2019:1-2

This bumper double issue of Swedish Book Review holds a wealth of contemporary Swedish prose writing, ranging from a novel by a debut writer to a book by one of Sweden’s most established and esteemed authors. 

Our first two extracts offer very different perspectives on the way people are often defined in today’s world – by moving or staying put. Kerstin Ekman’s latest book is a series of short essays on diverse subjects, expressing her deep concerns for our planet and inspired by the almost unnoticed changes that occur when we spend many years in the same place. In contrast, Hannele Mikaele Taivassalo’s poetic novel focuses on constant movement, travelling, always being on the way to somewhere else. 

The journey from adolescence to adulthood features in Marie Hermanson’s delightful novel about a young man living in his father’s shadow and in Emma Holm’s beautifully written debut novel about growing from girlhood to adulthood. We also have a tale of rural horror by writer Magnus Dahlström and one of psychological suspense by Jonas Brun.

In a story set in the first half of the twentieth century, Johanna Holmström creates a rich and immensely moving novel about the fate of women in psychiatric hospitals and the definition of their madness. And in his latest book for children and young adults, award-winning writer Per Nilsson approaches difficult life issues with his usual warmth and clarity.

Our review of Julie at the National Theatre in London in 2018 examines Polly Stenham’s contemporary interpretation of Strindberg’s Fröken Julie and the modern question of an individual’s alienation from society. 

Translator Marlaine Delargy is interviewed for SBR after her exciting win at the Dagger Awards at the end of 2018. And we also publish an interview with Susanne Bergström Larsson, Head of Swedish Literature Exchange at the Swedish Arts Council, who gives us an insight into her work promoting Swedish literature abroad. 

Finally, our reviewers provide another fascinating glimpse into the huge variety of excellent books recently published in Swedish.