upon this blog when I looked up the name of Edda Hakonardottir. She was a freind of mine when I was living in Amsterdam at the beginning of the sixties. She was a young artist and I was a poet. We actually travelled to Iceland to visit her and we went to camp near Mount Hekla, but after putting up the tent and bedding down we were beset by a great storm and were lucky to get away unscaved. I work as a university professor in Brazil. I´m so sorry to hear about her death and that she was unable to find her place in the world. She was quite normal when I knew her. I would be very happy if you could send me any photos of her. Contact: mchapman@terra.com.br
Made a mistake I should have written that I knew Edda at the begining of the seventies. Michael Chapman
Post a Comment