Sir David Attenborough

Dear Sir David,

I obtained your address from your publisher in Iceland, EDDA, to send you this telefax as an informal enquiry regarding the possibility that you would be able to visit Iceland this coming May.

I am aware of the fact that you will be celebrating your 80eth birthday on May 8th, and assume that your schedule will be even more busy than usual because of that.

Nevertheless, I venture to ask whether you would consider visiting Iceland as the guest of The President of Iceland H.E. Olafur Ragnar Grimsson and the University of Iceland.

The President has recently launched a programme whereby prominent thinkers, scientists and leaders in the arts, culture and international affairs are invited to visit Iceland to give lectures and exchange ideas.

The programme is called New Currents and is run in cooperation with various Icelandic institutions.

The first speaker in the series, the world renowned professor of geochemistry at Columbia University, Dr. Wallie Broecker, visited Iceland last January. His lecture, Taming the wild beast of climate change, was arranged in cooperation with the Institute of Earth Sciences at the University of Iceland and aroused great attention.

Now the President has invited a new institute at the University, The Institute for Sustainable Development, to choose the next speaker, and join in hosting his visit and lecture. This would be the inaugurating lecture for the new institute, open not only to the University but to the general public, and of course attended by the President and his guests. We can think of no one we would rather have as our inaugurating speaker than you – who have brought the many wonders of biodiversity right into people´s living rooms. You are of course very well known in Iceland, your wonderful series Life in the Undergrowth is running right now,- and people will be excited and happy to have the chance to see you and hear you speak in person.

I know that you visited Iceland and launched the Icelandic translation of your book for EDDA publishing house in December. I hope that we can nevertheless tempt you to come in May. EDDA is also interested in taking part in the event, which would be widely advertised and publisized.

The reason why we are thinknig of May, without having a specific date in mind, is that we need to have the formal opening of the Institute for Sustainable Development while the University is still running strong in the spring, - by June people tend to disappear into the summer.

I sincerely hope that you will consider the possibilities and let me know at your earliest convenience what dates would suit you, if at all possible.

We will then follow this informal letter with a proper invitation from the President of Iceland.

Thank you for your time and attention,

Sincerely yours

Gudrun Petursdottir
Gudrun Petursdottir PhD
Director, Institute for Sustainable Development
University of Iceland

Dear Dr Petursdottir,

Thank you very much for your kind message. I am extremely flattered that you should invite me to lecture in your New Currents series. I always have a hugely enjoyable time every time I visit your remarkable country and I would really greatly enjoy doing so again. But I fear I truly cannot do so this May.

I am currently working on a new television series — about reptiles and amphibians — and in consequence I am travelling a great deal during the next two years. Thus on my birthday in May I shall be in the Galapagos. On my return here I have only ten days before I have to dash off again to Costa Rica. Those ten days, I know, will be very hectic as I try to catch up with all that has gone on in the previous month while I was away. And my schedule is like that for most of the following year.

So I really must not take on anything further during this time.

Thank you nonetheless. I am truly sorry to have to reply in this way

With best wishes,
David
 

Dear Sir David,

Thank you for your prompt and friendly reply. Of course I understand and appreciate your reasons for not being able to accept our invitation on such a short notice.

May we keep the invitation open for you to visit Iceland as the personal guest of the President of Iceland and the University? I know that it may take months – or even years : ) - but we would like to join the queue on your busy schedule.

I did not mention in my note yesterday (because it has not been formally passed but will be in a Faculty meeting shortly) that the University of Iceland wishes to offer you an Honorary Doctorate for your unique contribution to the understanding of biology. If you accept the degree, it can be granted in absentia, but of course we would much prefer to have you here. The ceremony could take place whenever suits you and your schedule allows, in the autumn, next spring or whenever. It would be a part of the programme I talked about yesterday, where you would be staying at the President´s house in Reykjavik and we would do everything in our power to make your stay enjoyable.

The University will contact you formally regarding the honorary degree later in the spring.

I am glad that you are working on a series about reptiles and amphibians and can´t wait to see what they are up to all over the globe. You have truly changed people´s perception of life on Earth. After Life in the Undergrowth the spiderwebs are left untouched all over the house.

