66 Degrees North

AUTHOR’S NOTE

Icelanders like to say that the people who bankrupted their country number no more than thirty. Óskar Gunnarsson is intended to represent one of these thirty, but not any specific individual.

Similarly, the characters in the book who held prominent political positions, such as Prime Minister of Iceland or the British Chancellor of the Exchequer during the crisis, do not represent the individuals who held those positions in reality. And indeed any similarity between other characters and real people is coincidental.

I should like to thank a number of people for their help. Nic Cheetham and Pétur Már Ólafsson my British and Icelandic editors, Oliver Munson my agent, Richenda Todd, Liz Hatherell, Tom Bernard, Toby Wyles, Karl Steinar Valsson, Anna Margrét Gudjónsdóttir, Sigrún Lilja Gudbjartsdóttir, Ármann Thorvaldsson, Ída Margrét Jósepsdóttir, Alda Sigmundsdóttir, and Lara Gillies. It is a challenge, but an enjoyable one, to write about a country which is not your own. If there are any errors, they are all mine.

Lastly, I should like to thank my wife Barbara and my children for their patience, support and encouragement.