2008:1

How do we best promote contemporary Swedish fiction in the UK? This is the question posed in the March edition of the electronic newsletter Swedish Culture in the UK produced by the Swedish Embassy in London (go to www.swedenabroad.com and follow the links). The slightly dispiriting view advanced there is that the written word, especially from the family of smaller languages, may find it harder to break through in a foreign culture than other - non text-based - art forms such as dance and design.

While it is undeniable that the process of publishing fiction in translation is costlier and more time-consuming than publishing that written in English, a swelling number of UK publishers are seeing this as a worthwhile investment, as they seek out distinctive, high-quality books from around the world that will stand out from the often mediocre Anglophone mainstream. There are many reasons to be cheerful. The number of Swedish titles published annually in Britain – and the USA – is far greater than it used to be. Our regular “Just Out and Coming Up” listings always need a double spread these days, and the pages are not entirely filled with crime fiction titles, either. In any case, as Helen Sigeland points out in her article in this issue, high-profile crime writing successes like Henning Mankell and Stieg Larsson can pave the way for all manner of other Swedish literary exports.

There is also cheering news about the reinstatement of Sweden’s translation subsidy scheme, which after a period of uncertainty has now moved from the Swedish Institute to the Swedish Arts Council, where it will enjoy a vigorous new life. Helen Sigeland, who has accompanied the subsidy scheme from its old to its new home, provides the details in her article. SBR seems very likely to be one of the beneficiaries of what is now a dedicated framework for the international promotion of Swedish literature.

It seems appropriate then, as we move into what might be called a new and brighter funding era, to pay tribute to our reviewers, who since the inception of SBR have provided their services on a voluntary, unpaid basis. We are indebted to them all for their labour of love. This issue, as ever, offers a substantial and varied collection of reviews. We also feature extracts from three contrasting works of fiction for young people. In you’re the cutest ;-), Siv Widerberg and Mats Andersson tackle the thorny issue of internet paedophilia, in the setting of today’s multicultural Sweden. Mikael Engström’s Ice Dragon follows the young protagonist from his comfort zone in the inner city to new challenges in a rural environment. In Secret Face Inger Edelfeldt combines contemporary teenage ennui with subversion of the traditional fairytale genre, and tells us how she went about illustrating her book. And not wishing to ignore the Eurocrime wave, we are also pleased to present a sneak preview of The Reluctant Reporter by Jenny Nordberg and Nuri Kino, highly successful journalists who have collaborated on this eagerly-awaited thriller.