Please let me know what you think and how you would like to proceed,

Thank you again

Gudrun Petursdottir PhD,Director, Institute for Sustainable Development

Dear Dr Petursdottir,

Thank you for your second fax. I am greatly flattered to know that the University of Iceland may be about to offer me an honorary degree. That would indeed be an honour that I should treasure.

I am sorry to say however that I would not be able to visit Iceland to receive it within the next two years. As I mentioned in my earlier fax, I am hard at work on a new television series and filming is taking me a way a very great deal — so often in fact that I may not be able to fit in all the filming trips I would like to make before the series has to be ready for transmission in just under two years' time. So if the degree were to be conferred before then, I fear it would, sadly, have to be in absentia.

With best wishes
David Attenborough

Dear Sir David,

Thank you for your reply and for being willing to accept an honorary degree from the University of Iceland. We feel honoured to be allowed to link our name to yours.

I have spoken to the Rector, Kristin Ingolfsdottir, about our correspondence. We appreciate and understand your reasons for not being able to receive the degree in person for the next two years while you are working on the new series.

This is a bit of a dilemna, since we would rather not wait with conferring it, and yet would so much like to have you with us. We got an idea that we hope might work.

We thought that the university would proceed as planned, and confer the honorary degree to you at the graduation ceremony, which takes place on Saturday October 21st 2006. You would not be there in person, but do you think you could possibly send us a video recording that we would play in the ceremony? Only a few words explaining that you are busy, but would like to visit Iceland as soon as possible. This could be filmed anywhere, preferably outdoors where we all know you best, - in your element – in the Galapagos, Costa Rica or wherever you like. This would be displayed on large screens in the Hall, everybody would see and hear, - and this would reflect you as best we know and love you.

Then we´ll put the champagne on ice and wait with the party till you turn up in 2008. Please forgive me for repeatedly taking up your time and attention,

Gudrun Petursdottir PhD,Director,
Institute for Sustainable Development
University of Iceland

Dear Dr Petursdottir,

I have just returned from the Galapagos where I recorded the enclosed acceptance of the degree your University is so flatteringly awarding me that the Rector tells me will be conferred on me in absentio on June 24th. I hope that it does not present any technical problems. I have to leave again London again for Costa Rica on June 1st but if you let me know of any problems before then I will do my best to solve them.

With best wishes
David Attenborough

Dear Sir David,

I was very happy to receive your reply - thank you. We will be equally happy and excited to receive the recording from you. We leave it entirely to you to decide on the content and length.

Enjoy your new adventures with the amphibians and reptiles - and please take care. Some of these have got very large mouths.

All the best
Gudrun Petursdottir PhD, Director, Institute for Sustainable Development

Dear Sir David,

I spoke to the Rector last night and we agreed that it would be very nice to be able to have our “show” at the summer graduation ceremony rather than the autumn one. The summer graduation takes place on Saturday June 24th.

The number of students graduating and people present is much greater in the summer, which is the reason why honorary degrees are usually conferred in the autumn, so as not to drown in a longwinded ceremony. But we feel that in your case, a large audience deserves to enjoy this unique and memorable event.

So, if you feel comfortable with recording something that we could use on June 24th, we would be very happy. Receiving a greeting from you in the Galapagos would be just perfect.

Thank you again

Dear Dr Petursdottir,

Many thanks for your message. Very well. I will record a couple of minutes or so when we are in the Galapagos and will make sure that you receive it well in time for the degree ceremony on June 24th.

With best wishes
David Attenborough

Dear Sir David,

Thank you so much for the wonderful recording!

How very appropriate to set it in the black basalt lava that looks so familiar, were it not for the prehistoric creatures residing on it, seeming so profoundly untouched by the passing of time. What magnificent beings.

They remind me of a cartoon in the New Yorker of a couple of turtles in the Galapagos commenting on a passing biologist: “This species has not eveloved much since young Darwin was here....”

And your words are just perfect. Referring to the iguanas to set us thinking about energy conservation and our responsibility to future generations, and linking that to the important tasks my young institute takes on at the University is very well done and will help me along the way – thank you.

Technically the recording is first class and we did not encounter any technical problems in running it through. I am sure that it will be fine.

Thank you again Sir David, - it has been a pleasure to make your aquaintance and I look forward to seeing you on the black basalt lava of Iceland.

Sincerely yours

Gudrun Petursdottir PhD, Director, Institute for Sustainable Development