Special issue translations
TRANSLATED EXTRACT
from Inherited Land by Maria Turtschaninoff
Maria Turtschaninoff’s first work of literary fiction for adults, Inherited Land is an enchanting novel that depicts human relationships with nature across the generations.
Translated by Annie Prime.
TRANSLATED EXTRACT
from Shade and Breeze by Quynh Tran
Revolving around a Vietnamese family of three navigating small-town life in Finland of the 90s, Quynh Tran's poignant and suggestive debut plays out through a series of oblique yet intimately detailed tableaux.
Translated by Kira Josefsson.
TRANSLATED EXTRACT
from Giraffe Island by Sofia Chanfreau and Amanda Chanfreau
Coloured by magical realism, Giraffe Island is a tale of longing to be part of a family, to find one’s place in the world, and to be loved as one is.
Translated by Julia Marshall.
TRANSLATED EXTRACT
from Nell by Matilda Södergran
In her first work of prose, poet Matilda Södergran turns her finely honed lyricism to themes of loneliness and loss, writing with astute psychological depth and striking, at times dreamlike, imagery.
Translated by Bradley Harmon.
TRANSLATED EXTRACT
from Turn My Heart Towards Home by Ann-Luise Bertell
The conditions that inspired Finnish emigrants to search for a better life, predominantly from agricultural Ostrobothnia, find clear-eyed, non-sentimental expression in Ann-Luise Bertell’s Turn My Heart Towards Home.
Translated by Kathy Saranpa.
Translations - 2023:2
TRANSLATED EXTRACT
from Peace by Thella Johnson
Thella Johnson's debut novel is a tender portrayal of an unforgettable family and the post-war people of Sweden and Finland, two countries close as siblings.
Translated by Nichola Smalley.
TRANSLATED EXTRACT
from Love in Swedish by Marit Kapla
Marit Kapla marries prose poetry with investigative journalism to create poignant portrayal of the conditions of love in our time.
Translated by Linda Schenck.
TRANSLATED EXTRACT
from Yani by Nora Khalil
In her August-Prize-nominated Yani, Nora Khalil tells a collective coming-of-age story about alienation and belonging among a close-knit group of friends in suburban Stockholm.
Translated by Catherine Venner.
Latest features
INTERVIEW
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Researchers and critics Maria Lassén-Seger and Mia Österlund speak to Swedish Book Review about Finland-Swedish children’s literature and the art of literary criticism
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130 Years (and Counting) of Finland-Swedish Poetry
2021 saw the publication of an anthology of Finland-Swedish poetry covering 130 years. Swedish Book Review interviewed its editors to talk about their selection, as well as more broadly about poetry and publishing in Swedish in Finland.
Swedish Book Review - bringing Swedish-language literature to the English-speaking world
SBR is committed to bringing Swedish-language literature to the English-speaking world, and to promoting works in translation. In 2021, with the publication of our full online archive, we will be launching our new membership package. SBR membership gives you access to hundreds of reviews, translations and features on the latest in Swedish literature.
Latest reviews
REVIEW
I slutet borde jag dö
Hannele Mikaela Taivassalo's short, fragmented gem of a novel in which a woman ponders her impossible relationship with a married man, trying to figure out what to do with a love that is not supposed to exist. In a lovely poetic prose that glimmers with dark humour she tries to write her way back to inner strength and her own true self.
REVIEW
Skelettet
The Skeleton is a picture book about a boy who breaks his arm and learns to conquer his fear of his skeleton.
REVIEW
Strömsöborna
The People of Strömsö by Rosanna Fellman is a prose-poetry panorama of twenty-first century life in Finland.
REVIEW
Natten
Sara Gordan’s The Night was received with unanimous, overwhelmingly warm praise for her unique style of novelistic autobiography that focuses on a troubled, loving parenthood.
REVIEW
De tar allt ifrån mig
In They’re Taking Everything Away from Me, An intense YA novel set in Northern Sweden, Linda Jones describes Frida, a fifteen-year-old coming of age in a community that is falling apart.
REVIEW
En bok för Ingen
Nominated for 2023 Nordic Council Literature Prize, A Book For Nobody surprises and delights thanks to Isabella Nilsson’s playful approach to writing about difficult topics.
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