Nationally acclaimed stage actor and writer Karl Ágúst Úlfsson has been diagnosed with a brain tumour. Karl Ágúst is the president of the Association of Writers of Iceland, but he interrupted his work for health reasons. This is stated in the Facebook group of members of the Writers Association of Iceland, where Karl posts an announcement about the case.
Karl’s announcement says he was diagnosed with a tumor three months ago and it turned out to be benign. The tumor was removed in a successful operation. The outlook is therefore good, but there is still a long way to go before Karl regains his former energy. He says the operation had a major impact on his brain, reducing his memory and intellectual capacity, but he regained some of his ability to work thanks to physical therapy.
The announcement is as follows:
” Dear friends
At the RSÍ General Assembly last year, I was re-elected President for a two-year term. In light of this, I expected to hold this position for a total of six years, from 2018 to 2024. But the future is not always predictable, and now it has become clear that it will not be. not. There are health complications that cause this.
About three months ago I was diagnosed with a brain tumor. It turned out to be benign, I was quickly cut and the tumor was removed. The operation was a success, but I still have a long way to go to do the work I started. One of them is the presidency of the RSÍ.
The effects of surgery on a person’s brain can be profound and difficult to deal with. The operation reduced my physical abilities considerably, but I managed to regain some of them thanks to physical therapy. However, it is mainly the altered functioning of the brain that bothers me and will most likely return over a long period of time. This has caused me to seriously doubt that I now possess the mental and intellectual capacity which I consider necessary to exercise the presidency of the union as well as desirable. For this reason, I would like to leave the position of president of the RSÍ. As I said, I will not be in this role until the 2024 Annual General Meeting. Margrét Tryggvadóttir, Vice President, will serve as President until something else is decided.
I am very fond of the Writers’ Union of Iceland and have undertaken various projects for it over the forty years since I became a member. I enjoyed my work as president very much and therefore it is quite painful to say goodbye earlier than expected. However, I consider it the right decision and wish someone who can handle it better than me at the moment takes over. Finally, I would like to thank the confidence that has been shown in me and the good collaboration with the other members of the board of directors, the negotiation committees and all those who have taken it upon themselves to serve the interests of writers in all areas .
Best wishes to all of you
Karl Ágúst Úlfsson”
DV sends Karl Ágústi his most sincere wishes for a speedy recovery.
